The biblically based "God's Design" series was designed by homeschoolers for homeschoolers. This twenty-four book set includes the three student books and three teacher's supplements for the "God's Design for Life", "God's Design for Heaven & Earth", "God's Design for the Physical World", and "God's Design for Chemistry & Ecology." The former two series are designed for grades 1-8, and the two latter series for grades 3-8. Full-color photos, diagrams, illustrations, special features and fun facts make learning about every aspect of science enjoyable, while key concepts are continually reinforced and explored through chapter review and activities. Color-coded by age group, chapter reviews are separated for groups of similarly ages students.
This easy-to-use curriculum teaches science from a young-earth, creationist point of view. Each book contains 35 lessons with one final project to merge all the lessons together. At the pace of 3 lessons a week (approximately 30-45 minutes each), you can cover each series within a year, for a total of four years worth of curriculum in this kit. Books feature partially reproducible pages, softcover with glossary and index. Grades 1-8. NKJV Scripture used.
Website: God’s Design for Science
(8 Reviews)
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Contributor Reviews
Reviews are solely the opinions of the contributor.
Grades Used: 2, 4
I was a first year homeschool mom last year. I for this science for them i love it! Great Christian based program.
Cons: False information
Grades Used: 2
Do not buy if you want your children to learn about science. There are many good science curriculums, and this is not one of them. This book does not support a modern christian family. The misinformation is harmful to education, and will lead to your child struggling in the future.
Cons: One book can be used for multiple agres/grades
Grades Used: 4th- Animals
I only have one child, so the multiple sections based on age/level were a little distracting. I can see where it would be great to have two or three different children working on the same thing but it just wasn't for us. One teacher's manual covers the different books, but there's not much in them. The books are pretty in depth for the upper elementary ages, so much so that it seems to really take awhile to get onto the next thing. Other sciences in the series may be more hands on, but this particular book was mostly reading and answering questions. Next year we are going to try Science in the Beginning by Dr. Wile. I've already bought it and can't wait for next year to begin!
Cons: i chose to supplement with experiment books
i like that this is young earth and very christian. the information is up to date. the images are great. the teacher's book is optional. i like to use this as a supplementary science resource, instead of secular science books we see so often at the library. you know it's a great day when your child tells you he doesn't want to use the library books for information because of all the theories and guesses they publish as truth, like the big bang theory. he suggested we use the God's design for science books instead!
my only problem was i wanted more activities and experiments, so i supplemented with some other christian-based books.
the section to be used for 1st-2nd grade gives a nice introduction to the subject matter and the 3rd grade and above gives you good meaty learning.
Grades Used: 2, 3
We used God's design for, the first year we decided to homeschool (my boys were 2nd-3rd grade), and it was very easy to use, and adaptable.
Cons: None!
Grades Used: K, 1, 2, 3, 4
LOVE this curriculum!! This is the third year we have used God's Design and we will have completed the Life and Heaven's and Earth books. I've used it for grades K-4 and even my preschooler loves doing the experiments with us! This curriculum presents such a strong Christian Worldview, which I so appreciate and enjoy. My 4th grader has become very adept at defending creation through the strong emphasis this curriculum presents for creation in the creation/evolution debate.
The curriculum is easy to use--very little prep required. I gather all/most of the supplies I will need for the experiments at the beginning of the year so I have them on hand. The experiments are easy to perform and almost always work (occasionally we've had one fail). Plus they are fun to do--science has become my kids' favorite part of school.
One of the biggest pros is the way the curriculum is set up for different levels of learning. There is a "beginners" section, which I've always done with my younger child (K-2nd) and the more advanced section I do with my older child (2nd-4th). There are also several even more advanced sections that are geared toward older children. The chapters are short, but very informative and the experiments are quick and easy to do. Plus there are quizzes to periodically check for retention of the material. I use these for my older child, but not my younger one yet.
It is also a great value since it can be used to teach multiple levels and the consumables come in the teacher's guide on a CDROM, which you can use to print out all or some of the quizzes, worksheets and tests. I just recently purchased the Physical World and Chemistry & Ecology to use for the next few years as my kids and I absolutely love this curriculum!
Cons: worksheets, quizzes need improvement
Grades Used: 4, 6
This is the 2nd year that we have used this curriculum. Last year we studied Heavens & Earth. The information was wonderful. We did not use the worksheets or quizzes and did lots of oral work. We did do most of the activities. We enjoyed going through this curriculum and the subject of study.
This year we are on Life studies (animals, plants, human body). We have tried to use the worksheets and quizzes and they are NOT a favorite part of this curriculum - in fact - we were so frustrated by them that I have decided to make my own for the remainder of the year. I appreciate the Christian perspective, and that I can teach both of my children this subject at the same time. There is not much prep work - which is nice.
Cons: hard to find items to make the experiments
Grades Used: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
My boys have loved this science, until this year. We are reading through "God's Design for the Physical World". We are struggling with learning about energy, electricity, etc. I don't think it is the curriculum's fault. I think it is us. Not what we are geared toward. We would much rather study earth, human body and plants and animals.
Overall, I appreciate the world view from a Creation stand point. It points to many things that God designed specifically for us to be able to live. How He is woven through all things.