Homeschooling comes with many joys, challenges, and a wide variety of decisions.  What curriculum is best for us?  How does my child learn?  Honestly, how many hours do we have to dedicate to school?  Is Apologia Science any good and which is best for early elementary?  I’m so glad I came across In the Beginning Science!

How I Found In the Beginning Science

My oldest son loves science.  He has since before he was even talking fluently.  I vividly remember snuggling with him on the recliner and reading yet another dinosaur book from the library.  He would try to repeat the lengthy names as I stumbled to pronounce them myself.

Dinosaurs were just the beginning though.  His fascination with insects, reptiles, weather, and space continue as does his ever-growing library!

 

When he was young I would put together his science activities myself using the library, youtube, and Pinterest.  We explored senses with blindfolded experiments, went on an archaeological dig, and colored pictures of the solar system. I enjoyed these lessons as much as he did and his hands-on younger sister embraced them with us.

As more kids were added to the family and other subjects required a great deal of time, I went searching for a science curriculum that needed less prep time.  I paged through books, read reviews, tried a few, and ended up feeling a little lost.

 

Enter In the Beginning Science

Then someone told me about “Science in the Beginning” by Dr. Jay Wile.  This was perfect for us for several reasons.

• Each lesson begins with an experiment.  They are not complicated or lengthy and the supplies are mostly items I have in the house or are inexpensive to buy (I had to buy diet Coke as we are not soda drinkers).
• It works well for different ages.  My 4-year-old loved participating in the experiments and yet the text was involved enough to keep my 8 year old engaged and learning. 
• There are three activities at the end of each lesson.  One for the youngest students, one for older students, and one for the oldest students.  My four-year-old did not do any of them.  My 6 year old answered the “youngest student” questions and my eight-year-old did the “older students” activities.
• It is based on the days of creation.  Day one is all about light.  It discusses absorbing and reflecting, the Law of Energy Conservation, how the human eye sees, etc. 
• Verses are quoted throughout the text and the kids are consistently reminded of our great Creator.

A Perfect Science Curriculum for Elementary

This is a perfect overall science curriculum for early elementary as it covers a variety of subjects (light and energy, solids and liquids, solutions, thermal energy, plants and animals, and our solar system to name a few) with engaging photos and experiments.  The concepts are simplified and easy to remember and the explanations are not overly complicated.

It is my desire to teach my kids about God as Creator and In the Beginning Science gives them the foundation I am looking for.

This quote, by James Prescott Joule, is in the introduction and has become one of my favorites!
After the knowledge of, and obedience to, the will of God, the next aim must be to know something of His attributes of wisdom, power, and goodness as evidenced by his handiwork.  It is evident that an acquaintance with natural laws means no less than an acquaintanceship with the mind of God therein expressed.

In the Beginning Science is Only the Beginning

While this post is about science curriculum for early elementary, Apologia has an incredible variety of textbooks for all grades. After finishing In the Beginning Science, we went onto Apologia Young Explorers and have enjoyed anatomy, botany, and chemistry/physics. All with the same engaging text, photos, and experiments! Joy in the Journey has an excellent post on the Apologia Young Explorers.

What science have you tried? If you have used Science In the Beginning, I’d love for you to leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Do you have a preschooler at home? Click on the image below to check out this fun low preschool curriculum!

You might also be interested in these science posts!

8 Simple Fall Science Experiments for Kids of All Ages

Homeschool Science Anatomy Review

Homeschool Apologia Botany Review