Sonlight Science vs. Science in the Beginning

We have been a Sonlight-only, multi-subject package homeschooling family since the beginning of our homeschool journey.  We have appreciated the ease and variety of Sonlight both for teacher and student.  And, it’s been well worth the cost to have everything come together in one box so all we need to purchase are a few pencils to start our school year.  In my naive mind, I thought we would do Sonlight Kindergarten through 12th grade.  But after two years using Sonlight, the honeymoon phase is over.  What worked for us in the beginning didn't necessarily work in its entirety two years later especially in regards to science.

With Sonlight Core A and Core B Science, we studied a variety of topics throughout the year so we never grew tired of science.  It was always new and fresh to my child.  We used several books to cover one area of science rather than one textbook.  We enjoyed fairly easy and age-appropriate science experiments using the things we had around our house plus the pre-made Sonlight science kit.  And, the science worksheets that came with the Sonlight Cores helped us gauge our child's comprehension level.   

Yet there were two negatives to Sonlight that we just couldn’t seem to work around.  The first was that fact that Sonlight uses mainly Usborne books for science.  Usborne presents the majority of its science from an evolution viewpoint.  Sonlight tries to compensate for that through shallowly sharing a Biblical viewpoint and a few accompanying verses in the Instructor’s Guide.  The second is that the Sonlight Core A and Core B science is an overview of science and it rarely goes beyond the surface.  However, I don’t think a science program can go beyond the surface if it’s not rooted firmly in the Word of God. 

So we were determined to find something different to use for science for second grade that had the Biblical, hands-on approach to science mixed with the variety of science that we love from Sonlight.  We really liked Apologia and how it is rooted in the Word, but we didn’t like how it focused on one area of science all year long.  That would quickly get old for my child (and for me).  A friend in a homeschool Facebook group recommended Dr. Jay Wile’s new science book, Science in the Beginning.  I had never heard of Dr. Wile before but when my friend mentioned that he wrote the high school science textbooks for Apologia, my interest was piqued.  Surely his Biblical worldview would carry over into his writing.  And knowing Apologia's reputation for science, surely he would bring a certain level of depth and knowledge to science that Sonlight didn’t afford with its Core. 

Dr. Wile sent us a copy of Science in the Beginning to look through and review, and we found the perfect compromise between Sonlight and Apologia!  Science in the Beginning is geared toward elementary students and can be done with one child or it can be done with several children of varying ages.  Each lesson ends with a review for the youngest students, older students and oldest students.  These reviews are centered around keeping a science journal and drawing or explaining the experiments and/or lessons.  At the end of first grade, we found ourselves going between the youngest and older student reviews based on my child’s writing vs. drawing capabilities. 

Like Sonlight, every experiment in Science in the Beginning (which there is one per lesson) can be done with household items.  There is a thorough explanation of what to do, and Dr. Wile explains the "why" behind every experiment (something that is hit or miss with Sonlight).  The plus to Science in the Beginning is that the experiments actually correspond with what you are studying; whereas, there is no coordination between Sonlight’s experiments and what is currently being studied (at least in Cores A and B). 

Science in the Beginning also relates science back to the Days of Creation.  The First Day of Creation Week (Lessons 1-15) deals with light where children learn all about light, colors, reflection, energy, the human eye, etc. The Second Day of Creation (Lessons 16-30) deals with everything water.  The Third Day of Creation (Lessons 31-45) centers around the land, rocks and plants.  Day Four of Creation (Lessons 46-60) focuses on the sun, moon and solar system.  Day Five of Creation gives an overview on birds and fish (Lessons 61-75).  And Day Six of Creation (Lessons 76-90) focuses on land animals, people and our senses.  Then, there is a page on Day Seven of Creation which talks about the need for rest. 

There is also a small supplement, Helps & Hints, to Science in the Beginning.  This guide contains the answers to the review questions in Science in the Beginning as well as contains corresponding tests and answer keys.  It is nice to have, but it is not necessary to complete the textbook. 

Science in the Beginning debuts Dr. Wile's new elementary series where he walks students through science in a historical context.  When we first received our book in December 2013, I was hesitant about jumping on board since the second book had not yet been released.  However, the second book, Science in the Ancient World, was released last month and there are plans for more to be released each year.  I see Dr. Wile’s series truly complementing the history portion of Sonlight’s Cores as science and history walk hand-in-hand.  We are picking up Science in the Beginning as we go into Sonlight Core C.  It is a great review and Science in the Beginning further reinforces the things we learned in previous Sonlight Cores.  For more on Dr. Wile’s approach, visit his blog at http://blog.drwile.com/?p=11016. 

I was concerned about Science in the Beginning being a duplicate of Sonlight Core A and B science, but there is enough difference between the two programs that it is worth going through Science in the Beginning in its entirety.  I was also concerned about Science in the Beginning being a “real” textbook since this is our first “official” textbook ever.  However, there is enough variety and science experiments in this book that we do not miss Sonlight science at all.  Plus, I secretly like having a little extra room on our bookshelf since we no longer need eight different books just for one year of science.  Science in the Beginning is a great starting point, and we use the library or find books at yard sales that complement Science in the Beginning for extra learning and enjoyment.  Also with Science in the Beginning, we are fully in control of the book selection rather than simply accepting what comes with the Sonlight Science program from an evolutionist standpoint. 

Science in the Beginning fills that niche for Sonlight users who aren’t ready to make a big curriculum change but who prefer science from a Biblical standpoint.  And Science in the Beginning provides both Biblical and educational depth that Sonlight simply cannot achieve using Usborne books.  It's definitely a great compromise for our family!  To find out more about Science in the Beginning, visit www.bereanbuilders.com/rl/index.php?8 .

Please note:  Other than receiving this product for free, we received no other compensation.