I do a lot of my writing and research for TheHomeschool Scientist at the ice rink during figure skating lessons and hockey practice. I’m there. They have wi-fi. It makes sense.
So last week, I leave my computer open to a site I was doing research on for The Homeschool Scientist and I ran out to the car to get something for my daughter. I come back and my 3rd grade son and a kindergarten friend were sitting at my computer laughing hysterically.
Immediately, I say “no playing games on my computer!”
“But, it’s educational mom! Can we keep playing?”
I tried to figure out what they could be playing that would be that much fun for both of them. It was my research!!
My son noticed I was on the Science4Us.com website we had been looking at it for the past couple weeks. He was just waiting for me to get up and play. The funny thing is Science4Us is not a “game” website. It’s an online science curriculum!
What Is Science 4 Us?
Science4Us is a subscription-based, online science curriculum geared for Kindergarten through 2nd grade. It is full of fun animated characters who teach science and more. If you are looking for a boring lecture or slide show to set your kids in front of, Science4Us is not for you.
I’ve looked at quite a few online curricula. Most of them were geared for older children, so I was skeptical about an online science curriculum for K-2. My concerns were that the lessons would be too long or too dry to hold their attention, that the content would be watered down, that this would be just a site full of games with limited educational quality, or that there would be on interaction or hands-on activities. My concerns were unfounded.
Why Your Kids Will Like Science4Us
Science4Us is fun. It is full of quirky characters that teach short, interactive lessons that build on each other. Kids learn through repetition, but it is not repetitious. The material is presented in many different ways such as games, short animations, thinking questions, and online notebooking (one of my favorite features!).
This is not just an online curriculum. Science4Us includes hands-on activities and science experiments that parents can do with kids that reinforce the online learning.
Even if your kids are not in the target age of K-2nd grade, Science 4 Us is a great tool for review with older students. My 3rd grade son went through the physical science lessons to review what he’s been learning in his regular science curriculum. It was a great review session for him and he learned some new things, also. He liked that he got to “play” online, which is normally an after school treat for him. Sometimes just presenting material in a new way is all you need to spark interest.
Why Parents Will Like Science4Us
Science4Us teaches good basic science. Your student will learn the basics of scientific inquiry, physical science, life science and earth/space science. They will learn correct terms and how those terms relate to the real world. Most importantly, they will have fun doing it!
Are you worried about how to track your student’s progress and test what they are learning? Science4Us has made that so easy. The parent dashboard includes everything you need to teach science. It includes lesson plans and teaching strategies to keep the learning going off-line.
The dashboard lets you set daily assignments for your student and allows you to track their progress on those assignments. When the student is tested online or creates an entry in their student notebook, parents can see that, also.
Science4Us teaches more than science. When my son and his friend were “playing” on Science4Us, the SillyBulls (play on syllables) were a big hit. This game taught how to break words into syllables and how to spell terms learned in the lessons correctly. There are, also, alphabetizing games and songs to reinforce the lessons.
Students are asked throughout the curriculum to stop and think about what they have learned. Questions are posed to review and to apply the lesson to real life situations. Critical thinking is so important to science and life in general. It is hard to find curriculum that adds that component.
Science4Us won’t break the bank! The entire curriculum is open to you for just $7.95 per month, per student.
For More Information
Take a look at Science4Us for yourself. There are lesson plans and demos on their site so you can get a feel for the curriculum. These links might help.
I’ve tried a couple for learning alphabet sounds, but wasn’t too impressed.
I’ve tried online curriculums for reading and math. My kids went through them fast or were bored quickly because the information had presentations with information gaps.
We spent an hour doing the demos on the Science4Us website. Thanks for the tip!
This looks like a great resource. I hadn’t heard of it before. Thanks for the great review and giveaway!
We have used online math. It’s convenient, but my son was pretty bored with it.
I’ve used ABCmouse with my preschooler this year. We have LOVED the experience! This looks awesome!
We have used video based curriculum, but nothing online.
We are currently using Easy Peasy. We have also tried Time4learning. The stuff on Easy peasy is thorough but my son tends to veg out in while reading the screen. I think he needs something with more interaction.
We have done online *games* but never any curricula. I am considering doing a non-book based math program next year and wondered about something online.
We’ve played lots of online games, but never any curricula. My littel guy has been asking for more computer time, so this might be fun!
For the record, I can spell “little”. Silly typing fingers! Hi Marcy!
Sara- Science4Us is a sister site to SpellingCity.com. You might want to check that out, too! LOL!!
My kiddos enjoy doing games online- would like to investigate this option more!
We’ve used a few — some have been good, others haven’t. This one looks good.
I have used an online curriculum for math and it was a great experience! This sounds like a perfect fit for my family. Thank you!
We have tried several online learning sites and my kids usually love it!
Looks awesome!
This looks like fun!
Yes and I really liked it.
I have used Monarch and It worked well, but we now use Apologia and like it better
We used IXL for math last year, and use Starfall & Teach Your Monster to Read for my Pre-K kid right now. Although I don’t want to use the computer for everything, I haven’t found a decent science book that doesn’t require a lot of prep on the parent’s part.
So I’d love to try this!
We used Time 4 Learning for a bit and right now we are doing history online from Veritas Press. My son LOVES any computer time (of course). I always just like to make sure that it is being well balanced with time outside and creative time inside…and to make sure that my son is actually learning from it and not distracted by all the things to click =)
That being said, I’m sure my son would love this and it is just at his level!
I had a trial to a math online curriculum, but it didn’t work out for us. As a homeschooling family we weren’t focusing on Common Core and the way they taught some math concepts really frustrated my kids. However, there are other great online programs we’ve been investigating and we love BrainPOP.
We’ve use ABC Mouse and Reading Eggs, ABC was a hit but Reading Eggs was not.
I’m commenting on your review of Science4Us and adding that Science4Us is now available to homeschoolers not only directly from their site – http://www.science4Us.com – for $7.95/month but Science4Us is included as part of the Time4Learning curriculum – http://www.time4learning.com which covers language arts, math, science, and art. Disclosure: I am affiliated with them.