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This is quite an impressive science program! If you’re using the classical approach and you’ve had trouble finding a good science program, this could be the end of your search. R.E.A.L. stands for Read, Explore, Absorb and Learn. Every lesson includes a short portion to be read with information to be absorbed by the student. Labs allow students to explore new concepts, and all of this lends itself to learning in the early grades.

This program is written to be used 2 to 3 times a week for a complete and rigorous one year science study. Life Science is divided into 28 units, and students will learn about the human body, plants, and animals. Earth and Space Science (revised in July ‘09) is divided into only 12 units, including the earth, weather, rocks, and the solar system. Chemistry includes 7 units on atoms, the periodic table, specific elements, molecules, states of matter and reactions. The program is designed for the non-science parent, so the entire program is included in one book. If you are a squeamish person, R.E.A.L. Science may not be for you. You’ll get dirty, handle bugs and worms, and learn through hands-on experimentation. The lessons in the book are intended to be done in order from start to finish, each lesson building upon the previous lessons. Vocabulary is presented and then repeated throughout subsequent lessons. Words will be heard over and over, so students will remember them without drilling. The authors suggest that ‘real life’ review is the best way to reinforce vocabulary and concepts taught. Learn from the events in your life and from the world around you. A unique feature in this program is the labeling of “big idea” and “small stuff” within each lesson. The “big idea” of each lesson is the main idea to be learned. The “small stuff” is all the details that go along with each concept. For example the “big idea” in the lesson on the five kingdoms is that “living things are grouped based on their characteristics.” The “small stuff” in this lesson would be, “There are five kingdoms or groups of living things. Two are the plant and animal kingdoms. Every living thing has a scientific name which tells us its species.” If you are using the classical approach, you will cover every subject 3 times. In this case, don’t worry about getting all the facts and details the first time through. All of that will come at a later level. There is an outline at the front of the book to help you know which are the main ideas and which are the small things. This will help parents know where to put the emphasis in each lesson. One final note about the lesson content - the publisher has made a concentrated effort to be “neutral” with regard to topics like evolution and ecology, focusing instead on science facts that can be observed and experienced. So, while you won’t find lessons on evolutionary theory, you also will not find arguments that defend a creationist viewpoint.

Notebook pages are included for every lesson, and for each lesson students will do one or more labs with a corresponding notebook page. Labs reinforce the concepts in the reading and teach new material, so it is important to try to do all of them. The first notebook page in the lesson is the story page, which contains basic information about the concept being taught. New vocabulary words are underlined, and previously introduced vocabulary will be in italics. An instruction page is included for every lab. This is for the parent/teacher and has a prompt to read aloud to the child, a list of materials, the procedure, discussion questions, possible answers, and extensions for the lab. The page following is the lab sheet for the student. This will be filled out as the child works through the lab. All pages are perforated for easy removal. You can punch holes in the pages and put them in a 3-ring binder as the student does them. At the end of the academic year, your student will have a wonderful, fact-filled notebook of their own work. You can copy notebook pages for your family if you’re working with more than one child. If you don’t want to copy, you purchase just the student pages separately.

Instructions on how to use R.E.A.L. Science are found in the front of the book. Journaling ideas are included in Life Science and Earth & Space Science to help students develop the skill of keeping a science notebook. A website list is included so you can research topics as your child shows interest. A book list is also included for additional reading, should it be desired. An glossary of vocabulary words is included at the back of the book.

A complete materials list for all lessons is given at the front of the book, so you can plan what you need in advance. Most materials are easily accessible, but a few special items are recommended. For Life Science you will need field guides, a gram scale or triple beam balance, butterfly habitat, thermometer, glass eyedropper, binoculars, garden snails, earthworms, butterfly larvae, spiders, and pill bugs. For Earth and Space Science you will need a thermometer, inflatable globe, R.E.A.L. Science rock and mineral kit (we offer two possibilities), triple beam balance or gram scale, and binoculars. For Chemistry, you will need a gram scale, a science or kitchen thermometer, insulated copper wires, and a stopwatch.

As I said previously, this is an impressive program. Although written to be used with the Classical Approach, this is an excellent program for any hands-on learner. It covers the right topics, in the right way, at the right time. If you want a science program that you can sink your hands into, give R.E.A.L. Science a try. - Donna

Customer Reviews

 
Sandra W. from New Zealand wrote the following on 07/27/2008:
Of all the science programmes that I've used in the more than ten years that I've been homeschooling, this one has been my favourite. The name R.E.A.L. Science stands for Read, Explore, Absorb & Learn Science and that is exactly what my kids did. R.E.A.L. was written by a homeschooling parent, specifically for use by homeschooling families so it is not surprising that it is very easy to use. We used the Life Science. The 28 units are divided into six sections - What is Life?, The Cell, The Human Body, Classifying Life, Animal Kingdom and Plant Kingdom. Incidentally I found it simple to reorder the units so that they fit in better with the local climate. Each unit begins with a notebook page that you read to or with your child. The pages are perforated so they can be put in a binder, but I preferred to have my children write a brief summary (thus covering two subjects in one hit!) Each unit also includes one to four labs or activities. There is some good variety here from making a model of muscles and learning a song about spiders, to observing the behaviour of pillbugs, measuring snails and dissecting a seed. Creative kids will enjoy making the animal kingdom notebook. Many of the labs focussed on important scientific skills like careful observing, measuring and graphing. This along with the emphasis on correct scientific vocabulary was a real strength of the programme in my opinion. Some science programmes steer away from this, perhaps feeling that such skills and language are too difficult for younger children. I'm glad R.E.A.L. doesn't fall into this trap. Parents whose strength isn't science can be reassured that the parent instruction pages ensure that each lab runs smoothly. The instructions are clear and answers are given where appropriate so you can be sure you haven't gone off track. The course is designed for use in 1st-4th grade and I successfully used it with a six and a ten year old. The material was presented simply enough for the younger child to understand but was meaty enough not to be demeaning to the older one. If you use the course as it is your children will receive a great introduction to the discipline of science as well as a thorough understanding of life science. However, (and this is a boon for those of us that like some structure but still want the flexibility to be able to do our own thing) the course is short enough that you can easily supplement it with additional library books and websites if your child is especially interested. A list of suggested additional books and websites is even included at the front of the book, along with suggested journaling ideas. Also at the front of the book is a complete list of all the lab material (along with suggested suppliers for those items that won't easily be found at home) that is required for the year. This will be greatly appreciated by those who like to be organised well in advance. Once you have all the lab materials you can simply open the book and go! The topics of sex education and evolution are not included in the main course. However, the author has included some suggested books and websites for those parents who want to cover these areas.

 
Rachel L. from Greenwood, IN wrote the following on 09/28/2009:
Hello! I am the last person you would ever expect to write a review for a science. I had to take a quick time-out to tell you how WONDERFUL this program is for the non-science loving mom that has been blessed with science loving kids. The children and I have found our happy place ~ R.E.A.L Science Odyssey! I have forgotten more than I know about science but I am relearning at a rapid pace. My children are 6 and 9 (1st and 4th) and we experience science three times a week. One super cool part of this curriculum is it tells you how to adapt it for 3-5 days a week. The Labs are really fun and for the most part you can get the stuff to do them around the house. It gives you a list at the beginning of the book to help you buy any other supplies! It is well organized and incredibly simple to understand. I would suggest just going ahead and buying the student pages for each child. It saves you making all those copies :) This program has been SO helpful!