Sunshine to Flowers: Apologia

This year has been dubbed, The Year of the Co-op. Three of my kiddos are in three different types of co op settings. Each is in a co op for a different reason, although learning is certainly high on the list for all of them. ;)

E. is working through Apologia's Physical Science this year and will be getting together with our neighbor to do the labs every other module. It's every other module because both my neighbor and myself are crazy busy with our other kids and schedules. We haven't met yet for a lab session, but E. is looking forward to it, as much as she looks forward to science, which isn't much much to her scientist parents wonderment.

R. is in a co op that has both an IEW class (yeah!) and a science class that is using The Critical Thinking Company's, Science Detectives 3-4th grade. Not my first choice, but this is a class taught by a teacher and this is what she picked. So far R. is loving her science class, Mrs. Coe is an awesome teacher and only likes her writing class, which has nothing to do w/ her awesome teacher, Mrs. Tani and everything to do with R. having deadlines and being forced to rewrite a paper several times for the first time in her school career. Oh the pressure and drama!

S. is in a science co op with a small group of boys (5 boys from 4 families) ages 5-8. We take turns teaching in our home every week, 3 weeks on, 1 week off. We're using Christian Kids Explore. Which again isn't my first choice, but it's working well and S. is enjoying his time w/ his co op.

Which leaves A. home alone for science w/o a co op. Which means, A. and I have the privilege of working through Apologia's Elementary (my first choice for science at this age :) ) course alone this year.

Before I knew we were doing all these co ops and all these curricula, I had A and R pick two of Jeanne Fulbright's books for this year. R. picked Anatomy and A. picked Zoo 3 Land Animals. Since R. is now off doing her own science thing I decided to start A. off with her first choice, Zoo 3. We had started Zoo 3 a few years ago but didn't get very far, so this is all new to her and I think she's enjoying it being just her and me. :)

Last week we started the course and on Friday did the experiment on Camouflage. A. had fun counting out the M&M's (a rare treat in our house) and then "hunting" for her prey in the habitat she had created for her M&M's. Just after her 2 min. hunt was up and she was tallying her results, I realized it was time for her soccer practice, right then! oops. So, off she ran to get ready for soccer and we rushed out the door. Fortunately, her older sister was there to help "clean" up the prey. I've heard it was mighty tasty. :)