The youngest child in a homeschool family often just tags along for the ride. When the older siblings are studying science, sometimes the younger ones merely observe.
While this often works out fine, sometimes I see a glimmer in my little guy’s eye. He would like to be the one discovering and experimenting and exploring on his own, not just watching while the big kids have all the fun.
I received a product for free, and was compensated for my time. All opinions are honest and my own; I was not required to write a positive review. Please see disclaimer.
So when I told him the newly-arrived big box of Sonlight Science curriculum was all for him? His face radiated joy and excitement!
As we began pulling out the colorful science picture books and rummaging in the big box of experiment supplies, he asked, “Can we do some science right now?!” Forget the 4-Day Sonlight Instructor Guide’s schedule… this kid was eager to do everything at once!
We had so much fun curling up together to read books like Ants and The Magic School Bus Inside a Hurricane. But his favorite part was definitely the experiments!
Do you know why ants build tunnels? We made our own kinetic sand with the materials included in the experiment supply kit, then tried digging tunnels of various sizes and designs.
How do ants walk? How many legs can be off the ground at once before the ant will tip over? We built a model of an ant to investigate how ants balance.
I think one of my little guy’s favorite experiments, however, involved yeast, a water bottle, and a balloon! Did you know that leafcutter ants use leaves to grow fungi in their “garden”? In the same way that leafcutter ants feed their fungi leaves and waste, humans can feed yeast with sugar. And since yeast produces a lot of gas as it grows, we were able to watch our balloon fill with air as the yeast grew!
Sonlight Science K: Ecosystems, Meteorology, Physics, and Engineering Design
Sonlight has recently updated their Science K curriculum, and other freshly updated levels will be added to their science options in the weeks ahead.
There are 2 main updates to the Sonlight Science homeschool curriculum:
Discover and Do
Sonlight Science now provides even more connection between reading and doing. Each week, the experiments provide a hands-on experience to reinforce what your child has read in their books. Your children won’t just memorize scientific concepts; they will conduct their own simple, engaging experiments to explore the world around them.
If facilitating experiments makes you squirm, you’re not alone! The prep involved alone often makes me want to say, “maybe another time,” when my kids ask to do a project.
That’s why I love the Discover and Do Science Experiments guide, which leads you step by step through each project. Not only that, but the Science Supplies Kit has all the random odds-and-ends needed for the entire year’s worth of experiments. No more running around the house trying to find the balloon, orange cheese puffs, or small straws needed for your next experiment!
Plus, the Discover and Do video library not only provides engaging instruction, but demonstrates exactly how to do each experiment.
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
The new, 2021 Sonlight Science levels K-E still follow the classic Sonlight model of learning (reading, discussing, and doing). Now, however, they also adhere to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This approach helps kids learn to think like scientists and incorporates science and engineering practices across the disciplines.
What’s included in the Sonlight Science K Program for ages 5-6
Instructor’s Guide
Sonlight’s Instructor’s Guides are a huge hit with busy homeschool moms looking for an open-and-go curriculum option! No need to stay up late the night before planning the next day’s homeschool list. The Instructor’s Guide lays everything out for you in a simple, easy-to-follow grid.
I especially love that each week’s grid also includes a shopping/planning list for the following week so you can easily plan ahead!
The Instructor’s Guide also includes activity sheets for each week. Activity sheets include cut and paste sections, matching, short answer, and other age-appropriate questions to reinforce the concepts being learned. My son was able to complete some of the simpler portions on his own, and he dictated the longer answers to me.
Science Picture Books
I love the literature-based approach of Sonlight science. These books are absolutely beautiful!
- Weather
- Ants
- Reptiles
- Bees and Wasps
- Rainforests
- DK Find Out Science
- Why Do Elephants Need the Sun?
- The Magic School Bus Inside a Hurricane
- Wangari’s Trees of Peace
- Forces Make Things Move
- From Seed to Plant
#DiscoverandDo Science Experiments
A full-color, 300+ page experiment guide helps you not only do the experiments, but understand how the concepts learned relate across many disciplines.
The science supplies kit includes the consumable items you need to complete the 36 experiments in Discover & Do: Kindergarten Science Experiments.
Discover & Do: Kindergarten Science Experiment Videos demonstrate the experiments so you can understand how to do them on your own! (Or, if they don’t turn out quite as planned at the kitchen table, your child can observe a properly executed experiment in video form.)
Ready to try a literature-based, hands-on homeschool science curriculum?
Enter here for your chance to win the Sonlight Science Package of your choice!
I entered! Thank you!