Apologia Homeschool Earth Science [Curriculum Review]

Help your homeschooler explore Earth with Apologia’s interactive, hands-on, earth science curriculum designed especially for elementary age kids.

My go-to homeschool curriculum for science is Apologia – hands down! It’s the first place I go whenever it’s time to plan for science for the upcoming school year! We have used Apologia science for so long now that I feel like I have used most of the science curriculum that they offer! But, when I learn about one that we haven’t used, I’m always intrigued! And, that’s the case with Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Earth Science curriculum!

I received this product free of charge for review purposes and was compensated for my time. All opinions expressed in this post are my own and I was not required to post a positive review of the product.

About Exploring Creation with Earth Science

Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Earth Science is a homeschool earth science curriculum for elementary grade levels. The curriculum set includes the textbook as well as the notebooking journal (which I absolutely love – more on that later).

Depending on your child’s grade level, you can choose either the regular Earth Science Notebooking Journal or the Earth Science Junior Notebooking Journal.

Based on the Charlotte Mason philosophy of learning, Exploring Creation with Earth Science is filled with colorful photographs and graphics. The easy-to-implement, weekly schedule has all the lessons planned out for you! Gotta love that!

And, it is packed with hands-on activities that children love! Easy to teach and fun for the kids, now that’s a win-win for me!

Apologia Earth Science Notebooking Journals:

One of the things that I absolutely LOVE about Apologia is the Notebooking Journal. Designed with elementary students in mind, the companion Earth Science Notebooking Journals are (in my opinion) the key to learning!

The journal is not just a place for your child to complete all the assignments from the textbook. It is the place where they document everything that they are learning!

And, there is plenty of space for documentation, notes, creative writing, drawings, journaling and more!

I firmly believe that when you can talk about, write about, explain, and show what you are learning, you are better able to retain it. The engaging and colorful pages within the journal provide opportunities for active learning while reinforcing the lesson’s content.

Interactive, Engaging, Hands-on Learning:

Yes, the Notebooking Journals are an awesome tool for the students! But, the textbook is just as wonderful! It is filled with interactive, engaging, hands-on learning activities and opportunities!

I don’t know about you, but when my kids were younger, they constantly asked me questions about everything! Sure, I often got tired of the questions, but I know that asking questions is a great way to learn new things!

And, Apologia understands this! The textbook and journal encourage students to ask questions and investigate:

Encourage your young explorers to interact with their world by choosing an elementary homeschool science course that walks alongside students and talks with them as it investigates and points out the science behind everyday occurrences.
Let’s dig in the dirt, not just talk about it. What is it? How did it get made? Why is it different depending on where you dig? What will you find living in it?
– Apologia website

But, not only are they encouraged to ask questions and investigate, they are encouraged “to do” as well. In my opinion, science is one of the subjects where doing can make all the difference.

In Exploring Creation with Earth Science, students learn by doing! For example, as part of the earth science studies, students build their very own geosphere!

Would your child be more likely to remember the continents and the oceans by simply looking at a map? Or by making their very own 3D globe and drawing in and labeling the continents and the oceans?

Will your child have a better chance of remembering the difference between latitude and longitude lines by simply reading the definition in a book? Or by actually drawing the lines of latitude and longitude on their 3D globe?

The student returns to the globe/geosphere that they build throughout the curriculum to add various other aspects to it; mountain ranges, islands, biomes, and more!

Side note – Perhaps I would be able to name and locate various mountain ranges today if as a child I had a science teacher who utilized fun, hands-on learning methods like this!

What about learning about the metamorphic process by making edible rocks? That sure beats just reading about the process, doesn’t it!

Between the Notebooking Journals and the engaging, hands-on, interactive learning activities in the textbook, Exploring Creation with Earth Science is bound to get your student excited about learning more about planet Earth! Be sure to head on over to learn more about Apologia’s Earth science curriculum!

Apologia Earth Science Giveaway:

The folks at Apologia have set up a giveaway for Mama Jenn readers! Two winners will receive an Exploring Creation with Earth Science set! The winners get to choose either the Regular or Junior level Notebooking Journal! Use the widget below to enter to win. Giveaway is open to US and Canada residents.

Apologia Back to Homeschool SALE!

If you can’t wait to see if you win, don’t worry! Apologia’s elementary earth science curriculum is currently on sale! From now through August 3rd, you can get up to 25% off of selected Apologia products! Now is the time to purchase curriculum for the fall at a discounted price!