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Around this time last year we received Nancy Larson Science 1. Since it has been a year, I thought I’d give an update.

Nancy Larson Science 1

In my first post I talked about why we decided to try Nancy Larson Science. I have been using this program with my three youngest girls ages 7, 5, 3. The target age-range for Nancy Larson Science 1 is 5yrs. – 8yrs. My 3 year old joined in the lesson but did not do any of the written work. We took a long break in the winter and have recently jumped back into our science studies. The girls love it!

Our latest lessons have included learning about seeds, plants and trees.  Each lesson is totally scripted for the teacher (which I love) and has a couple of worksheets and a booklet for each unit. We don’t use many worksheets in our homeschool, but the ones included in Nancy Larson Science are relevant and not overwhelming to my children. The booklet, which is different than the worksheets, is a wonderful addition. It basically is a reading text for the student. Students point to each paragraph and read along (or read) the passage. There are also a few diagrams to fill out, drawings, or fill in the blank portions.

For some reason I didn’t take pictures of some of our hands-on portions. We planted seeds, went for a nature walk and observed trees. Looked at bushes and learned about how trees and shrubs are different, and collected broad leaves and needle leaves. Pretty soon we’ll be learning about animals and observing butterflies and ladybugs up-close!

I feel there is a balance mixture of hands-on activities, new vocabulary, reading, and written work. Science 1 goes through a variety of topics such as life stages of human beings, habitats, seeds, plants and trees, life cycles, basic human anatomy and more. I like that it incorporates general knowledge of several different science areas. I think at these younger ages it is nice to touch on multiple science topics to help build background knowledge for when they go more in-depth in topics in the upper elementary years.

Why Might You Want to Consider Nancy Larson Science?

If you don’t have much time to plan or aren’t very confident in teaching science.

Everything is planned for you! The teacher’s manual tells you exactly what to do and what to say and is very easy to follow. The science kit includes all the materials and resources you will need to teach. The student pages are all printed and ready to go! There are picture cards and additional picture resources on a cd. All you need to do is read ahead for the week to make sure you have everything pulled out and ready to go!

If you want a complete science program that also reinforces reading and study skills.

This program has intentionally been designed to help children improve their reading and study skills. The science booklets are written to teach the concepts while not overwhelming the reader. In the younger levels each paragraph is numbered and students follow along while the teacher reads the text. Then there are a couple comprehension questions to answer.

If you have children close in age that you want to combine.

Nancy Larson worked wonderfully with our three age-groups. My three year old listened and drew pictures of what we were learning. My 5 year old started out with me having to write the words needed to fill in the blanks to writing herself! My 7 year old has done great with all the work. It was easy to make adjustments for each child’s specific needs while still having them learn and have fun.

If you have a a child who is currently in this level and one who will need it in a couple of years.

The complete Nancy Larson Science 1 Kit (afflink) contains so many reusable items! There are very few things you would need to purchase again for an additional student (student booklets, ladybugs and butterflies are all that I can think of at this moment.)

Currently Nancy Larson has 5 levels:

• Nancy Larson® Science K is recommended for ages 5-7 and is appropriate for older children with limited science experience.
• Science 1 is recommended for ages 5-8 and is appropriate for older children with limited science experience.
• Science 2 is recommended for ages 7-9 and is appropriate for older children with limited science experience.
• Science 3 is recommended for ages 8-11 and is appropriate for older children with limited science experience.
• Science 4 is recommended for ages 9-12 and is appropriate for older children with limited science experience.

By the end of summer we will have completed level 1! It has been a great fit for my family at this season in my life where I needed a comprehensive program without me having to figure it all out and plan it all by myself.

Disclosure: I received Nancy Larson Science 1 for review purposes only. I am also an affiliate. I’m sharing our thoughts on the program as we use it. All opinions are my own.