Chemistry – Christian Kids Explore Science
When I began this homeschool journey, I knew exactly what my weak areas would be in teaching. History? Got it covered. English? No problem. Math? Hmm, this could be tricky. Science? Um, we don’t really need science, right? There was a weak spot. Science. For years I have tossed back and forth on science and how to make it a successful part of our homeschool. Trying to find a system/method/plan that would work for this science-challenged mom.
After much thought and prayer, I came up with a game plan. They younger students would just enjoy nature, reading books about different science topics and a fun experiment now and then. Once my student was a solid reader we would add in a science course and add in living books as desired. What science course could I use for my 4-6th graders? Bright Ideas Press has a wonderful resource that is working so well!
Over the past couple of years, I have reviewed other products from Bright Ideas Press. (Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers, WonderMaps) I have always been pleased with a curriculum/product that meets my needs and my student’s needs, is user friendly, and affordable. BIP has always treated me with excellent customer service when needed. When the review possibility for Christian Kid’s Explore Science became available, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. After talking with my daughter that was in need of a science course, we went with CKE Chemistry.
CKE: Chemistry is designed for grades 4-8 but can easily be adapted for studying with multiple ages. This is clearly a Christian course as Scripture is seen throughout the lessons always keeping the focus on the Creator. There are 30 lessons, 5 units each, that cover topics such as: Chemistry Tools, Atoms, Chemical Bonds, Compounds and more. You can see a full Table of Contents.
In each lesson there is Teaching Time which gives information on the topic being studied. Along the side of the text, vocabulary and other information is listed in the margins. The lesson wraps up with a Review It section to make sure the student understood the main points. Then you reach the Hands On portion which always makes for a fun morning in our home. After the Hands On, there are some questions to help us think over what we learned during our “experiment”. Unit review and coloring pages are also included. If using the course with younger students, the coloring pages are a great way to keep little hands busy and minds focused!
The 2nd edition of CKE: Chemistry now comes with a resource CD. This wonderful resource makes utilizing this curriculum so easy! The resource CD contains: Reproducibles from the lessons (coloring pages, review questions, etc) , material lists, supplemental reading list (love this one!) and even lesson plans.
Even though my daughter is using this course independently, we still can utilize the lesson plan to help her pace herself through the course and to make sure she doesn’t forget important aspects like vocabulary in each lesson. As a book loving family, adding in some supplemental reading is always high on our list so I was pleased to see this feature on the resource CD.
My daughter is doing well working through this course, learning much about chemistry and not held back by her science challenged mom. I was so impressed with CKE: Chemistry that I am hoping to get some of the other CKE books to use as well. Bright Ideas Press gets another thumbs up from us! Easy to understand and implement, affordable, Biblical worldview and from a company that was started by homeschoolers? Definitely worth taking a moment or two to check out Christian Kids Explore: Chemistry and the other products BIP has available!
CKE: Chemistry – 2nd Edition with Resource CD can be purchased for $39.95! The resource CD makes this product non-consumable so a great price for a family with multiple student!
Swing by and see what other Crew Members are saying about Christian Kids Explore..Biology, Chemistry, Physics…
**Disclaimer – As a member of TOS Review Crew, I received a complimentary copy of this product for review purposes. No compensation was made. The thoughts/opinions expressed in this post are my own.
