We have used several of the Elementary science books by Jeannie Fulbright for our younger boys, and the Apologia General science by Dr. Wile for our oldest.
Our first introduction to Ms. Fulbright’s books was Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day.
This book was so interesting and engaging that two of my boys (then ages 3 and 5) took up avid birdwatching. To this date (now they are 5 and 7), they have memorized dozens and dozens of bird calls and can recognize even more species by sight. Flying Creatures was the catalyst for all that. We have also studied Astronomy, Botany and Land Animals with Apologia with our younger boys.
There are numerous opportunities to draw or write in their notebooks, as well as opportunities for them to narrate what they are learning. They have really retained a lot through these courses, and it has given them a real love for science. The books are interesting, informative, colorful and conversational. They are also explicitly Christian.
Our oldest son Jack used Dr. Wile’s Exploring Creation with General Science course last year, and now he is in the next course, Physical Science. We purchased these courses on CD-Rom instead of using a traditional text book. He loves the fact that his course uses an interactive interface, like a web page. Many supplies for the experiments are household items, and most of the others can be easily gotten together on a trip to Walmart. He really enjoys the experiments and is learning a lot from them. One strength of this course is that he is asked to keep a science notebook with details about his labs. This course also has study sheets and tests. It is written from a Christian, creationist perspective. There are active yahoo support groups for both Elementary Apologia and Apologia science.
