Apologia Earth Science Review: The Perfect Homeschool Curriculum for Elementary Students
Apologia Earth Science is an engaging elementary homeschool curriculum that makes learning fun for both you and your kids. Explore why this hands-on, easy-to-teach program is a favorite among families.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Apologia. I received free product and was compensated for my time. I am not required to give a positive review and all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. See my full disclosure for more information.
Are you planning to teach earth science to your elementary age kids this year? Would you like a homeschool earth science curriculum that is user friendly and offers ideas for fun, hands-on activities? Then keep reading to find out more about the new Apologia Earth Science curriculum, Exploring Creation with Earth Science.
Earth science is a subject that has always been a favorite of mine. I’ve always enjoyed learning more about the earth and what it’s made up of. In fact, during a recent vacation we decided to explore a local cavern on a rainy day. I was excited to see how fascinated my kids were about the rock formations in there. I knew that earth science would be a great topic of study for our homeschool year.
So when I heard that Apologia was coming out with a new addition to their Young Explorer series that we’ve enjoyed in the past, I knew I had to get my hands on Exploring Creation with Earth Science.
Apologia Earth Science Homeschool Curriculum
Apologia Earth Science is an elementary science curriculum for ages K-6. This wide age range works great for families with multiple kids. Using multiple age level curriculum allows you to teach your kids at the same time, which helps simplify your day. Kids will get out of it what they can for their levels while using the same book.
What’s Covered in Apologia Earth Science?
Exploring Creation with Earth Science contains 14 lessons that are meant to be covered 2 days per week over 28 weeks. This curriculum works great as a full year science course, allowing extra time for extended learning or nature study. Alternatively, you could make this a semester course if needed by increasing the amount of days you do science each week.
The notebooking journal has a detailed lesson plan suggesting the pages to read, activities to do, and notebooking journal pages to complete each week. This is so helpful for busy parents as there’s no extra planning to do! I suggest gathering all of the supplies you’ll need for that week’s activities over the weekend and putting them in a storage container to pull out as needed. This makes the curriculum truly open and go.
You’ll find lessons covering the following earth science topics:
The Observable Universe
Life in the Habitable Zone
Spheres of the Earth
Mapping Your World
The Geosphere
Making and Shaping the Land
The Hydrosphere
The Atmosphere
Climate and Weather
Weather Forecasting
The Biosphere
Cycles of Life
Places on Earth
God in Creation
Do I Have to Use the Notebooking Journal?
While the notebooking journal is a wonderful addition to the textbook, you can still easily teach this homeschool earth science curriculum without it. However, if possible, I think it is definitely worth getting especially if your kids are upper elementary age.
In the journal, you’ll find pages of activities that will extend your child’s learning. Every lesson in the journal begins with a coloring page. These are a perfect complement to reading aloud, giving your kids something to keep their hands busy while they listen to the text. Children will work with the lesson’s vocabulary words through activities like cut and paste definitions or word searches. Plenty of space is also given for mini books and blank areas for your kids to write what they’ve learned in each lesson.
Why We Love Exploring Creation with Earth Science
The homeschool earth science curriculum offered through Apologia is a great choice for homeschool families. The conversational style of the textbook makes it great for read alouds, especially since you can use this text with all of your K-6 students. The activities found throughout the lessons are fun and easy to do, mostly requiring supplies normally found around the house.
The textbook is easy-to-read and full of beautiful pictures. What better way to study the earth than with amazing photography of it! The notebooking journal is also very colorful and inviting. The coloring pages are great to keep hands busy during read alouds. My son & I both love the variety of activities found throughout the journal. I also appreciate the What Do You Remember section at the end of each lesson. It’s an easy yet effective way to see what your student has learned.
I love the flexibility of the curriculum. The suggested weekly schedule found in the notebooking journals only requires two days a week for just 28 weeks of the year. This gives us time to fit in nature study, plus we can use the extra weeks of our school year for a science unit study. I love that I won’t feel rushed to get through everything, so we can slow down and really enjoy the lessons and activities.
Apologia Exploring Creation with Earth Science is a science textbook that doesn’t have a textbook feel. You and your children will love learning about the earth as you read the storybook style text and enjoy the beautiful pictures found throughout. Your kids will be excited to share what they’ve learned in their notebooking journal. Check it out yourself and see how it will fit your family’s needs.
