Teach Elementary Science Easily With Introductory Science - Review

Our children love science I think overall it has to be their favourite subject. Really, what is there not to like about science? The heart of it is asking questions and investigating all little children are good at that!

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this product for review, all opinions are 100% my own.

I'm always on the lookout for fun science programs that I think my children would enjoy so when I heard about the Introductory Science course from Science Shepherd I couldn't wait to try it!

Introductory Science is a Christian science program intended for children ages 6 to 11. There are 2 levels of the programs workbooks, Level A is for ages 6 to 8, and Level B is for ages 9 to 11.

I planned to use this science program with my 2nd oldest daughter who is 11. I looked at both levels of the workbooks carefully and decided that Level B would be the best fit for her. While she is my only child formally using the program many of my children like to sit in and watch the videos.

These workbooks are HUGE! After looking at the samples on their website I think that they are very similar. Level A has fewer questions and the font is a larger print.

Level B has the same questions that Level A has but with a few extras added and the font is smaller. It also has a few more worksheets like crossword puzzles.

When you buy Introductory Science you get a one-year subscription to the online videos and then also buy the workbook level that best fits your child's needs.

This course is set up so that your child watches 1 short video a day, 5 days a week. Most of the videos are short 2 to 3 minutes long. After watching the video children have a worksheet to complete.

These have a few questions that are based on the video they just watch. Some of the lessons also have simple experiments to try. Sometimes there is an extra video to show a demonstration of the experiment.

Easy To Use Science Program

All together with this program, a science lesson takes us 10 minutes. Yes, that's right I said 10 minutes!  You might be thinking well how much science can you really learn in only 10 minutes?  A LOT!

My teaching style is strongly influenced by the methods of Charlotte Mason and while some would say the use of worksheets would rule this out as a Charlotte Mason program I think there are many things about it that fit.

The lessons are kept short, as I said it takes us only about 10 minutes to work through a lesson. Because the lessons are short my children give them their full attention, even my younger children who are just sitting in to watch the video. 

They are not ready for the Level 1 workbook yet but they still learn a lot by just sitting in on the lessons.  I also find that my daughter remembers more when the lessons are short.

The worksheets are also short, with just a few important questions about what was just taught. Every few lessons also include an extra activity such as a drawing, matching activity, or word search.

The experiments also use simple things that you probably already have around your home.

My favourite part about Introductory Science is the videos. They are short no-nonsense videos!  Never are children talked down to and silly foolish characters are not used.

Topics Covered:

• Introduction – Creation

• Science Skills and Tools

• Earth Science: Meteorology, Geology, Oceanography, Astronomy

• Life Science: Plants, Underwater Creatures, Flying Creatures, Land Creatures, Human Beings, Ecology

• Physical Science: Matter, Energy, Motion, Magnets

My daughter has really been enjoying using Introductory Science! She loves that the videos are done in a clear and easy-to-understand manner. The speaking is clear and not too fast so she can really hear what is being said.

I love that there isn't anything distracting in this program and it doesn't cost me a lot in supplies.

I do wish that for older children there were some meatier activities to work on. Personally think that many are best suited for younger children maybe aged 6 to 9.

One of the early activities was to make a model of an animal out of clay. This was something my daughter really wasn't interested in doing for a science activity. So since she's in the upper age range of this program I've been letting her pick and choose what activities she wants to try.

We can cover the basics of science in about 10 minutes a day or choose to do more than 1 lesson a day if we want to.  They are short, interesting, and fun!

Would you like to see a sample lesson? Head on over to Science Shepherd and check out their sample videos and workbooks.