BOOKS AND SUPPLIES SHOPPING LISTS

Here are the links to the shopping lists for Elementary Level and Middle School level:

Click here for Elementary Shopping Guide

Click here for Middle School Shopping Guide

2024-25 Elementary Science

Our students are going to have so much fun in science class this year!  Each week promises to be an exciting new experience, as our classes will all be exploring the way God created our beautiful universe using Chemistry and Physics!  Each Monday, your Elementary Students will have the opportunity to engage their senses in learning; whenever possible your children will be participating in experiments and demonstrations that exhibit the WONDER of our God's CREATION!

We are currently waiting for the Middle School curriculum to ship, since it's a new edition.  I'll post a new article similar to this to describe what Science will look like for Middle School students.

The school year will start with learning about atoms and elements.  They will explore different kinds of solutions and mixtures, and witnessing some amazing chemical reactions.  The classes will also be learning about the Laws of Motion, electricity, magnetism, and simple machines!  

We already have some engaging science challenges planned for during our lunch and recess times as well.

I wanted to take a moment to talk a little about the curricula that we will be using this school year, in order to equip our parents in their decision making about what to purchase.  

Our guiding curriculum this year will be Chemistry and Physics by Apologia. (photo from Apologia.com)  This book provides a robust instruction in Chemistry and Physics topics, and is written specifically for grades K-6.  There are several companions that you can purchase to enrich your experience with this book, including Notebooking Journals and an audio version of the book.

The Notebooking Journal is an excellent tool to help your students engage with the material throughout the week at home.  You will receive a printed syllabus specific to your child's class at Parent Orientation that will assist you in planning your homeschool week for science.  There is a Junior version that is more appropriate for students that are still learning to read and write.

It's important that remember that curriculum should serve our homeschooling families as a roadmap.  It should never be something that causes more stress or condemnation than wonder and growth.  For this reason, I want to describe different ways that KCCH families with Elementary Students might choose to engage with science throughout the week.  At the Elementary level, there is a lot of flexibility as to how much you invest your time and effort into Science at home.  That's why we do Science at co-op!  We encourage families to make a plan that fits their personality and interests!  If you need some help making a plan for science for your family, never hesitate to reach out to me!

PLAN A - THE "ALL IN" PLAN (this is what my family does)
Purchase:  Textbook (share one for the family), Notebooking Journal (one per stuent), audiobook (optional, but life saving)
This plan would involve families engaging with the Science curriculum approximately three days per week, in addition to co-op.  Students would be engaged with Science for 30-45 minutes each of those days. 
Day 1 - Do the reading assignment from the syllabus. My family uses the audio book and follows along in the text.  Younger kiddos color as they listen, older kids might start writing facts in their "Fascinating Facts" section in their Notebooking Journal. 
Day 2 & 3 - Complete the activities in the Notebooking Journal.  Our family rarely does the additional hands-on activities unless they are simple enough for the kids to do them on their own.

PLAN B - THE BASIC PLAN
Purchase: Textbook (share one for the family), audiobook (optional, but life saving)
This plan would involve families engaging with the Science curriculum for one or two days per week, for about 30 minutes each day.
Day 1 - Review the activities done in class at co-op.  Use your textbook as a reference to help students remember and understand what they experienced at co-op.
Day 2 - Do the reading assignment from the syllabus. My family uses the audio book and follows along in the text. Coloring helps kids sit and listen to the material for longer..

PLAN C - THE "SCIENCE LITE" PLAN
Purchase: Textbook (share one for the family)
Co-op day Science Class might be sufficient for your style.  And that's ok!  (As long as your students are engaged and participate in class on Mondays)  I would still recommend purchasing the textbook as a reference for the school year.  Your children will be participating in experiments and demonstrations that come straight from the textbook, so having the book will help you know what they did in class.

 

I want to address those of you that might be thinking that Apologia is a bit "too much" for you.  You might be right!  Apologia is a robust curriculum.  The beauty in that is that it actually affords the ideal amount of flexibility for families of any persuasion! 
I hope these plans that I've laid out help you see how this can used as a resource and place for valuable learning about God's creation, but without the expectation that every family would engage with it in its entirety.

There is also grace for families to use a different curriculum during the week with their elementary students.  If you have Upper Elementary students, it's worth a conversation with Christa before making that decision.

I hope this helps give you vision for what Science looks like with KC Connected Homeschool.  If you have questions about your family specifically, I would love to chat with you!  Please feel free to reach out at any time!