I was so happy to have the opportunity to review Science in the Beginning by Dr. Jay Wile in our homeschool. This is the first book in his new elementary science series. I've heard many good things about his high school science books, so I was really looking forward to getting our copy of Science in the Beginning. The day our book arrived I immediately began looking through the pages and was very pleased with what I saw.
What's Included in Science in the Beginning?
There are a total of 90 lessons in this science book. There are 15 lessons for each day of Creation found in Genesis. Three of those lessons are optional "challenge" lessons. Dr. Wile gives two options for scheduling the lessons so that you can either do one lesson every other day allowing you to cover all the lessons in a typical 180 academic year, or you can do two lessons a week which is a great option if your children aren't necessarily begging to do science every other day.There are experiments included for every lesson that do not require expensive equipment. Many of the required items are things you will most likely already have in your home. A convenient list is included in the introduction of all the items needed for the experiments. Items used in the challenge lessons are listed in red. This is very helpful for those who choose not to do the challenge lessons. Long-term experiments are not a surprise the day of the lesson because Dr. Wile places a note in a yellow box at the end of the previous day's lesson informing you the next lesson's experiment will take some time to complete.
There is a lesson review included at the end of every lesson which is divided according to the ages of your children. Younger students, older students, and oldest students each will have their own review that will not overwhelm, but will be a nice ending to their lesson. This is perfect for those who are homeschooling multiple-aged children.
The Helps and Hints booklet is an additional resource for the parent that contains the answers to the review questions, tests, and test answers. It is included with your purchase of Science in the Beginning.
You can find downloads for the table of contents, a text sample, a lab supply list by lesson, a consolidated lab supply list and the scope and sequence on Berean Builders if you want to take a look for yourself before you decide to buy. You can order Science in the Beginning from Berean Builders for only $39!
Our Experience with Science in the Beginning
We have been using Science in the Beginning for about two months now in our homeschool. We have completed Lessons 1-12 that focus on the first Day of Creation (Light). I'm choosing not to use the challenge lessons simply because of my son's special needs. I love how well-written these lessons are! Dr. Wile writes as though he is sitting there with you carrying on a conversation. He explains science in a way that my son and I can understand. I've really enjoyed learning alongside my son things that I had either forgotten or never even learned (in public school) since Dr. Wile writes from a creation standpoint. The experiments have given us hands-on application of what was taught in the lesson, and were easy to do with the step-by-step directions given by Dr. Wile. Best of all, my son actually wants to do science with Science in the Beginning! It's been a great addition to our homeschool!I love that there is a Question/Answer service available to use if help is needed. If I get stuck or confused about something, I can go to www.askdrwile.com to ask my question. Registration to this website is free, and all previously answered questions are there for you to search as well.
To find out more about Science in the Beginning and the other titles in this elementary series from Dr. Jay Wile himself, you can go to his blog. I'm already looking forward to using the rest of his science books that will be coming out in this series!
Happy Homeschooling,
Laurie
*Disclaimer: I was given copy of Science in the Beginning in exchange for my honest review.
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