Upon learning that I was to receive the REAL Science Odyssey-Chemistry, I was curious. What would an elementary level (grades 2-5) chemistry look like? When I opened the package, I was pleasantly surprised and intrigued.
First for the physical side of things: The book isn’t bound, but comes three-hole punched with a heavy cardstock color cover. I like being able to put it in a binder and easily remove sheets for copying. It is 432 pages long, with 7 units that each have up to 5 activities.
The first thing I noticed as I began to read through the materials is the comprehensive lesson chart with supplies and schedules all together—I don’t have to create a schedule!
Each lesson is short-1-2 pages of reading, written to the child. The labs require supervision, but are easy enough for this science-challenged mom to complete! I especially like the lab sheets, which are designed to guide the student through the process, with fill in the blanks, charts, and partial hypothesis-great for my younger ones who can’t write a lot and my boys who don’t like to write period. Each lesson also includes fun poems and crossword puzzles for reinforcement
You can view samples of the table of contents as well as lesson pages here.
While most of our science has been using the Apologia series, which is Charlotte Mason-inspired, the Pandia Books are easily adapted to CM methods. I have my children narrate back after reading the lesson and after completing the lab.
My only concern is this statement from their website:
“Our courses are secular, they are not written from any particular religious point of view. We hope that customers of all faiths will be comfortable using our materials. History Odyssey courses begin at 6000 B.C., therefore evolution is not applicable. A scientist whose only agenda is to teach science writes each R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey book. Therefore, R.E.A.L Science is not from a creationist’s viewpoint. There will be mention of evolution in level two and three courses (when available) as it pertains to science. There is no mention of evolution in the level one books.”
First, if the courses are secular, they are written from a particular religious point of view—it is just one without a god. Also, it bothers me that they consider Creationism an agenda other than science, while evolution is considered teaching science. I do appreciate that the chemistry book we received does not contain any evolution. We will probably not order any of their biology/levels 2-4 books due to this perspective, but we are enjoying the chemistry book.
Each book costs $48.00 for a print edition, or $38.99 for an e-book version. This seems very costly to me for an ebook, as I would also have the cost of printing 432 pages.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of these materials for the purpose of review; I received no other compensation. The opinions expressed here are my own, based on our family’s experience using the product.
