Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Neat New Products!

I love, LOVE using the Apologia Elementary series of science books. They are written from a wonderful Biblical worldview & read like the author is sitting right next to you reading them out loud. Have I mentioned how much I like these?

Jeannie Fulbright certainly filled a wonderful niche in the homeschooling community that was sorely lacking (of course that's just my opinion but I hold to it). But she just made it all so much better!

Taken from her blog:

Apologia is now producing notebooking journals that accompany each of the elementary science books. Both Botany and Astronomy are now available. You can see samples on the Apologia website here:

These journals are beautiful spiral bound notebooks that will save you time and money. You won't have to print and keep up with your child's notebook pages, buy and maintain page protectors, or purchase and compile binders...everything that makes notebooking time-consuming and labor intensive for mom. Also, your child will adore having their own notebooking journal. 

Each of the notebooking journals include:
  • A daily schedule for those who like to have a plan or would like their children to complete the book on their own
  • Templates for written narrations, the notebooking activities and experiments
  • Review Questions
  • Scripture Copywork, with both print and cursive practice 
  • Reading lists and additional activities, projects, experiments for each lesson
  • An appendix with beautiful, full-color, lapbook-style Miniature Books
  • Field Trip Sheets to keep a record field trips
  • A Final Review with fifty questions the students can answer either orally or in writing to show off all they remember and know at the end of the course.
See the sample pages here:


 and 


Jeannie is giving away four Astronomy Notebooking Journals and four Botany Notebooking Journals to bloggers who post about this on their site. Visit her blog (Jeannie's Journal) to learn more about this contest.

Now back to me...

I just have to say that I really feel these notebooks will make the use of her book even more enjoyable. And I'm not just saying that. 

Jeannie provides (and will continue to prove) free notebooking pages on her site that go along with her books. All of her books follow a Charlotte Mason style of learning so notebooking & narration are part of all of them. And I used those when I was doing these books with B a few years ago. We tried something new this year that did not work. I'm looking forward to having the newest book come out. Jeannie is currently working on an anatomy book.

However, I have two younger boys & I'm looking forward to going through these books with them. I'm waiting one more year for J to be a tad bit older. Then I plan to start with Astronomy & work our way through all of them again. And I can't wait. The best part this time? I get to use the journals. I love how these look & work & I'm pretty sure my boys will be happy to cut & paste & write (well, okay, let's be honest here - probably not writing but they will anyway because I'll make them) a wonderful keepsake of their learning.


4 comments:

  1. We also really like the elem series. I'll have to see about trying the notebooks.

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  2. We have not tried Apologia, but I've researched them. We are planning to use them for high school. Everyone I know who has ever tried it, loves it. There are some other really intense science curricula, but my son is not a fan of hardcore science.

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  3. Thanks for sharing this info! I had never seen her blog before and I'll be entering that contest. I actually just bought the Astronomy text and notebook during the CBD sale. We'll be starting that this summer and enjoying the night sky! Cool!

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  4. I know this is an old post, but I stumbled on it. We have loved Elementary Apologia ever since it came out (I bought Astronomy pre-pub!). These are the things I will MISS as my kids get older! (Believe me, I won't be missing something like, oh, say, MATH!)

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