Yes, the experiment book and paper packet is a BIG part of the curriculum--it's kind of hard to understand what all it is when all you see is a picture of the cover.

Thanks for watching, Stacey!

We're currently in the middle of a long ocean-themed study that we've absolutely loved...so I do think I will kind of miss staying on one theme for a long time and learning about many aspects. BUT especially as I was putting this video together I was getting excited about all the different parts of this science program we'll get to experience next year!

@@SevenInAll it’s definitely exciting and we have enjoyed it but some things I wanted to go quicker and some I wanted to slow down but overall has been fun!

That's awesome to hear!

Glad it was helpful!

Yes, it can be hard to include kids from a wide age range in experiments. I think these look very doable for my little boys.

Taking the time to really go through it and look through all the parts of the program made me really excited about science this coming year!

I'm looking forward to it! I may do a 'lesson with us' video sometime!

Thanks for visiting!

I think so, too!

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!

Glad that it's helpful!

Yes, definitely, especially if they haven't done much with science yet. I call it kindergarten just because it's labeled Level "K" and I'm using it with a kindergartener....but all Sonlight science or HBL programs can be used within a couple-year age gap. A 2nd grader might be able to do more of the writing on the workbook pages, while a kindergartener might just be telling a parent the answer orally while the parent writes for them.

@@SevenInAll thank you so much!!

I definitely think Sonlight Science could be used with multiple grades, and I have known many families to do so (elementary science doesn't tend to be especially grade-specific)...I think combining the older two would be very doable, but thinking of a typical 3.5 year old (as I have one myself)....my little guy will definitely be present and interested in all of our experiments and I bet he'll pick up a lot, but I don't think he'll master or remember the material the same way that my oldest will...

Probably the next level up would be a better fit! I think an 8 year old would still find the experiment activities fun (included activities like making recycled paper, or measuring the temperature inside a 'greenhouse' made out of a water bottle), but the overall learning points may be stuff the child already knows by that point.

I do have a comparison video showing several elementary science curriculum options, including Sonlight and Gentle + Classical here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/atSJgpuK2qm4kX0.htmlsi=Hgc3HvY5_LJGoFU6 That's an older video, I believe it's from before Volume 2 of G+C was published.

I also have thorough videos focusing on just G+C Nature (Vol 1 and Vol 2) and some of the book swaps that I made and how I used them.

The Sonlight IG does have a list of what topics are being covered in which weeks (i.e. ants, rainforests, hurricanes, etc.), so in theory you could use the topic list to help skip around and find which books, pages, and experiments go with different topics. In practice...I have generally found that the topics covered in elementary science tend to be overall interesting and exciting, so even if you go in order, I think that kids will generally find their interest piqued by whatever the new topic is, even if they didn't realize ahead of time that it would be all that interesting.

@@SevenInAll awesome, thank you for the insight!

Kindergarten begins around age 5-6. For our family, at this stage, I like to cover: phonics, handwriting, math, Bible, Literature (read alouds), Spanish, and science--but there can be some variety--some families do fewer subjects for Kindergarten, some others might start history in Kindergarten, but I don't prefer to do that--our literature (picture books) will have a geography-themed focus for the Kindergarten year. This is my plan for Kindergarten and the subjects we're covering: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/g7OIZ9d93M6um6s.html I also have a three year old right now, if you're interested in gentle learning routines, I'm about to start using Gentle + Classical Preschool with him. I used that program with my oldest when he was three: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/j5xppthhl9fPYZ8.html I'm always happy to chat if you have any questions as you're exploring the idea of homeschool!

There's a LOT in that experiment guide, it's very rich. I do think that I would personally miss having picture books that tie into different topics (i.e. reading the book on Ants while having ant-related experiments).

There are different topics covered in different levels of Sonlight Science...but in general, I don't really worry about gaps in content for elementary years. 2nd grade. For example...maybe in 2nd grade they don't cover how a seed grows or the anatomy of insects (head, abdomen, thorax, 6 legs, etc.) BUT it's also very likely that your kids have already learned those ideas somewhere...and even if they haven't, it's highly likely they will bump into those ideas again several times in their educational career. Does that make sense? Also, I think it would be very doable to combine your children into one level if they are that close in age--especially if you do things like scribing for your younger child or doing worksheets orally.

Thank you! That helps a lot. I've heard so many good things about their science but wasn't sure. Thanks for the info and clarity.