Biology

My oldest son, Jacob, is doing 9th grade biology this year. It is really challenging for him. He seems to really like it now, the last few weeks has been slow going and he has been less than enthusiastic about the class. We have gotten to a point that he enjoys. I think he will really enjoy the lessons that include the dissections.

We are using Apologia Biology. I really like it as well. We use the CD-rom Book. It's nice because you can print out the study guides, tests etc. without having to worry about copying them.

Botany - Bean Sprouts

One of the kids in our Co-Op decided to put his bean sprout project in his light hut. It was great because we got to see a rapid progression of growth.

I was very impressed with how well the kids did with their projects, and how well they maintained their growth charts.

Of course some kids could have cared less, but, that's typical at this age.

Overall, my kids have really enjoyed this way of studying botany. I would have to say it has made it very interesting to me too.

Botany

Today we completed lesson 2 in Apologia's Botany Book. I am very impressed with this curriculum. We are currently using it in a Co-Op atmosphere, and it's working well, but, I would almost prefer to go at it on our own. The level of detail is great. It really allows for different grades and interest level. My K-1st grader, Noah, does a large amount of observing, not always completing the notebooking assignments, but he enjoys the projects and definately has a hands on approach. My older child, Sarah, amazes me with the amount of detail she retains. This book provides enough for her to get a good solid foundation on the subject, but keeps it simple enough so Noah doesn't get overwhelmed. Plus, I don't have to use separate texts for each of them.