Real Science 4 Kids Review: Book 6

As part of the Timberdoodle Blog Team, I have received complimentary access to this product. I have not been compensated for my time reviewing the product and producing this review. I have not been influenced in any way and my opinions on this product are my own.

On the hunt for a 6th grade science curriculum for your homeschooler? The award-winning Real Science 4 Kids curriculum is definitely worth your consideration! Today, I’m sharing the details of the newly updated Book 6 of the Real Science 4 Kids curriculum – let’s get to it!

An Overview of Real Science 4 Kids: 6th Grade

The 6th grade Real Science 4 Kids nonreligious, full-year curriculum is available from Timberdoodle in 2 different sets:

• as a standalone curriculum
• as part of a complete 6th grade curriculum within Timberdoodle’s 6th grade curriculum kit

For this particular curriculum review, I’ve received the hardback textbook and digital access to the PDF student & teachers pages, so, by the time you finish this article, you should have a pretty well-rounded look at this curriculum. Perfect!

Real Science 4 Kids Textbook

The Real Science 4 Kids textbook totally reminds me of my childhood as a public school student! Do you remember covering your textbook with a paper bag cover, so you wouldn’t damage the binding, too? I swear, that’s the first thing I thought of when I took the textbook out of the cardboard delivery box!

That being said, the Real Science 4 Kids: Book 6 textbook comes ready for immediate, screen-free use, complete with a super sturdy hardback cover. Within the textbook, you’ll find heavy weight matte paper pages containing the Table of Contents, 22 Chapters of educational content, and a Glossary/Index.

Each chapter is filled with multiple full-color images and opportunities encouraging hands-on exploration, all presented in a way that makes learning science approachable. For example, there are plenty of charts & infographics, but they’re often presented alongside a detailed photograph, or a fun comic-strip – making learning new concepts & information feel natural & not overwhelming.

Instead of focusing on one scientific area for a full year, this 6th grade science curriculum covers the following topics:

• Technology in Science
• Chemistry
  • Technology in Chemistry
  • Acids, Bases, and pH
  • Acid-Base Neutralization
  • Nutritional Chemisty
• Biology
  • Technology in Biology
  • The Microscope
  • What are Protists?
  • Fungi: Molds, Yeasts, and Mushrooms
• Physics
  • Technology in Physics
  • What Is Motion?
  • Linear Motion
  • Nonlinear (Curved) Motion

• Geology
  • Technology in Geology
  • Earth’s Spheres
  • The Geosphere
  • The Atmosphere
• Astronomy
  • Technology in Astronomy
  • Time, Clocks, and the Stars
  • Our Solar System
  • Other Solar Systems
• Working Together

While there’s nothing quite like looking through the textbook with your own two hands, a sample of the Real Science 4 Kids textbook can be previewed at your own convenience.

Real Science 4 Kids Lesson Plan PDFs

While the Real Science 4 Kids textbook can certainly be considered a full curriculum on it’s own, the PDF lesson plans can certainly come in handy & help in providing an even more robust & memorable educational experience. Within the Lesson Plan PDF, you’ll find:

• 22 Weekly Sheets
  • Providing weekly objectives, educational standards from the National Science Educational Standards (1996) and the Framework for K-12 Science Education (2012) National Academies Press, an activity, and connections to History, Philosophy, Art/Music/Math, Technology, and Language (especially helpful if you need to report to the state and/or keep alignment with state standards!)
• 1 Self-Review Sheet
  • Print per week, this sheet gives students space to share what they’ve learned throughout the chapter
• 1 Self-Test Sheet
  • Print per week, this sheet serves as an open-ended testing opportunity

While not necessarily part of the Lesson Plan PDF set, the purchase of this curriculum set also includes printable PDFs for testing:

• Midterm #1: Covers chapters 1-11 in 30 questions
• Midterm #2: Covers chapters 12-22 in 30 questions
• Final Quiz: Covers chapters 1-22 in 40 questions

Real Science 4 Kids Student Study Notebook

The 6th grade Real Science 4 Kids Study Notebook has ALL the fun stuff like:

• pages to cut out and turn into an informational science flipbook
• directions for, and reasonings behind, science experiments
• directions for hands-on activities like nature studies, creating science-themed songs (so cool!), recipe cards, and more

My Thoughts on Real Science 4 Kids Book 6

I’m so glad I got to check out this science curriculum! My kids (and I) especially love learning all things science – we visit science museums every chance we get (even when we’re traveling!) and love experimenting with new-to-us recipes & ways to help our backyard vegetable garden to thrive. Now that we’re in the process of moving to Florida, we’ve really enjoyed learning about & viewing rocket & shuttle launches from Cape Canaveral.

Science, it seems, is a subject we could start exploring & would never run out of things to learn about!

That being said, my kids are especially big on technology (as many tweens & teens are these days), so the majority of their homeschool science work has been completed through online learning. Getting to try out this hard copy of a science curriculum was refreshing & a nice break from all the screens.

So, what did I love about this science curriculum? Would I make any changes? Let’s chat!

What I Loved!

When it comes to the 6th grade version of the Real Science 4 Kids curriculum, I love:

• The Variety: Think your 6th grader is going to be “stuck” learning about one science theme all year? No siree! I love that this curriculum touches on a variety of science themes throughout the year, allowing activities & information to remain fresh & interesting all year long.
• The Delivery: I am more than happy to have my 6th grader spend some time away from the computer screen! I love that this curriculum is hands-on, no screens required!
• The Pages: Ok, don’t laugh – this going to seem weird, but I really do love that the pages of the textbook are matte and not shiny. I don’t know if I’ve been scared from the boring (shiny paged) textbooks of my public school education, but there’s just something comforting and welcoming about learning science from the matte pages of this science curriculum. It feels more like reading from a chapter book than a text book, you know?
• The Organization: Even though the Lesson Plan pages are optional, I LOVE me some organization…especially when it’s already done for me. I love that kids are able to look at the weekly lesson plan & see what the game plan is for the week. I also love that the lesson plan styles & schedules are pretty consistent from one week to another, allowing for no (possibly overwhelming) elements of surprise. The only elements we want to include in these lessons are from the Periodic Table of Elements! (yes, I do crack myself up, thank you for asking)
• The Content: I love that the Real Science 4 Kids 6th grade curriculum is approachable & actually encourages kids to learn (and want to learn more!). The full-color illustrations & photographs accompany the text/content very well and make learning fun.
• The Value: Whether this curriculum is purchased by itself or as part of Timberdoodle’s 6th grade curriculum package, it really does provide a great value for the money!

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What I Would Change

Honestly, the only thing I would change about this curriculum is something personal & something you may not even have an issue with!

Right now, we are in the middle of a pretty big move from one state to another. We’re kind of in limbo and are homeschooling with a pretty bare bones set of homeschool supplies. Presently, I do not have my beloved printer and that’s put a bit of a damper on our homeschooling fun. Don’t worry, I’m actually going to get my printer back this weekend (yay!).

For that reason, and that reason alone, I wish I had access to a hard-copy of the Lesson Plans and the Student Study Notebook. We’ve been using the digital versions the best we can, but it’s just not the same as having the actual printouts.

*Completing this curriculum is totally doable without a printer! This is just me mentioning a personal preference.

Once I do get my printer back, though, I don’t foresee any troubles with continuing the Real Science 4 Kids curriculum with my 6th grader!

Happy Homeschooling!

So, what are your thoughts on the 6th grade Real Science 4 Kids curriculum at this point? Do you think you’ll give it a try with your own child? Do you have any questions I haven’t answered? Let me know in the comments so I can help the best I can!

I’m really impressed by the quality of this science curriculum & would love to know your plans for including it in your homeschool days.

Until next time, stay safe & enjoy quality time with your family,