Tips for Homeschool Science Podcast from Elemental Science

Season 10 of the Tips for Homeschool Science podcast is here! This season will be all about living books and science. In this episode, we'll be discussing what living books are with Charlotte Mason education expert, Leah Boden, the Modern Miss Mason.

Key Takeaways

1. A traditional education spoon-feeds. A Charlotte Mason education ask of the child, "Why don't you contribute?"
2. Living books help our kids to form relationships with knowledge.
3. If a book is full of facts and pictures, it's not a living book.

Episode's Topics

• 00:00 – Intro 
• 01:23 – Who was Charlotte Mason?
• 04:05 – The single most important idea from her education philosophy
• 06:35 – What is a living book? 
• 10:57 – Tips for picking living books
• 12:40 – How you discuss living books with our kids.
• 19:33 – Leah's living books for science, plus a glimpse at how they handled science
• 24:52 – Leah's new book - The Modern Miss Mason.
• 31:20 –  How Elemental Science can help with living books and science

Episode Links

• Full Transcript
• The Modern Miss Mason Website
• Leah Boden's Instagram

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We love sharing about the key men and women in science with our students. We usually do this at different stages throughout their journey and this is something we incorporate into our programs.

Episode Links

• Original Post - 5 Simple steps for writing an interesting  biography report on a famous scientist (With a FREE download)
• FREE Scientist Units - Mendel and Pasteur

Got questions? Email support@elementalscience.com or connect with us on the web:

• Instagram - @elementalscience
• Website - https://elementalscience.com/

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Need tips for hands-on science in your homeschool? Don't miss these tips for experiments, nature studies, and science fair projects!

Episode Links

• Full Post - 19 Tips for Hand-on Science Success in your Homeschool
• Ep 77 - Can you do science without experiments?
• Ep 94 - Should you demonstrate or experiment?
• Ep 93 - How to keep a record of experiments
• Ep 76 - Should you combine for science?
• Ep 88 - 3 Tips for doing experiments without supplies
• Day 1 of the Homeschool Science Boot Camp
• Failed experiments: episode 23, episode 51, episode 103
• 100 Science Supplies
• Nature Study - the Natural Way to Study Science
• Ep 7 - Impromptu Nature Study
• Ep 68 - Science with Middle Schoolers
• Ep 17 - Nature Study in Winter
• July 2020 Tip of the Month - Observe
• Ep 82 - The Scientific Method
• Eliminating fear around the Science Fair Project 
• The Science Fair Project: A Step-by-step Guide

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• Instagram - @elementalscience
• Website - https://elementalscience.com/

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Welcome to the final episode in season 9 of the Tips for Homeschool Science podcast! In this episode, we'll be discussing how classical science compares to traditional science and a few of the benefits we have found from doing classical science.

Key Takeaways

1. The classical student won’t follow the traditional model, but you can rest assured that they will be prepared for what’s ahead.
2. We found that classical education allowed us to dig deep into an area of science to come up with questions that our student had.
3. The way that classical education approaches science already has the foundation of success already woven into a plan for science.

Episode's Topics

• 00:00 – Intro 
• 00:20 – Traditional Science versus Classical Science
• 01:51 – Our Experience (at least part of it) 
• 03:33 – Three Benefits of Classical Science
• 06:12 – Wrapping it up
• 07:00 – How Elemental Science can help

Episode Links

• Full Transcript - Which is better traditional science or classical science? {Season 9, Episode 116}

Got questions? Email support@elementalscience.com or connect with us on the web:

• Instagram - @elementalscience
• Website - https://elementalscience.com/

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Welcome to episode 5 in season 9 of the Tips for Homeschool Science podcast! In this episode, we'll be discussing rhetoric stage science - your goals, the tools, and how to put it all together.

Key Takeaways

1. The goals for the rhetoric stage student will be to teach them how to learn and apply the principles of science to what they see in front of them. 
2. I'm going to suggest that the level of rigor will be dependent upon what your student wants to do in the future. 
3. We can do this through textbooks with experiments, through events and science, through exams, and then we can also have them do in-depth research projects and in-depth science projects that can enhance what they are learning. 

Episode's Topics

• 00:00 – Intro 
• 00:26 – What is a rhetoric stage student?
• 03:04 – Your goals for rhetoric stage science
• 03:46 – How hard should rhetoric stage science be?
• 04:36 – The main tools for rhetoric stage science
• 08:07 – The optional tools for rhetoric stage science
• 09:21 – A model week of rhetoric stage science
• 10:13 – Wrapping it up
• 11:03 – How Elemental Science can help

Episode Links

• Full Transcript - What should rhetoric stage science look like? {Season 9, Episode 115}

Got questions? Email support@elementalscience.com or connect with us on the web:

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Welcome to episode 4 in season 9 of the Tips for Homeschool Science podcast! In this episode, we'll be discussing logic stage science - your goals, the tools, and how to put it all together.

Key Takeaways

1. The goals of logic stage science are to capitalize on the student's need to know why and continue to feed them with scientific information. 
2. Science fair projects are a great tool for our kids to see the scientific method from start to finish and our logic students really benefit from that experience because it's helping them to think critically and to organize the information. 
3. Look at all the tools, all 7 of them, as options you as a classical educator can use.

Episode's Topics

• 00:00 – Intro 
• 00:50 – What is a logic stage student? 
• 03:15 – Your goals for logic stage science 
• 03:59 – The main tools for logic stage science
• 07:54 – A case for the science fair project 
• 09:17 – The optional tools for logic stage science
• 12:31 – A model week of logic stage science
• 13:45 – Wrapping it up 
• 15:00 – How Elemental Science can help

Episode Links

• Full Transcript - What should logic stage science look like? {Season 9, Episode 114}
• Writing in Science - Elementary Years and Middle School
• The Complete Writer: Writing with Ease by Susan Wise Bauer
• The Science Fair Project

Got questions? Email support@elementalscience.com or connect with us on the web:

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Welcome to episode 3 in season 9 of the Tips for Homeschool Science podcast! In this episode, we'll be discussing grammar stage science - your goals, the tools, and how to put it all together.

Key Takeaways

1. The goals of grammar stage science are to spark an interest and build a foundation for the future.
2. For the grammar stage, you need to have the three keys - do, read, and write - plus, you can add projects and memory work.
3. We want what we do for science, what we read about in science, and what we write down in science to all relate.

Episode's Topics

• 00:32 – What is the grammar stage
• 02:04 – Your goals for grammar stage science
• 02:26 – The tools for grammar stage science
• 05:08 – The key to putting the pieces together
• 05:40 – A model week of grammar stage science
• 07:06 – A quick word about kindergarten
• 07:44 – Wrapping it up

Episode Links

• Full Transcript - What should grammar stage science look like? {Season 9, Episode 113}
• Living Books - Inspiring your students to love science with living books

Got questions? Email support@elementalscience.com or connect with us on the web:

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Welcome to episode 2 in season 9 of the Tips for Homeschool Science podcast! In this episode, we'll be addressing whether a plan for classical science can be rigorous or not.

Key Takeaways

1. At its core, a rigorous, or a strong, science foundation is going to have three things each week - doing, reading, and writing.
2. You'll have those three keys in a well-balanced way. 
3. A strong plan for science will start early and build upon that foundation throughout the years - sound familiar? That's exactly what classical education calls for.

Episode's Topics

• 01:00 - What makes a plan for science strong? 
• 02:28 - What else makes science strong? 
• 03:31 - Science and classical education 
• 04:44 - Grammar and logic stage (quick look) 
• 06:08 - Wrapping it up

Episode Links

• Full Transcript - Is classical science weak? {Season 9, Episode 112}

Got questions? Email support@elementalscience.com or connect with us on the web:

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Welcome to season 9 of the Tips for Homeschool Science podcast! In this episode, we'll be sharing the basics of classical education and how science fits into that model.

Key Takeaways

1. The heartbeat of classical education is to teach our students to think critically and to know how to learn.
2. In classical education, there are stages or cycles of learning that every student goes through. 
3. In each stage, you are teaching to the student's strengths. 

Episode's Topics

• 01:16 - My history with classical education and homeschool science
• 02:50 - What is classical education
• 04:14 - The stages of classical education
• 05:24 - Science and classical education
• 06:36 - The four-year cycle
• 08:03 - Wrapping it up
• 08:37 - A look at Season 9

Episode Links

• Full Transcript - What is classical education? {Season 9, Episode 111}

Got questions? Email support@elementalscience.com or connect with us on the web:

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Science Soundtrack #9

• I have to teach it all.-->I get to customize my chosen science program to fit our needs.

For season 8, we are taking these negative soundtracks, or beliefs, and turning the volume dial down. Then, we are turning the dial up on a new soundtrack – one that will help us share science with our kiddos.

Key Takeaways

• I used some of the same programs with my kids but did different things.
• We weren’t slaves to box-checking, we customized our science to fit our needs.
• We can cherry-pick what we know will benefit our students the most, fitting in the keys to teaching science in a way that is meaningful to them. 

Links Mentioned

• Soundtracks by Jon Acuff 
• Full Transcript

Got questions? Email support@elementalscience.com or connect with us on the web:

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Science Soundtrack #8

• I do not know enough.-->What I do not know, I can learn or find someone else who can teach it.

For season 8, we are taking these negative soundtracks, or beliefs, and turning the volume dial down. Then, we are turning the dial up on a new soundtrack – one that will help us share science with our kiddos.

Key Takeaways

• We, as home educators, don’t have to know it all. 
• We can learn what we need to know, modeling a life-long pursuit of knowledge. Or we can find a program or person that can do the heavy lifting for us! 
• You don’t have to know it all, you just have to be willing to either learn or turn over the reins to someone who can help. 

Links Mentioned

• Can't Teach Science (Ep 107)
• Soundtracks by Jon Acuff 
• Full Transcript

Got questions? Email support@elementalscience.com or connect with us on the web:

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Science Soundtrack #7

• Science has to be done in a lab.-->There are lots of ways to see science in action.

For season 8, we are taking these negative soundtracks, or beliefs, and turning the volume dial down. Then, we are turning the dial up on a new soundtrack – one that will help us share science with our kiddos.

Key Takeaways

• In your home, co-op, or at your school.
  Even at the kitchen sink is cool.
• There are lots of different ways for us to share the hands-on aspect of science with our kiddos. 
• As homeschoolers, we can escape the lab and share science where we are at!

Links Mentioned

• Soundtracks by Jon Acuff 
• Ep 106 - Silent Science
• Full Transcript

Got questions? Email support@elementalscience.com or connect with us on the web:

• Instagram - @elementalscience
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Science Soundtrack #6

• I cannot teach science.-->With the right materials in hand, I can teach science.

For season 8, we are taking these negative soundtracks, or beliefs, and turning the volume dial down. Then, we are turning the dial up on a new soundtrack – one that will help us share science with our kiddos.

Key Takeaways

• There are endless possibilities and options, but the basic idea is to find materials that will make it possible for you to DO science, READ about science, and WRITE down science each week.
• Those materials could be a full science program, an eclectic mix of resources, or an outsourced class. Whatever you choose as your support materials, I want you to know that you can teach science to your kids. 

Links Mentioned

• Soundtracks by Jon Acuff 
• 3 Common Misconceptions about Science 
• Do you have to love science to teach it? 
• The Fully Stocked Home Science Laboratory
• The Three Keys to Teaching Science
• Full Transcript

Got questions? Email support@elementalscience.com or connect with us on the web:

• Instagram - @elementalscience
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Science Soundtrack #5

• I have neglected science for so long that there is no point in starting now.-->I have been sharing silent science and now it is time to put words to what we have seen. 

For season 8, we are taking these negative soundtracks, or beliefs, and turning the volume dial down. Then, we are turning the dial up on a new soundtrack – one that will help us share science with our kiddos.

Key Takeaways

• I really mean this, whether we realize it or not, we have been sharing science silently.  
• You can always get a good program to help you teach science or you can do your own investigations based on the silent science you have already been doing. 
• So even though you may have neglected science in the past, there is no time like today to start putting words to what your kids have already observed.  

Links Mentioned

• Soundtracks by Jon Acuff 
• Get help putting words to your silent science
• Full Transcript

Got questions? Email support@elementalscience.com or connect with us on the web:

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Science Soundtrack #4

• I MUST teach science.-->I GET to teach science in a way that works for us.

For season 8, we are taking these negative soundtracks, or beliefs, and turning the volume dial down. Then, we are turning the dial up on a new soundtrack – one that will help us share science with our kiddos.

Key Takeaways

• Let’s stop saying that we must teach science or that we have to teach science. 
• Just the switch from “must” to “get to” takes a load of pressure off our shoulders, but then when you add in the idea that you can teach science in a way that works for you and your unique family, well that just opens a world of possibilities.  
• The point is to have the three keys present in your science plans each week in a way that works for you. 

Links Mentioned

• Soundtracks by Jon Acuff 
• The Three Keys to Teaching Science
• Full Transcript

Got questions? Email support@elementalscience.com or connect with us on the web:

• Instagram - @elementalscience
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Science Soundtrack #3

• Science is boring.-->I get to make science fun!

For season 8, we are taking these negative soundtracks, or beliefs, and turning the volume dial down. Then, we are turning the dial up on a new soundtrack – one that will help us share science with our kiddos.

Key Takeaways

• Let’s stop looking at the blank science squares on the planning sheet template and stop skipping something that we assume will be boring. 
• We have the ability to make science interesting for our kiddos. 
• We don’t have to have a boring repeat of our experience with science. We get to make science fun!  

Links Mentioned

• Soundtracks by Jon Acuff 
• Episode 97 - How to make science fun and exciting
• Full Transcript

Got questions? Email support@elementalscience.com or connect with us on the web:

• Instagram - @elementalscience
• Website - https://elementalscience.com/

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Science Soundtrack #2

• This experiment will fail because all the ones we try fail.-->When we do experiments, we may not get the expected outcome, but we can always learn from the experience.

For season 8, we are taking these negative soundtracks, or beliefs, and turning the volume dial down. Then, we are turning the dial up on a new soundtrack – one that will help us share science with our kiddos.

Key Takeaways

• The reality is that in science, we learn from our failures. In fact, failed experiments are a normal part of the scientific process. 
• Our main goal in homeschooling is not to cram our students with facts and Pinterest-worthy experiences. 
• When you do experiments, you might not get the expected outcome, but you can always walk away with a successful learning experience. 

Links Mentioned

• Soundtracks by Jon Acuff 
• Episode 23 - Have you visited the realm of the failed science experiment?
• Episode 51 - It's okay to have a failed experiment
• Full Transcript

Got questions? Email support@elementalscience.com or connect with us on the web:

• Instagram - @elementalscience
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Science Soundtrack #1

• Science is too hard.-->Science is simply providing opportunities for the mind to work.

For season 8, we are taking these negative soundtracks, or beliefs, and turning the volume dial down. Then, we are turning the dial up on a new soundtrack – one that will help us share science with our kiddos. 

Key Takeaways

• At its heart, science education is about providing opportunities for the mind to work.
• When we approach science this way – read, do, write – we provide opportunities for the mind to work. 
• This doesn’t mean that you have to manufacture every single learning opportunity. You can use a program to help you provide pockets of opportunities for the students’ scientific minds to work each week.

Links Mentioned

• Soundtracks by Jon Acuff 
• Episode 81 - What is the heart of science education?
• Full Transcript

Got questions? Email support@elementalscience.com or connect with us on the web:

• Instagram - @elementalscience
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{Prequel} Science Soundtrack

• I can't teach science that way.-->I have a unique way to approach teaching science.

Season 8 of the Tips for Homeschool Science Show is officially beginning next week!! In this short episode, we share a sneak peek at what's coming up for the Science Soundtracks season.

Key Takeaways

• Season 8 will be all about how to flip the negative beliefs we have about homeschool science into positive soundtracks that will help you teach science at home.
• Teaching science at home is totally doable when you have the right soundtracks playing in your mind and the right tools in your hands.

Links Mentioned

• Soundtracks by Jon Acuff 
• Full Transcript

Got questions? Email support@elementalscience.com or connect with us on the web:

• Instagram - @elementalscience
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This past month I shared a Zoom session with a charter school and at a conference and we thought you all might have the same questions they do. So we are sharing the Q & A sections from those calls.

Show Notes - https://elementalscience.com/blogs/podcast/100

Timestamps

(0:35) I am using a logic stage program with my older student, what should I do with my 5-year-old?

(0:59) Do you have kits?

(1:49) What age range is Science Chunks for?

(2:19) Should I use Classical Science or Sassafras Science? (Follow-up comment - Yes, my student would prefer to use the children's encyclopedias.)

(3:45) What age is the Sassafras Science series for? And where do we start?

(4:25) 8 Steps for a science fair project? Tell me more...

(5:18) What grade level are your programs?

(5:29) Can you use a Classical Science program with a Sassafras Science program?

(6:21) Are your programs open-and-go?

(7:14) What should I use for a 4th grader?

(8:04) Do you have anything to use with my high schooler?

(8:51) We love the Sassafras Twins!! (Which caused me to launch into a bit of the history of the series...)

(9:37) Our kids are 4 years apart - what do we do for science? Can we do science together?

(11:23) Get help for teaching science at home with our programs.

If you want to see the answers to even more questions about teaching science at home, check out Season 5 of the Tips for Homeschool Science Show.

Got questions? Email support@elementalscience.com or connect with us on the web:

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