Review ~ Bright Idea Press

What a joy it was for my ds13, ds12, and ds9 to receive the full science curriculum, Christian Kids Explorers, Physics in the mail last month.  Bright Ideas Press, the publisher, offered me several different products to chose from, that being said, I left it up to the boys to make a decision based on their interests.  They all opted to utilize this fun engaging hands-on science curriculum, Christian Kids Explorers Physics.

 

The back cover states.......  The universe that we live in is the result of God’s thoughtful design and careful building. Physics gives us a glimpse into the materials, laws, and structures of that universe. Behold the wonders of creation with this series of 30 easy-to-understand lessons for grades 4-8. Each lesson helps develop an understanding of matter and energy and the rules they follow. Exploring physics is an exciting adventure!

In the beginning of the colorful paperback book is an encouraging note from the author.  I have to admit, I'm definitely not a science girl, and for sure not a physic scholar. However, this curriculum is extremely easy to teach and is surprisingly fun and interesting.  Very little prep time is needed for mom.  There are 3 simple pages in the beginning of the book that explains how to use the book properly.  Provided in each unit is a very simple format for completing lessons, such as, Preparation, Teaching Time, Review It, Hands-On Time, Coloring Pages, Think About It, and a Unit Wrap-Out at the end of each unit.  

The preparation section provides you with a list of unit objectives, vocabulary words, and a list of materials needed for that particular unit.  I left the boys in charge of the material lists.

The Teaching Time section is more or less the text section.  The teacher can read to the younger ones if needed.  However, older children would be able to easily read and comprehend the information. I chose to read this section to my boys. 

The Review It section contains a very short fill in the blank exercise that the student should be able to master without any trouble.   I read the questions out loud to my boys and they wrote their answers on a piece of paper.  We discussed orally.

The Hands-On Time is considered the Fun stuff!  Each lessons ends with a Hands-On type of activity to reinforce the concepts and for the students to experience actually being a physicist.  My boys completed all the hands-on activities amongst themselves without my assistance.  Totally loved it!

One Coloring Page is included per unit located in the back of the book after the glossary.  These are impressive coloring pages.  My ds 9 and my little guys adored them.  However, my ds13 and ds12 were not interested. 

The Think About It section is considered the critical thinking exercise that correlates with the results of the Hands-On Time activity.  This is optional, but recommended to engage their critical thinking skills.  We did these orally.

Lastly, an Unit Wrap-Up multiple-choice questions are provided for your student to complete after each unit.  These question are all taken form the lesson review questions.   An answer key for the unit wrap-up are located in the appendix.

The curriculum keeps God at the center which is such an encouragement to me as a homeschool mother who strives to keep all subjects centered around God  Most curriculum  just throw a verse or two in it and call it God-centered, but Christian Kids Explore  Physics truly stresses that God is at center of all science, including the study of physics.  Each lesson has a scripture printed on the right margin.  We recited the verse several times before and after teaching time.  

Suitable for teaching a single child, multiple aged children, or in a coop setting makes this curriculum very universal.  I think is best suited for children ages 9-12, but can easily be beefed up by requiring the student additional study outside the curriculum.  For example,  I assigned all my boys to complete either a notebook page or power point presentation on one of the scientist listed in Unit 1.  In fact, I think this curriculum would even work for a High School student who needs to know the basics, but is not choosing a career path pertaining to Science.  My oldest son is gifted in art and doesn't need to go in great depth in the area of physics.  On the other hand, my ds12 is leaning toward a career in Vet Science.  I will chose a more in depth curriculum for him.

Bright Ideas Press also sent me via email a file to print the student activities sheets.  This makes it so much easier than trying to make copies from the book.  I highly recommend  purchasing the download consisting of all the student sheets that are in the book. I liked the simplicity of the entire program.  The author explains all vocabulary words in simple terms that students can understand.  Also, I appreciate that there is a place to write teachers note in the right hand margin of the book.  This is always helpful to me when anticipating I will be teaching this course again to our younger children in the future.  Interesting facts known as Discovery Zones are also in the margins to spark interest. The boys were able to do the hands-on time by themselves and fully understand without my help.  Yea!  

Check out sample pages here.

Christian Kids Explorers can be purchased through Bright Idea Press here.  The science curriculum sells for 34.95 and the Student Activity Book download is priced at 12.95.  There is whole lot of physics in this 400+ paged curriculum for this price.  Bright Ideas Press offers several other Science curriculum products in this series:  Earth & Science, Chemistry, and Biology.  Check out the vast amount of other homeschool products  Bright Idea Press promotes here.  

My boys loved Christian Kids Explorer-Physics and want to continue.  They're not too fond of their current science curriculum.  To see what my other crew mates think of Bright Idea Press click here.

I received for  free Christian Kids Explore Physics and Student Activity Sheets for the purpose of writing an honest review. No other compensation was given.

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