Physics Lab Kit

Apologia Science courses are written from a Biblical worldview with the homeschool in mind. At the elementary level, courses follow a Charlotte Mason-inspired methodology, with lessons organized around narration, notebooking exercises and hands-on activities or projects. Children at different ages can use these together, learning at their own level. Each course is designed to be teacher-student interactive, so teacher involvement is fairly high at this level. At the junior high and high school levels, science courses are more traditional in nature, with the textbook written to the student. Teacher involvement time at this level is much less than at the elementary level. Textbooks contain student reading, lab instructions, "On Your Own" questions and Study Guide questions. A Solutions Manual provides the answers to these and the test questions. Lab kits are available separately for both the elementary and upper-level science courses which include most of the harder to find items you will need.

Written specifically for use in a homeschool environment, these biblically-centered courses take a lot of pressure off the parent teaching the course. The main component of each course is the textbook. Please note that most textbooks have switched from hardcover to softcover format. The student text includes all the student reading, instructions for labs, "On Your Own" exercises, and fifteen to twenty "Study Guide" questions at the end of each chapter. Unlike many upper-level science texts, we have found these to be extremely readable! The text has a conversational tone, and concepts are explained in an easy-to-understand way. Plenty of helpful diagrams and pictures are included which add interest and break up the text. Answers to the "On Your Own" exercises are also included with discussion at the end of each chapter. The labs are designed to be done easily, and most require only household items to complete; unlike high school courses, like Bob Jones which require investing in some lab equipment and chemicals to complete the labs. Where a microscope or dissecting materials are required, a reasonably-priced complete kit of materials is available, for ease in collecting the items.

The Solution Manual contains test questions for each chapter, answers to the test questions and solutions to the "Study Guide" questions. For some courses, a separate Perforated Tests booklet is available; please note that this is only necessary if you want an extra copy of the test questions.

TheStudent Notebooks are a user-friendly companion that provides space for answering the On Your Own and Study Guide questions as well as for developing Lab Reports. Study helps include graphic organizers and a Module Summary for each module (fill-in-the-blank). Digging Deeper sections provide opportunity for practical applications and writing activities. For the teacher there are grading rubrics for lab reports and suggested answers for some of the graphic organizers. The History of Science module includes a nicely done timeline. Grading rubrics for the lab reports are provided in the Appendix.

MP3 Audio CDs are also available for most courses. The audio files are in MP3 format, and will require an MP3-compatible CD player to use (these can also be run on most computers). Tests, study guides, and answers are not included - this is simply an audio version of the text.

Apologia also offers Video Instruction for Biology, Chemistry, Marine Biology and Advanced Biology. These have transitioned to USB flash drive format. Sherri Seligson, author and scientist, is your host and takes you to interesting locations, incorporating animated diagrams (over 20 hours of instruction) to help students better understand the concepts being taught. The content is more of a summary of the textual information found in each section of the modules than a narration of the text. Students will either see Sherri Seligson on location or in a lab during the speaking portions or they will see animated illustrations and examples. Sherri takes students through each lab and talks about what needs to be done and the results of the experiments.

System requirements for USB drives: USB port (PC or Mac), media player capable of playing mp4 files, and an internet browser. DVD requirements: DVD drive on your computer (PC or MAC) capable of playing mp4 files; these are not compatible with a DVD player.

We now offer SuperSets and Advantage Sets which include multiple items. Advantage Sets include the text, solutions manual (with a copy of the test), notebooking journal, and the MP3 Audiobook CD. SuperSets include everything in the Advantage Set (text, solutions manual with tests, otebooking journal and MP3 CD) plus the Video Instruction USB Flash Drive.

Judging by the number of Saxon Physics books we sell in a year, physics must not be a very popular course among homeschoolers. But this book could change that. Just as in Dr. Wile's other science books, he does a wonderful job of explaining complex ideas in simple, understandable terms, using common household items for experiments instead of expensive lab equipment, and discussing science from a creationist standpoint. The course comes in two parts. The "mass"ive part is the student text, which also includes "On Your Own" questions with accompanying solutions and discussions, lab exercises, end-of-chapter review questions and practice problems. Color drawings help to illustrate points on all the concepts covered, which include Measurement and Units, Motion in One Dimension, Two-Dimension Motion, Newton's Laws, Circular Motion, Work and Energy, Momentum, Periodic Motion, Waves and Optics, Electrostatics, Electrodynamics, Electrical Circuits, and Magnetism. The second part is Solutions and Tests, which includes answers to review questions, answers to practice problems, chapter tests, and test answers. This manual does include the perforated tests listed separately below. Each of the 16 chapters, or modules, is designed to take about two weeks if done daily for 45 to 60 minutes per day. Since physics involves some higher-level math, Algebra I, geometry and basic trigonometry are prerequisites for this course. The author also suggests taking other science courses, like biology and chemistry, before this course. This book was revised in 2004, and the new edition features many useful updates. Module 1 is no longer a review of chemistry, so if a student has not already taken chemistry, he will be directed to an online version of the first module of the chemistry course. This way, students can learn the basic skills needed for the physics course even if they have not taken chemistry. More topics have been added to this edition, as well as extra practice problems; cumulative tests for those who wish to assign quarterly, semester, or final exams; ten more experiments; as well as a directory of online resources for students who have the time and desire to access advanced subject matter. What do students think of the course? One wrote, "On my very first test in college physics, I got the highest score in the class. My professor said that I must have had an excellent high school physics course. He was right!"

Even though the module tests are found in the solutions and test manual (so that the parent/teacher always has a copy of them), a second set of tests is provided in a perforated booklet. This allows the student to be given the tests without using those in the solutions and test manual.