Jacob is studying astronomy right now for science, and we’ve been using a couple of different texts, plus a lot of library books. One text/workbook we are using is the R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey Earth & Space put out by Pandia Press. This course is a very hands-on course, filled with not only reading sheets, but lab sheets and worksheets that help to reinforce the subject content. It is meant for ages, ranging from grades 1-4. Here is a look at what the course units cover:

1. Weather Changes
2. The Water Cycle
3. Air Surrounds the Earth
4. Earth’s Surface is Changing
5. What is Inside the Earth?
6. Rocks are Made of Minerals
7. The Earth Recycles Rock
8. The Weather Makes Rocks Weather
9. Soil is Dirt and Dirt is Good
10. The Sun is the Center of the Solar System
11. What’s Out in Space

We are actually using the astronomy portion of the book, which covers over 100 pages of astronomy material.

The book is laid out in a very organized format for the homeschooling parent. It’s as if the publisher wanted to make science, which can seem formidable, just a little bit easier to navigate. The beginning of the book is filled with helps, tips, and resources. I love that they have included pages with the main ideas that students should walk away from each lesson with. These main ideas summarize what that child should be learning from each lesson, grouped into Big Ideas and Small Stuff. This is a very handy reference to gauge where your child is at. The next helpful list is the Lab Supply List, which lists all of the items that will be needed throughout the book and which unit they’ll be needed for. There really are not a lot of huge things that are needed; a lot of the stuff that is necessary is stuff you already have around the house. Next is the Suggested Weekly Schedule, which helps you to organize your school weeks in a logical procession; the book can be covered in one school year with 1-2 lessons per week, depending on how much you wish to cover in each lesson. The book also lists extra resources that might be helpful to you and your child, such as library books, encyclopedias, activity books, books that are highly recommended, etc. It lists the resources by unit, so that as you are planning each unit, you can reserve the items you need at your library. There are also websites suggested for each unit. Lastly, there is a guide to keeping a science journal for each season. It gives ideas for your child to journal about. Throughout the book are vocabulary words for your child to learn, and at the back of the book, these vocabulary words are all defined.

The units have reading pages, which you can read with your child. They are short and sweet, as to grab your child’s attention and keep it for the few minutes that you are reading. Now one thing I don’t care for is that the pages are all black and white; there are no real-life pictures throughout the book to help the child see what he is studying. There are illustrations, especially on the lab sheets, but this is one thing that bothered me, as I like to show Jacob the particular planet we’re studying and what it actually looks like. I can easily supplement with library books, though, so he has a full range. The units also have lab sheets, usually with an instructional sheet for the teacher and a worksheet for the student. Jacob was a little frustrated with his first worksheet, but he quickly caught on and was able to have a little fun with it. The lab sheets incorporate hands-on experiments, as well as written exercises. For instance, yesterday, after an object lesson with a small ball, a larger ball, and a lamp, he had to draw arrows around the earth and moon to show which way they rotate and revolve. Then he was able to draw a face on the moon to show that it is facing earth. He’ll be starting a moon phases chart in a few more days, where he will have to observe the moon with his binoculars and keep track of how it changes. Then he’ll move on to making a solar oven to illustrate the power of the sun.

I am very impressed with this book. It could be used as a text by itself, of course, supplemented with library books, as the reading pages are not very long and don’t give as much detail as I would prefer; or you could use it as a supplement to another text, especially using the lab sheets to your child’s benefit. Earth & Space is available from Pandia Press for $38.99 as an ebook, or you can purchase the print version from Classical Home Education for $44. You can see sample pages before you purchase. You can read more reviews on the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

(Disclosure: I received a copy of this book, free of charge, from Pandia Press, in association with the TOS Homeschool Crew.)