Get the Most out of the Apologia Science Program!

We really like the Apologia Science Young Explorer Series for children in grades 6 and up! Here I share some things we did to get the most out of the program, use it successfully, and how to avoid getting overwhelmed by it.

[surpeaceonearth]

Karla,
You have the most inviting, inspiring, and thorough reviews! I feel such a kinship with you and your awesome relaxed yet enthusiastic way of homeschooling :) I had a question regarding the Apologia Science series...I am not per se a Christian so I am hesitant to go with Apologia. Can you tell me what types of "Christian" influences do the Apologia Science books present in their science series? I love the fact that they have the mp3 available for the kids to follow along with and I like that you said the narrator is enthusiastic when she reads :) The journal is a very neat way and I love your modified way of selecting a few or a couple of activities and putting them into their own science binder. I think the blank pages would bother me too :)
Also, I wondered how long it would take an average to a bit below average reader to read through each chapter? Do your kids do science every day of the week or I should just ask, what does their schedule look like in a week with regards to science?
My daughters will be in 5th and 8th grade this next year.
Thank you in advance! You really do offer a very great perspective and I am always very inspired and excited for the coming school year. I took your advice and we did the IEW writing course last year..the old version...I am looking forward to purchasing the newer 2020 updated version!!! I loved it!!! So AWESOME, both of my daughters are proving to be very good at writing and this course is so great!!!... The spelling you See is also AWESOME too! My one daughter does much better with the copywriting approach to spelling and it also helps with both of my daughter's handwriting and penmanship :) Some days I will tell them to use the calligraphy sets that I had purchased and practice their cursive writing while they do the copy work. They love that! And cursive is really not taught now in public schools so I also encourage them to practice their cursive when they are doing the copy work! I purchased very pretty, romantic calligraphy pens in gorgeous cases...they use the ink wells and the fancy old-fashioned tips and it really makes any writing project fun and sort of relaxing. We also have cursive workbooks and my daughters do that as part of our morning routine while I read History to them. The Fix it Grammer is such a great grammar program. Thank you for recommending it so highly! My daughters learned so much this year and we plan to continue with Fix it, Grammar next year as well.
The science I am still searching for the perfect one for both of my daughters, one who is an advanced reader the other an average reader.
I had messaged you about this time last year as you had mentioned your health concerns. Did you ever do research on the leaky gut and the gut microbiome? Just wondering if anything is helping? Take good care and keep up the clear, thorough reviews! Your daughter is a year ahead of my oldest daughter who is soon-to-be in the 8th-grade. so I feel very grateful to have s somewhat explored path to follow with regards to a curriculum that really is effective. Thank you so much!

Sincerely, Kristi

[gwyenotter]

Thank you for showing us how to make this program more user friendly; I really enjoyed the ideas you shared about how to do it and how it ties in nicely with IEW’s writing.

[jessicajones]

Thank you for the review! We have just started with Apologia with their Astronomy unit, and we are loving it. Totally agree with you, it is a lot. We have decided to dedicate Saturdays and Sundays to this unit along with our usual weekend family activities and it is working well. My boys are enjoying it so much and we plan on doing everything 😃, every page, project and experiment, so no idea how long it will take, perhaps a lesson a week. We bought the journals and they are lovely, I’ve found my 8 year old, who writes pretty well, loves writing in his journal and writes pages on it, so I consider it part of language arts, incorporating narration and comprehension. It’s not the cheapest programme especially with the books so hope to use it fully. However, I love your suggestions because I’m so new to Apologia, I may not always feel this way and so perhaps on further units, photocopying pages from the journal would well for us. Have you found it to be one book an academic year?

I’m hoping, if we continue to love it, to get through 2 a year, doing the program to its fullest.

[robinhill]

Thank you for your honesty. I felt that.

[purvisamria]

Hi. Thanks for the review. Regarding your tip #1, did your daughter play the CD while she was reading or did she read the book and play CD another time?

[juniperwool]

I had a lot of people say that these were great for kindergarten up, so I picked up a few. Like you, I feel like they are not really suitable for younger children, but I look forward to using them when my children are older. haha. We currently read books and are also reading through abeka 1's science and health readers.
Thank you for your reviews!

[mommyofsmarties]

Hi Karla! I’m just researching science for my rising grade 8. Did your daughter work through the human anatomy Apologia program this year, or did you settle for a different program?
I noticed they have a grade 8 physical science program, so I did think about that...but you mentioned the level of this program being a bit higher than the recommended age.

P.S. so very appreciate all the tips and tricks you have provided so far.

[yizhezhang]

Love your videos. Look forward to more from you :)

[sarahsmith]

Totally agree with you. I looked at it when my youngest was in kindergarten and I thought WOW! This is not appropriate at all for younger kids. So much information and words in the text. I would say 5th/6th grade and up like you recommend.

[sykusch]

Which science program do you recommend for younger kids (G 1-3)?

[brookewray]

Well, I just bought them for my 2nd grader and kindergartner. O well. I guess we will see how it goes.