Monday, April 16, 2012

TOS Review- Christian Kids Explore Biology

We had the pleasure of reviewing another science curriculum, this time geared for grades 3rd-6th. Christian Kids Explore Biology by Stephanie Redmond hit our mailbox a few weeks ago and I have to say, we have devoured it. Now, we do like science in this house, but this book is easy to like even if science is not your thing. It is well laid out with large units covering Biology Basics, The Plants in God's World, Birds of the Earth, Mammals in the Wild, The Human Factor, Reptiles All Around, Insects High and Low, and Water Creatures. The units begin with a vocabulary list and materials needed for any activities suggested, a plus for this busy momma!

Each unit is then broken down into smaller sections that include the lesson, review questions and a section called Hands On Time.  This section directs you to do further research on the topics or often a fun experiment.

The lessons seemed a little short to me at first glance and I worried that there was not enough "meat" there, but with the additional activities listed I found that my son stayed engaged and learned a lot.  A bonus was that he ended up doing his own search through books we had or the Internet, guided of course, to find out more information on the things he was really interested in.  We used the appendices a lot- they contain book lists, coloring pages, reproducible notebook pages and experiment forms.  If you need any more to do, additional activities can also be found there.  Using the resources available, you could easily have a beautiful notebook at the end, if your child enjoys doing that.  If you prefer, there is a Christian Kids Explore Biology Student Activity Book (Download) currently on sale for $7.95 to make multiple prints easier.  The book itself costs $34.95 and can be purchased here.  While you are there, check out additional titles in this series.

Here's what my son had to say, "It was really fun, especially since I love animals.  My favorite section was definitely the reptile one.  After reading that section I did a lot of research on snakes!"

If you are looking for a good first year Biology course from a Christian view point, I would recommend Christian Kids Explore Biology...no evolution here!  This one is a keeper!

You can see what my fellow CREW members had to say about this product here.




The Bright Ideas Press website describes their Christian Kids Explore science titles as the following:
“This user-friendly, unabashedly Christian science curriculum includes teaching lessons, gorgeous coloring pages, hands-on time, review sheets, and an awesome supplemental book list! ”

Disclaimer- I received a copy of Christian Kids Explore Biology and the Activity Book Download in exchange for my honest review of this product. The views expressed are my own, and were not influenced by the company.

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