New Secular Science Curriculum from Heron Books
Learning never stops at our house. Sometimes it can be a challenge to keep a feast of ideas and information in front of my kids. This is why I jumped at the chance to check out the Young Scientist Series from Heron Books and see how it would work for our Outside the Box Kids.
For this review, I received the product for free and was compensated for my time but all my opinions are my own.
My little engineer is always trying to figure out how things work. Last year he had a blast taking apart a rotary dial phone his grandparents gave him. Having a unit study all about Light Bulbs, Switches and Batteries seemed like the perfect summer unit for him to dive into. As the parent with my own summer project list, I was drawn to the independent nature of the unit study. The Student Learning Guide told him what to do instead of me!
Secular Science Curriculum from Heron Books
I was drawn to Heron Books materials because it matches our homeschool style. We love unit studies, hands-on learning, and my students like being independent. The Young Scientist Series checks all of these boxes!
The Young Scientist Series is a secular science homeschool curriculum for 4th-6th grades and includes 11 individual units. We got to use the Light Bulbs, Switches and Batteries unit. The complete Young Scientist Series will be available for the 2022-2023 school year.
I only recently learned about Heron Books, but they have been providing materials to public and private schools for many years and only recently entered the homeschool market, selling directly to families. Their secular science curriculum and other materials add to the growing options for homeschoolers looking for non-religious materials to use at home.
Independent Study from the Beginning
On their website they compare the Young Scientist Series to 4-H project books or scouting badges. All three guide the student in their discovery of knowledge and practical application of the newly gained information. We are a 4-H family and have used 4-H project books for other unit studies in the past, including Geology, so this was a familiar learning format for us.
I gave the materials to my 4th grader with only a few directions to see how independent the curriculum really was for him. After explaining how the preface pages were numbered with roman numerals he was off and going on his own following the Student Learning Guide.
The Student Learning Guide has a checklist of assignments for each day and includes when to check in with the parent to show their progress. The guide intermixes reading assignments with hands-on activities and recording in their Journal, which is great for active learners who don’t want to sit for very long.
The reading assignments were easy for my student to follow. The Light Bulbs, Switches and Batteries Book has beautiful illustrations and is easy to follow. My student stalled when it came to applying their learning by looking for forms of energy around them and documenting it in their Journal, but with a little bit more coaxing he completed the first hands-on activity and kept going.
Teacher Materials
The Young Scientist Series comes with a packet of teacher materials.
- A letter explaining what is in the unit study,
- supply list for hands-on activities,
- Certificate of completion for the student
- Unit exam and Answer key.
The lesson plans are in the Student Learning Guide for the student to follow independently and check in with the teacher when noted. At the end of each lesson there is space for the student to check in with the parent to show their work and for the parent to sign off that the lesson has been completed.
Will the Young Scientist Series Work for Outside the Box Kids?
At face value the Young Scientist Series are easily adaptable for students who need extra help, the Student Learning Guide can be used with a parent, and the hands-on assignments are adaptable to different needs. The assignments include writing and drawing to show comprehension and understanding. For students who struggle with handwriting, drawing and discussion easily fill the same purpose, but that does make it a less independent study.
Heron Books does not provide direct insight for special needs students in the teacher packet. Heron Books’ materials are created within the educational philosophy of L. Ron Hubbard. Hubbard’s Study Method includes hands-on learning and growing students to be independent learners which are both great ideas and supported by common education research.
We did enjoy this secular science curriculum, and how it introduced us to energy and electricity as we studied Light Bulbs, Switches and Batteries. My young engineer has been interested in more physical science but it has been a challenge to find a truly introductory unit, and this Young Scientist Series unit provided just what we needed.
Inside Our Normal readers save 30% with the code: INSIDE30. This special pricing does not expire and can be used throughout the heron Books store, with every order! Grab your own copy of the Young Scientist Series and watch your kids discover!
