Disclaimer: I was compensated for my time in exchange for my honest review.
Science is one of the hardest subjects to homeschool. Yes, that’s my opinion, but if you ask homeschool parents around the globe, I think the majority of them would agree with me. There are so many questions involved – what age do we start? How much lab equipment do we need? What if I don’t know much about science? Do we have to dissect things?! Well, I can atleast help with one thing – We tried out Discover!’s Science Curriculum for Grade 4 for you!
About Discover!
First, let me tell you a bit about Discover! in case you haven’t heard of them. Distributed through Curriculum Express, Discover! Offers four subjects of full, engaging homeschool curriculum for Grades 1 – 6. In addition to the Science that my son Cash and I tried, they have English Language Arts, Math, and Social Studies. Trusted by schools and homeschoolers since 1989, Discover! and its associated brands have made it their business to innovate learning. Need more? Discover! also offers “Blended” courses with an online curriculum component and “Faith Connections” as an add-on to approach the learning with a Christian lens.
Discover!’s textbooks are attractive to both the learner and instructor with easy to read pages, glossy covers, and colorful pictures and illustrations. Written to engage various types of learners (with guidance for extending the learning), it’s got a Global real-world view at its core, and encourages lots of deep, and independent thinking. Each lesson – no matter the subject – includes special highlight areas designed to have your learner go deeper into the topic. As easy as it is for students to follow, it’s even easier for the parent teacher. Instructor Guides give you plenty of direction for supporting your students, extension activities, answer keys, and clear lesson objectives. With little preparation, you’ll be ready to dive into the learning with your student with no stress.
What about Discover! Science Grade 4?
Now that you know a little about the company, let me tell you about the curriculum we are using – Discover! Science Grade 4 Homeschool Curriculum. Comprised of three books – consumable Student Worktexts A and B, and an Instructor Guide. Both books together have 11 chapters and 74 lessons, covering around 150 days of learning. A single lesson can be completed in a span of 2-3 days. Our topics for this year include everything from the Scientific Method and Earth Sciences to lessons on The Human Body.
So, how are we using it, you ask? Especially, with a Gifted Learner?
At first, I did indeed have my doubts. It looked TOO simple – I have a son that loves all things STEM and I assumed incorrectly that he would fly through the lessons or simply say that he was bored. However, he enjoys the uncomplicated layout of the curriculum and loves the critical thinking spread throughout. Each lesson encouraged him to discover answers for himself, even if it was just searching out the lesson’s vocabulary within the text.
Does he finish a lesson quickly – yes. However the extended learning suggestions within the Instructor Guide gives me plenty of ideas to go deeper as well as hands-on experiments using easy to find supplies throughout my home. My son, also thrives with the variety of topics given in the year. Instead of a single topic within the sciences he gets to switch it up which is great mental exercise for a kid that hyper focuses. Long story short – my kid likes it! As an Eclectic Unschooler, the kid rules so I guess we’ll be using Discover! for Science. However, if you’re worried your advanced student won’t react the same to the Grade 4 curriculum, consider going up a grade level.
Need Science that’s easy to use, covers a variety of topics, has an all-in-one student book with fun and thoughtful prompts that won’t take up too much time in your day? You found it! Discover! Science Grade 4 Homeschool Curriculum checks off all the boxes.
Want to try Discover! Homeschool curricula for yourself? We’ve got a special 15% discount just for you – but hurry, the offer expires October 23, 2023! Code: Discover8blog15
@Mamasweetbaby 
Leave a comment