I don’t really remember that much about the science texts that I used in my early elementary schooling. But I do remember all those books I checked out of the library on raccoons, snakes, sharks, and carnivorous plants (just a few of my favorites at the time). Science texts certainly are important, but by covering all the important topics under the constraints of short chapters and "limited vocabulary" a lot of the best details are left out! It’s easy to see why "living books" are the favored mode of study for subjects like science, especially in the elementary grades. The problem then is how to fit everything together. Without a framework and some supplemental activities, it’s hard to string together a complete science program even from the best library books. And that’s where Sandi Strenkowski’s exciting and easy-to-use science curriculum guides come to the rescue. All the structure and planning are there for you; all you need to do is gather some books and materials and enjoy doing science together!

Basically, the Living Learning Books curriculum is built around a core of "living books", including several "key ones" that you will read parts of throughout the whole curriculum, as well as selected library books chosen to represent each unit. The overall format changes with each level in the series, however, and moving from reading books, doing hands-on activities and other light topic exploration in the first level, to learning through reading and active experimentation in the third level. The format almost appears to grow along with the child, as Level One is recommended for grades K - 2, Level 2 for grades 2-6, and Level 3 designed for grades 3-6. All levels consist of both a teacher’s packet and a student packet, both of which are loose-leaf and three-hole punched. This gives you a teacher’s binder, where you can re-organize topics, add to, or take away from as desired. The student will likewise have their own binder "notebook", which they will be adding completed work to as well. Please note that student pages are only included in the student packet, and these are not reproducible. As each level is slightly different, I’ll explain each one individually so you can see the "whole picture".

Level One focuses on animals, the human body, and plants. Boy, has she got the little ones’ interests pegged! There are 36 weeks of lesson plans included; 20 weeks on animals, 10 weeks on the human body and 6 weeks on plants. Each unit is composed of a teacher planning checklist, lesson plans, library lists, Internet links, project directions, and a coloring page. The teacher planning checklist is strategically placed at the beginning of each unit, and features a list of materials needed for every activity in the unit, as well as a few things you may wish to do before starting the unit, including reviewing internet links, locating library books, and gathering materials. Most of the required materials are already things you may have around the house, or are easily found at the grocery store or local discount store. However, the author does give suggestions on kits you may wish to purchase for that unit. The lesson plans consist of four days of activities, including the suggested readings from the core books. Activities on the lesson plans may be checked off as completed, and several blank lesson plan areas are included below, for any additional activities, or your own order of activities. The library lists include suggested non-fictional books, fictional books and videos on the topic being studied. Although she doesn’t expect you to be able to locate and read EVERY title, any of them you can locate and work into your study are helpful and will likely be enjoyed. Several books, predominantly Usborne titles, will be referred to often enough that you may wish to purchase these to have on hand as they are needed (please see these listed under "Suggested Reading" immediately following this description). Readings will also be recorded on the student’s "Reading Log", which should be impressive by the end of the year! Related websites are also listed with a short description of what you will find there, often pictures, live videos of animals, puzzles, games, pictures to print out, and more. These provide a more interactive, multi-sensory experience into each topic, and the kids will probably enjoy their "computer time" as well. The projects for each unit consist of simple science investigations, art projects, and even some baking. Although several different projects are offered, it is not necessary that you complete all of them, especially if you’re crunched for time. Lists of supplies and instructions are included for each project. Narration is also key in the program. Each reading is followed up by the child’s narration of what they have learned, which may consist of the child composing a few sentences on their own, or dictating to you as you write it out for them. Besides providing valuable language arts practice, the narrations will also provide a personal record of what they have learned, and will be incorporated into their notebook. Coloring pages are also included at the end of each unit and are designed to complement the child’s narration from the unit, and may be included with the narration in his or her own "science notebook" they compile throughout the unit. These often also contain several vocabulary words relevant to the unit that you may discuss together. Although the content is geared for the lower elementary level, the author has included some suggestions on her website for adapting the material for slightly older grades as well.

Level 2 focuses on astronomy and earth science, with 7 units on astronomy, and 15 on earth science. Topics include: rockets and spaceflight; the solar system; stars, galaxies and constellations; shuttles; space stations; astronauts; telescopes; earth’s crust; day, night and the seasons; rocks and fossils; soil; disaster preparedness; volcanoes; earthquakes; water cycle; weather and storms; rivers and caves; seas and oceans. The overall format of this level is similar to Level One, which is nice if you have used Level One and are now moving on to this level. There are 34 weeks of lesson plans in all. This assumes about two days of science a week, with an extra two weeks spent further exploring particularly interesting topics to make it a "full year". Lesson plans for each week follow a format similar to the previous level, with suggested reading, vocabulary review, review questions, narration, a coloring page, and enrichment activities all included. Because some of the books recommended are a bit lengthier than those used in the first unit, specific pages from the books are assigned, rather than the whole book. This also allows books on more general topics, like Usborne books to be used a chapter at a time. The review questions are also new at this level, and save you the trouble of coming up with your own. Narration also plays a role in the second level, and because this level is designed for the older elementary child, there are more narration options available. The author recommends discussing the reading and/or the project completed that day, then using the review questions, and finally, recording the narration. Children may also draw a picture to accompany their narration, or otherwise decorate the page. Coloring pages are also included at this level, and even include Disaster Preparedness coloring pages from the Red Cross publication. Several Usborne and Kingfisher titles are also heavily recommended for this Level, with these books referred to more often than the additional suggested "library list" material. Please see Suggested Reading below for a list of these titles. The projects and internet links are consistently high-quality and enjoyable in this level as well, and should provide a lot of fun - and grist for narrations. A final nice feature of this level is a list of scripture readings which has been appended. This allows you to work Bible study into your science lesson, as the verses studied tie in with the topics studied.

Level 3 is the most unique in format. Each lesson contains two main components; readings (provided in the student pages) and hands-on experimentation. The format of each lesson is quite a bit different as well. The teacher reference information is included in a sidebar on each lesson page and includes corresponding student pages to be used with that lesson, reference pages to be read from both Usborne’s Internet Linked Science Encyclopedia and the Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia, and a list of supplies needed, divided by project. Corresponding internet links are also offered for each lesson, and are found in the appendix. For each lesson, the student will read a passage on the topic from their student pages, and then do the associated experiments to see the concept in action. Student "Experiment Summary Sheets" are included for each experiment, and ask the student to record the details of the experiment, including: what materials were used, what they did, what happened as a result, and what they learned from the experiment. At the end of each unit, the student may then review the readings and define the vocabulary, writing their definitions in their notebook. Finally, they complete the unit review worksheet, which revisits the concepts they learned in the unit. The mix of topics here is excellent for a first "visit" in chemistry and includes: atoms, atomic number, the periodic table, molecules, matter, properties of liquids, states of matter, mixtures, compounds, chemical reactions, acids and bases, salts, food chemistry, chemistry careers, and biographies of famous chemists (Mendeleyev, Lavoisier, and Dalton).

Whew! Overall, these are very user-friendly curriculums with a lot of flexibility built in. Although there are a wealth of activities and books out there, the author often suggests that if you have a better activity idea or book in mind, go for it! With the design of these curriculums, it’s easy to slip in additional activities, books, and more wherever you feel you would like them. With an approach like this, science will definitely become more of a learning adventure, something you can enjoy together as a family rather than a plod through the school day.

We’ve listed the resources used continually throughout the curriculums in the Suggested Reading columns belows. We no longer sell all of the suggested books for the library lists, so you may need to check with your local library for some of the titles. Those that we have written descriptions for already appear in their appropriate places throughout the catalog, and can be found by title in the index.

Customer Reviews

 
Erika O. from Dacula, GA wrote the following on 06/16/2005:
I used this curriculum last year with my son and he loved it!! My son loved all the coloring pages and activities. We especially enjoyed checking out books from the library to supplement the materials. I especially liked how easy it was to use; it took almost no time to prepare the lessons. It was definitley a good value and we will be using other levels in this series.

 
Heather B. from Tx wrote the following on 05/05/2008:
Living Learning Books Level 1 has been such a blessing to me. I have a 4 yr old that really enjoys science. Everyone tells me to just check books out at the library for science, but I need more direction in what books are actually quality books to read on the subjects. It has been been perfect for us and it would be great up through early elementary as well. It is a very relaxed non textbook approach to science. There are 3 main topics of Plants, Animals, and the Human Body. Each week there is a weekly checklist for library books to find and supplies needed for the experiments and crafts for that week. There are even cooking projects in the animal unit like making caterpillar cookies and elephant cupcakes. There are crafts like making butterfly antennae to wear and footprint butterflies (obviously those are for the younger crowd). We had a lot of fun doing them. We have also done experiments with plants like putting a celery stick in blue water and watch the leaves change colors (We actually used a carnation instead because it works better). We planted pea plants. One we gave water and light, the next just water and no light and the third light and no water. It was a lot of fun observing what happened to the plants. We also had a butterfly garden and we will grow some frogs and have an ant farm when we study those. This science program also gives links to websites and wonderful library lists of fictional picture books and non fiction books and videos.Each main topic has several Usborne books assigned to read. We have enjoyed reading those too. It also has activity pages to do and suggestions for narrations to put in a notebook. There is no textual information. It is basically a list of books, videos, websites and projects and the assigned reading out of the Usborne books. So if you want a textbook this is not it. I consider this more of a Charlotte Mason snuggle on the sofa program. I love it because it gives a relaxed feel but it takes you by the hand and gives you direction so you can have a fun filled year of science. It has inspired my 4 yr old to start asking what kinds of trees grow around us. He makes leaf rubbings on his own now and he likes me to inspect flowers to see the pistil and stamens. He even wanted me to find the ovules, which we did when we opened the flower up. It was so exciting. I love this program so much that I have already purchased Level 2 for this next year! I highly recommend it.