Exploring Creation with Astronomy, the first book in Apologia's
Young Explorers series, is a complete, easy-to-use science course developed
for elementary students between the ages of six and twelve. This full-color,
hardback volume contains 14 lessons that can be divided into two-week segments,
some taking just a little longer to finish. Lessons will need to be read
to very young children, but fourth graders and above should be able to read
them on their own. If you're like me, you might find yourself reading right
along with them anyway!
Each child will need his own notebook (such as a 3-ring binder), blank paper,
lined paper, and colored pencils to complete each lesson. Additional supplies
may need to be purchased for the projects and experiments, but most of the supplies
are common household items. A complete list of the supplies needed for each lesson
can be found at the beginning of the book, which is very helpful for planning
ahead. A separate supply kit designed to go with this course can be purchased
through a company called "Creation Sensation," but it is not necessary.
Author Jeannie K. Fulbright writes directly to the students, making the material
very appealing to young children. She also uses the Immersion Approach, which
means your children will be spending an entire year on astronomy, giving them
in-depth exposure to just one subject. Instead of workbooks and tests, Exploring
Creation with Astronomy focuses on narratives, notebook work, at least one
activity, a fun project, and/or a simple experiment at the end of each lesson.
Even though it can be tempting to skip time-consuming projects and experiments,
they are important for a child's understanding of the subject. Fortunately, Jeannie
K. Fulbright makes them very parent-friendly by providing clear instructions
Astronomy comes to life as Ms. Fulbright sheds light on the many different aspects
of God's amazing creation. In just one year, you and your children will thoroughly
explore the sun, moon, each planet, space rocks, stars and galaxies, and space
travel. An informative course website is also provided for further study; it
gives specific links that tell you how to find things in the night sky in your
area. Science quickly became the family's favorite subject, and we all loved
trying to find certain constellations and even planets in the sky!
I highly recommend Exploring Creation with Astronomy, as it fostered
not only the desire in my children to learn about and love science but also the
desire in me as well! We liked it so much that we have continued with the other
books in Apologia's Young Explorers series.
I have searched high and low for a science curriculum that fit our family.
We didn't want just any old science curriculum; we wanted a "Creation" curriculum!
After all, what is science? It is the study of the masterful works of our
Creator, of course!
Jeannie Fulbright along with Apologia has answered prayer with the Young Explorer Series. The volume entitled Exploring Creation with Astronomy dives deep into astronomy. It is a full-color, hardback book that has over 175 pages and includes photos, graphics, an index, and even answers in the back to the posed narrative questions in each lesson.
Exploring Creation with Astronomy starts off with an introduction that explains the book, what it's about, and the author's goals in writing the book. Jeannie has a very down-to-earth, simple approach to teaching, making it fun for the whole family. I love the easy-to-read style of her writing. I also so appreciated her explanation of how each chapter is laid out, the purpose of the notebook, explanations of the use of Latin words in creation, etc.--the complete overview was a huge help to me. There is even a website that gives additional helps and tons of extras related to the book!
There are 14 lessons in this book. To complete them you will need a notebook,
blank paper, lined paper, and some colored pencils. Each lesson is broken
down into smaller sections, assignments, and "Hands On" projects. The projects
are really neat, and they actually use things normal folks have in their
home on a regular basis. Imagine that! I've seen many a science curriculum
that assumes you have all kinds of oddball things on hand. It is such a bummer
when you get all geared up to do a project with the children and then you
realize you don't have what it takes to actually complete it! You won't find
that here. Jeannie even includes a supplies list that is broken down by lesson.
I love that!
The lessons cover such things as the planets, the moon, stars and galaxies,
and space travel. Each lesson dives deep--no scratching the surface here!
For example, here are just a few of the sections included in Lesson 2: "The Star of Stars," "Don't Stare!" " Revolve and Rotate," "God's Love Shines Brighter," and "Solar Eclipse." The children enjoyed the assignment of writing a speech on why you should not look directly at the sun. I enjoyed the sit-down "read and discuss" aspect. There was an activity involving the use of a magnifying glass and chocolate (you know they loved that!). "Making a Solar Eclipse" and "Making a Pinhole Viewing Box" were
big hits as well. This is just one of the lessons in the book, and I merely
described a portion of it.
We have really enjoyed using Exploring Creation with Astronomy. As is usually the case with home educating, we've all learned a lot. If you are looking for a rigid textbook approach, this will not be for you. Exploring Creation with Astronomy is well-rounded and fun, and it involves the whole family. We love it! I absolutely recommend the Young Explorers Series from Jeannie Fulbright and Apologia. Look for more upcoming reviews on this series!