Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding: A Science Curriculum for K-8 and Older Beginning Science Learners, 2nd Ed. Vol. I, Grades K-2

I have been using this Science curriculum for my two early elementary students in our homeschool for 1 and a half years. I supplement it with Early Elementary Science Education by Shannon Jordan and resources from the BFSU Facebook group. The authors of both books are active in the group and other users share ideas generously. My students love this curriculum and the topics we discuss grow naturally into deeper conversations and applications outside of lesson time. At the beginning of our first year I had to immerse myself in the available resources to develop a lesson planning process but after a few weeks it became smooth and adaptable. I schedule two lessons a week for my 3rd/4th graders and we will complete this book in two school years without feeling rushed. I have learned so much along with my students and have every intention of continuing with this author's second book.

We are almost done with this book and it's insane how much I've learned along with my children. I absolutely love that the lessons continue to refer to previous lessons, so it won't be (another) case of having a great, intriguing lesson, and then your kid recalls nothing a year later. It's not necessarily open and go, but once you get the hang of it, you can plan out your next lesson in a few minutes. Unfortunately, the books that are listed for added reading are quite hard to find now. Instead, I've picked up any Let's Read and Find Out science books as I've come across them as we use those to build on the ideas presented in the book. There are some topics that stretched me in my own science knowledge and being able to explain them, so these additional books are invaluable. We've also built up a small collection of Usborne science books to reference.

We are using BFSU for first and second grade science. My son is very science-minded and I wanted something to expand his knowledge, while being fun and exciting. Most secular science books for this age focus on one area (earth science, physical science, space science, etc) but BFSU weaves them all together so children have a understanding that all science is interconnected. Most science books for this age/grade tend to go over a broad view of many topics with little depth. Dr. Nebel realizes that little minds are capable (and craving) of a deeper understanding, and is able to present more advanced concepts in such a way that children not only learn, but truly understand. We absolutely adore this program and use it along with Generation Genius, Science in a Nutshell kits, and interactive Notebooking pages and I know my son is receiving a top knot science education and a firm foundation that will help him though all his future science education.

I am a homeschooling mom and this is my dream science curriculum. It requires effort and planning on the teacher's part but you will not find a better book. I'm a believer in education being the science of relations and this book does such a great job of laying the foundations but also showing how connected things are. I also really appreciate how affordable all the experiments and activities are. You don't have to spend a ton of money on materials, and the book itself is so affordable. As other reviewers have said, Nobel doesn't underestimate children and they will LOVE science as they move through this book. I can't tell you how much I am learning alongside my kids, so don't think you need to be a scientist to give your kids a great science education.

(Updated November, 2020): After two years, we've finished Vol. 1! This has been the best $30 I've spent on any homeschooling item, and has probably gotten the most use. My kids are in 2-4th grade, and I am beyond amazed at their scientific understanding. My fourth grader has such a grasp of science at this point that he has a FAR better understanding than I had graduating high school. We haven't raced through this curriculum, and I will revisit areas with my younger kids, but for the most part, things have stuck. Everything is interconnected, and every lesson builds on previous lessons. Highlights in the past few weeks: We've had dinner table discussions of rockets and other examples of "push pushing back" (...for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction). We borrowed a telescope from our local library, and, with the added benefit of a few Let's-Read-And-Find-Out science books (my favorite addition to this curriculum), have looked at stars, discussed, experimented with, and read about Copernicus, Galileo, da Vinci, and Newton, inertia, friction, air resistance, gravity, comets, planets orbiting the sun, weightlessness in space, weight vs. mass, changes in energy, energy seen through heat loss, simple machines, and flight. We topped this off by watching the SpaceX rocket launch, which the kids were mesmerized by. Additionally, we've grown bean plants and have had dinner table discussions about pollination ("could we pollinate the bean plants ourselves, and how would we do that?"), soil quality, aeration of soil, and energy from the sun being necessary for all growth. We haven't crammed all of this in just a few weeks, but this is how interconnected it is--in that all of these things have been gradually introduced over the past few years, and so now, all are part of our vocabulary and come up in a discussion of one topic or another. Onward to Volume II! (Updated April, 2020): We are still using this curriculum and loving it! We have almost finished with Vol. 1., and as we've used it, I've become more and more impressed with the scope and focus. My kids have an amazing understanding of science, as do the kids we know who are using it with us. We also recently bought Early Elementary Science Education, which is like a cliff notes version of this. It makes my planning easier, but the original book is definitely needed to get the full understanding. If you're considering this curriculum, it is absolutely worth it! Original review: This is by far the best science curriculum I've found. I love science, and have always wanted that to be a big focus of our homeschool. But we've had a hard time following through with anything we've tried so far, or it has been unfocused and scattered (lots of unrelated experiments or me struggling to find ways to bring them together), or I don't like the headache and cleanup involved with science experiments in the kitchen...trying to clean the volcano off the counter while starting dinner (anyone else)? But we love Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding (BFSU)! We've used it regularly for about six months now, and both I and my kids have learned so much. Case in point: we had a fascinating discussion in the car one day about whether you would categorize dirt as "natural earth" or "living/biological." The kids used proper scientific vocabulary learned from BFSU. And we've had dinner conversations about whether or not you could travel fast enough to beat the times zones (and how fast that would have to be). This is with three kids 4-7 years old! We are currently using it in a group setting, once/week. I find that I have to prepare notes and materials, so there is definitely prep, but it's worth it, not terribly difficult, and has basically only involved things that we have readily available. We use it with kids mostly 4-7 years old, and while the 4 year olds are spotty in their attention (to be expected), the older kids really seem to understand rather complex topics. I definitely recommend spending the necessary time to read the beginning section and looking through the rest of the book to get a better handle on how it works and what the focuses are. The more I use it, the more impressed I am by the scope and focus of this curriculum. At this point, we fully intend to work through all three books. I feel that my children (and myself) will have a very thorough and enjoyable scientific understanding! I'm giving this review 4 stars instead of 5 simply because I know the prep necessary is not for every family. But if you have the time (it's not a lot, I promise), it is worth it! Pros: Very integrated and I love the natural progression. The kids really seem to enjoy it and are learning a ton. Accessible, easy to find materials for the activities/experiments. Even with the prep, I'm finding that I'm so much more consistent doing this science than any other science, including those with kits containing everything you need. I love the additional activity/discussion suggestions, as it makes science a very natural thing in our family. You can pretty much do as much or as little as you choose of the activities/discussion, and I'm finding that the kids really are retaining the information and making great connections! This could easily be used with older kids as well without it feeling below their level. I love that every lesson has an additional reading list--these are all very age-appropriate picture books and have really added to our learning and enjoyment (I try to get 2-3 for each lesson). Cons: Definitely takes some prep to really get the most out of it. Occasionally, activities seem a little beyond the average 5-6 year old, but my 7 year old has been completely engaged in basically every activity. There is also some prep required in finding the recommended books for the different lessons--we have to get most of them on interlibrary loan.

This is a great resource covering all areas of science and allowing flexibility to study topics in your own order and at your own pace. There is a related Facebook group which is especially helpful for assisting with queries and also sharing ideas and resources from other users of the book series.

Highly recommended curriculum in terms of thoroughness, organization, affordability and online support. On average, I spend about 20 min preparing for each lesson part. Some may view this as a disadvantage if your looking for a completely scripted open and go. However, I am enjoying refreshing my knowledge and adapting each lesson plan to what we have available at home. The online support is invaluable. Some users have created PowerPoint slides, worksheets and links to related videos. This has made each lesson engaging for the students as I can adapt the presentation style. Volume indicates grade level K-2, however we are using it in grades 2 and 4, since some of these concepts are not addressed in this level of detail until highschool.

Great curriculum that is thorough and builds on knowledge systematically.