R.E.A.L. Science - Life (Level 1)

Great science curriculum. We love all the labs. Information is presented very simple and straightforward. Easy to navigate and great list of extra reading for each unit. We are gathering materials and getting excited for fall!

I really like the matierials list and the supplemental books and internet links. Some lessons we get through quickly, other times we linger on a subject for a while. For me personally I like having a framework of topics and activities (labs) to use so this curriculum works well for our family.

Easy curriculum to implement. Activities are interesting and fun to do. My children are having a great time with the Lab work.

We absolutely love the R.E.A.L. Science Life unit. After completing the Chemistry and Earth and Space books, there was no way I would miss this one. The lessons are laid out just perfectly, so simple to use and just enough information that they are learning tons, but not overwhelmed by too much writing or new vocabulary. We are having a blast with it! Who doesn't love using terms like Phalanges? I highly recommend.

Hello! I am the last person you would ever expect to write a review for a science I had to take a quick time-out to tell you how WONDERFUL this program is for the non-science loving mom that has been blessed with science loving kids The children and I have found our happy place ~ REAL Science Odyssey! I have forgotten more than I know about science but I am relearning at a rapid pace My children are 6 and 9 (1st and 4th) and we experience science three times a week One super cool part of this curriculum is it tells you how to adapt it for 3-5 days a week The Labs are really fun and for the most part you can get the stuff to do them around the house It gives you a list at the beginning of the book to help you buy any other supplies! It is well organized and incredibly simple to understand I would suggest just going ahead and buying the student pages for each child It saves you making all those copies :) This program has been SO helpful!

Of all the science programmes that I've used in the more than ten years that I've been homeschooling this one has been my favourite The name REAL Science stands for Read Explore Absorb & Learn Science and that is exactly what my kids did REAL was written by a homeschooling parent specifically for use by homeschooling families so it is not surprising that it is very easy to use We used the Life Science The 28 units are divided into six sections - What is Life? The Cell The Human Body Classifying Life Animal Kingdom and Plant Kingdom Incidentally I found it simple to reorder the units so that they fit in better with the local climate Each unit begins with a notebook page that you read to or with your child The pages are perforated so they can be put in a binder but I preferred to have my children write a brief summary (thus covering two subjects in one hit!) Each unit also includes one to four labs or activities There is some good variety here from making a model of muscles and learning a song about spiders to observing the behaviour of pillbugs measuring snails and dissecting a seed Creative kids will enjoy making the animal kingdom notebook Many of the labs focussed on important scientific skills like careful observing measuring and graphing This along with the emphasis on correct scientific vocabulary was a real strength of the programme in my opinion Some science programmes steer away from this perhaps feeling that such skills and language are too difficult for younger children I'm glad REAL doesn't fall into this trap Parents whose strength isn't science can be reassured that the parent instruction pages ensure that each lab runs smoothly The instructions are clear and answers are given where appropriate so you can be sure you haven't gone off trackThe course is designed for use in 1st-4th grade and I successfully used it with a six and a ten year old The material was presented simply enough for the younger child to understand but was meaty enough not to be demeaning to the older one If you use the course as it is your children will receive a great introduction to the discipline of science as well as a thorough understanding of life science However (and this is a boon for those of us that like some structure but still want the flexibility to be able to do our own thing) the course is short enough that you can easily supplement it with additional library books and websites if your child is especially interested A list of suggested additional books and websites is even included at the front of the book along with suggested journaling ideas Also at the front of the book is a complete list of all the lab material (along with suggested suppliers for those items that won't easily be found at home) that is required for the year This will be greatly appreciated by those who like to be organised well in advance Once you have all the lab materials you can simply open the book and go!The topics of sex education and evolution are not included in the main course However the author has included some suggested books and websites for those parents who want to cover these areas