Classical Science versus Sassafras Science - which is better? It's a question we get often here at Elemental Science.
And so today, we wanted to help you sort out the answer to this common question.
Here are all of the articles in this series:
The main difference is that the Sassafras Science series is centered around a living book, while the Classical Science series uses encyclopedias for the spines of the program. Both programs feature weekly hands-on science activities and notebooking.
In other words - both are good options, but they approach teaching science in a different way. So, it really depends upon which approach fits your unique homeschooling style better.
We believe that every science program needs to have three keys...
There are many different ways that you can put these three keys together to teach science at home. We shared more about how this works in the free conference session - The Three Keys to Teaching Science.
Here at Elemental Science, our different series plan out these three keys in different ways. Here's how this works...
The programs in the Classical Science series are full-year long programs, meaning they contain 36 weeks of plans for you to use. They cover a single broad discipline per year - biology, earth science and astronomy, chemistry, or physics.
Here are how the three keys work in these programs...
The programs in this series also include...
Our Classical Science programs range in age from kindergarten through eighth grade, but you can combine 1st- to 4th-grade students, 5th- to 8th-grade students in groups.
Here is the typical progression through this series...
You can pick up the Classical Science Series at any point, so find what would be best for your student and start there.
This series is best for...
If you want to see what it looks like to use the Classical Science series, check out our experience with the Classical Science series.
If you want to dig more into the philosophy behind this series and what it looks like, check out the following posts:
The main programs in the Sassafras Science series are semester-long programs, meaning they contain 18 weeks of plans for you to use. The novels cover a single area of science per year - zoology, anatomy, botany, earth science, geology, or astronomy, and eventually chemistry and physics. (Note - Summer's Lab is a 32-week long introduction to all of the above topics.)
Here are how the three keys work in these programs...
The programs in this series also include...
Our Sassafras Science programs range in age from kindergarten through sixth grade, but you can combine all your students into one group, adjusting the writing and reading expectations based on the age of the student.
Here is the typical progression through this series...
It is best to read the novels in this series in order for the sake of the storyline. However, we do have many people who pick up the story with one of the later volumes. We do review a bit from the previous book in the first chapter, so it is possible.
This series is best for...
If you want to see what it looks like to use the Sassafras Science series, check out our experience with the Sassafras Science series.
If you want to dig more into the philosophy behind this series and what it looks like, check out the following posts:
The Classical Science series and the Sassafras Science series cover similar broad topics, but the specifics are different.
In other words, you won't miss out on anything important by choosing one series over the other. But the specific topics and types of the methods you use to learn the basics will be different.
If you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to drop us an email using the envelope icon at the top left or bottom right of our website.
Stop what you are doing, drop what is in your hands, grab a book, and start reading! And don't forget to come celebrate DEAR Day with Sassafras Science.
The new year is the perfect time to hit reset on our homeschool science plans. Click "Read More" to see the three negative thoughts we want to encourage you to ditch!
