Well, science is a wrap for the past school year and I am extremely pleased with how well Friendly Physical Science from Timberdoodle worked out out for us. My teenage son worked through this diligently and consistently scored 90% and above on his tests. I am not the type of homeschool mom that teaches for tests, but the format of this particular program worked well for my son. He is task driven and the way this course is set up helps him to properly understand the material and prepare for the tests. Plus, I would hear him spout off information throughout the year in practical situations—which is key for a physical science course.
Some science classes are over my kids' heads and I need to be there to explain everything in detail. I don't mind it because it lends to quality conversations and questions, but with this one particular son, he learns best on his own. I often find him reading non-fiction books and then working on what he learned from that book on his own. It is just his style of learning. Next year, I am implementing a more hands-on approach to science which will allow him to explore through research using those techniques, but this year I wanted him to continue to build his foundation which is why this curriculum was a perfect fit.
Last year he completed Friendly Biology which taught him a tremendous amount. This year, he built on his foundation with Friendly Physical Science which was an extremely positive experience. The text is easy to follow and each day's lesson is not too overwhelming. Geared for eighth graders this could easily be used for any middle schooler or even a ninth or tenth grader needing to brush up on their basic science skills.
I am a fan of the worksheets that accompany the lessons since they cause your student to focus on what they are reading and it ensures that they are paying attention. The answers are provided for easy grading.
When using this course, I would suggest taking the test answer key out of the back of the book. I trust my kids but I try to eliminate all temptation where possible when dealing with graded work. When these books first arrived in the mail, I tore out the test answer keys and kept them in a safe spot so I could grade them when needed. As for the worksheet answers, I did leave those in there for my son to self-grade his work daily after he worked through the lessons. Every child is different and so is every parent in their teaching methods. This is what worked best for us in this situation.
I highly recommend this course for your homeschool if you have a child that prefers a boxed curriculum type method. I am so thankful for this series and am glad to be able to implement it in our homeschool.
Disclaimer: Many thanks to Timberdoodle for providing the above product in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
