Apr. 7, 2009 - Apologia Science
I have heard great things about Apologia Science since I began 'officially' homeschooling two years ago but I never had the chance to look at the books up close or really get to know much about them. I was thrilled then when I was given a chance to review Apologia's Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day elementary science book.
I was impressed from the start and it only got better. The fact that the whole curriculum comes from a Christian perspective was the first major advantage of this curriculum. The book is hard covered and a well made and colorful cover is great. It will put up with years of being used and enjoyed by several children. The pages are thick and can also stand up to lots of page turning, although, like any book, not immune to tearing.
The information contained in the book is excellent and well researched. Everything comes right back to gift God the glory for His creation. Flying Creatures is also called Apologia Zoology I because it deals with the study of animals. While some it, such as grouping animals into phyla, species, genus, etc, is somewhat advanced and involved for my children (even I don't have a complete grasp on it) the rest of the book was on level and we were able to find a free lapbook for this book which has been fun to work on. It wil be an ongoing project though.
My middle child will at the book for hours and she begs to take it off the bookshelf to look at! She has learned so much but just looking at the pictures and asking what each animal is among other questions. My son, who is my youngest, also likes to look at it and enjoys the insects and dinosaurs. My oldest enjoys just perusing the book at her leisure as well. Sometimes I think they pick up more by just generally reading it than by me teaching it. The pictures are in beautiful color and really make the images and animals pop! and make it enjoyable to look at.
The book contains experiments and practical applications to put the science to work in the child's life. I am not sure how much I agree with submerging and ant in water to watch it come back to life, but some may be okay with that. Overall, the experiments are done with some simple things found around the house or easily obtained. The website also offers more help with the studies and gives you more ideas for teaching. I also recommend the catalog, it's more like a magazine with helpful articles and tips for teaching science. It's a very high quality catalog that is worth it for the articles in it as well as for ordering information.
Overall, the Apologia Flying Creatures of the Fith Day has been great and I know we will get many more learning experiences from it.
Comments
Apr. 12, 2009 - Thanks
Posted by LarabaK
Thanks for analysis of the Apologia book. I agree they sound great but I've been a bit intimidated by the price. It is good to hear they are so good... if spread over many children, one expensive book isn't really a problem. I'm going to the Cinci Homeschool Convention this next weekend (I hope) and will spend some time looking at Apologia books if they are there.
Oh, can you tell me if they emphasize a 7 day creation?
Laraba
Apr. 24, 2009 - FYI
Posted by LarabaK
I bought two of the Apologia younger kids books (Botany and Zoology 1) for significantly less than the price in the Apologia catalog... I think each was $23. I really like these books and am happy to have them.
I AM GLAD YOU LIKE THEM. I AM HOPING TO FIND THE OTHERS AT USED SALES THIS SPRING. THERE ARE FREE LAPBOOKS TO GO ALONG WITH THEM ON THE YAHOO GROUP AS WELL, I WILL TRY TO REMEMBER TO SEND YOU THE LINK.
Edited by OhioSarah on Apr. 24, 2009 at 8:25 PM
