Customer Reviews

Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the 5th Day (Apologia Science Young Explorers)

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1 star:		(3)

 

 

OK, I was sceptical! Everywhere I turned people were raving about the Jeannie Fulbright science books, but I just didn't get it. How could you spend an entire year studying just ONE thing?? What a waste of time! Wouldn't we get bored? Finally, I gave in to the peer preasure and ordered Zoology 1 thinking that if the books were THAT good, we could at least give them a try- for a month or two. Well, they ARE that good! and my whole outlook has changed. There is more than enough information for an entire year of study! There is just NO WAY we could get through it any faster. And what facinating information it is! I already learned a few things just by paging through it and my children (who have gotten a few glimpses of the beautiful pictures) are so excited to start. There are plenty of fun experiments (very important in this hands-on family) but they are not too complicted or time consuming (also very important) and the necessary supplies are inexpensive and easy to come by. And each book comes with a password so you can access the course website where there is EVEN MORE information! How cool is that? I am now a firm believer and can't wait to study ALL of these wonderful books.

We've been homeschooling for more than eight years and tried many different science programs. Unfortunately, science just wasn't getting done in our home. After reading wonderful reviews of Jeannie Fulbright's books, we bought Zoology I, Flying Creatures of the 5th Day. We love, love, love this book! Even after math and writing and Latin, science happens in our home! I love that Zoology I takes very little teacher prep time. We snuggle on the couch and read for the day and then I usually have my kids follow up with the written narration or notebooking activities set out in the book. Zoology I has the depth of a textbook, but reads like a living book. It was meaty enough for my 5th and even 6th grader, and yet not over the head of my 1st and 3rd graders. For the first time, all four children have beautiful notebooks to preserve their year's work. Also, the experiments and hands-on activities extend the lesson, not the mom. This has been our best curriculum find this year. We started Botany in late spring and can't wait to start Zoology II (oceanography) for the fall. Thank you, thank you to Jeannie Fulbright for writing a curriculum that is intelligent, engaging and enables all of us to explore science!

Yes, it is true: this book has changed our lives! I am a homeschooling mother of 4 boys and this book introduced our family to a new hobby: birding. Sharing this new passion for something we had all previously taken for granted has been a great thing for our family. On our most recent vacation to the ocean, the highlight for my 9 and 6 year old sons was the one day spent at a national bird refuge! Our six year old has memorized over 40 bird calls with their mnemonic devices, and even more birds by sight! Even our 1 1/2 year old son can name a chickadee and a cardinal by sight! The value of this book in sparking a mutual passion transcended my initial goals of merely learning something about science, and I know these experiences will stay with the boys throughout their lives.
That said, the book also served the goal of teaching a lot of great science in an interesting, engaging way. In addition to sparking a particular passion for birds, the book also taught us a lot about bats, insects and flying reptiles.The material in this book was captivating and understandable even for my 4 year old, and the experiments were simple enough that my oldest son could do them by himself when necessary. The middle boys (6 and 4) could also benefit from most of them! This is the first science curriculum I have used that all my children (except the baby!) could equally participate in and benefit from.
This science series incorporates several excellent components. In addition to the great photos and clear information, there are opportunities for the child to narrate back what they have learned. We retain what we can explain, and this element helps solidify the information in the child's mind. We have also really enjoyed using Nature Notebooks. This book gives very clear instructions for making and keeping a notebook of pictures, drawings, poems, original writing, and other "findings" that relate to the material studied. The notebook is very personal to each child, enjoyable to make and a great keepsake for years to come. Other highlights include a list at the beginning of EVERYTHING that will be needed for all the experiments (easy to gather household items, but it was very convenient to get everything together at the beginning of the year), the incorporation of Latin scientific terms, and answers in the back for all questions. The front of the book has a reproducible sheet where experiments can be described (procedure, hypothesis, results, etc). The book is written from a creationist perspective, comes with a webpage linking to tons of sites that provide more information, and there is even a yahoo support group for this curriculum with the author as moderator. I can't imagine a better science curriculum for my elementary aged children.

I have to admit, I did not expect to LOVE this book. By the 2nd chapter, I was hooked. The suet recipe is a huge hit with the birds in our neighborhood, and we had a blast making it. Every day we sit at our table and watch the chickadees and nuthatches taking suet to their babies. The birdhouses were a whole family affair, and formed memories for our lifetime.

I chose this book because I have 2 animal lovers and thought this would be a good science book. It is way better than that. My kids love watching the birds and identifying them. The Field Notebooks are filled with pictures, dates, plants and animals all around us, and it was not a chore to get them to do them.

We have completed public school and other homeschool curriculums for science, but this is one the children WANT to do. Not only do they want to do it, they remember what they have learned far longer than the other curriculums. This curriculum uses all of the audio, visual, tactile, oral and manipulates to teach the course.

We appreciate Mrs. Fulbright giving due credit to God, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Our boys four years and almost six absolutely love this book! They listen attentively to the text and move 100 miles an hour when it's time for an experiment.

Science is now our eldest son's favorite subject. We are now looking at the world through completely different lenses.

Thusfar, we have had a delightful time going on the scavenger hunt, examining insects, and performing the glider experiment.

As for me, I read ahead for fun at bedtime to myself.

Thank you for sharing your expertise and passion for God's creatures with us.

I am a six year old homeschool boy. This book was great. I like birds and I wanted to know more about them. I liked learning how to make my own bird feeders and building my own bird house. I liked drawing in my nature notebook, too, because I like art. We have been catching lots of bugs since reading this book. I learned that the praying mantis female eats the praying mantis male after mating. It is cool to watch a praying mantis eat other bugs.

We used this book this past school year and loved it. My children now love to go outside at night to look for bats. They get out their field guides to try to determine what birds are in our backyard. My oldest (8) has actually been documenting the daily activities of a nest that is right outside our window. And you can't forget the insects! My girls love ants now and are more appreciative of bees - instead of screaming in terror when they come by (: The only problem I have now is that I can't squash any insects in the house now. They insist on saving them all! Even the flies with all their millions of germs...Gross! LOL

I've been home schooling for some time now and I have a rigorous academic standard in my school. I have to say, Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day was a great choice for my family. What a pleasurable presentation! The easy to read explanations made it usable for each member of my family (age range 5-12)in such a way that encouraged retention of facts, and also created a desire to learn. My children were ready to read more books from the library, on their own time, because they were intrigued by what they had learned.
The simple experiments were easy to facilitate, and at the same time, hit the point head on, so we really gained an understanding of concepts. The narration and notebook ideas encourage our writing skills. The beautiful photography, coupled with the availability of book extras, was a wonderful addition to our science studies. My children were educated and encouraged to love learning.
I was relieved as it is simple to teach and requires little lesson planning on my part. The online support via book extras and yahoo groups provides a nurturing teaching atmosphere as well.
Finally, having the opportunity to easily connect science with bible, makes this a genuine pleasure for us all. This was a great find. Thank you, Jeannie for your great line of science products.
Tina
Largo, FL

This is the third book in the Exploring Creation series for the elementary level that Mrs. Fulbright has written. They continue to get better & better! I found the Astronomy book soon after it came out (the first one written) & I have not even thought of switching from this curriculum! Written in the order of creation, Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day discusses all the creates that the Lord created first - birds, insects, bats, & flying reptiles.

As with the previous two books (Astronomy & Botany), Zoology 1 is written in a wonderful style that draws the reader (and listeners) in. My children love to sit & listen to me read them science (ages 9 & 5 - boys too!!). The experiments are easy to do (a huge must for me!) & the notebooking activities are wonderful in helping my children create not only wonderful notebooks to preserve their work, but keepsakes that they will enjoy looking at in later years.

Mrs. Fulbright has a wonderful grasp of the science behind it all, the words to express it so all understand, and the gift to connect all back to our wonderful Creator God.

My kids enjoy how the author "talks" to them. It's written in a conversational style, which engages their attention.