Hybrid Homeschooling for Elementary Students
Successful hybrid homeschooling families work closely with their elementary students each day, practicing and reinforcing foundational skills and concepts and fostering a love of learning and discovery that will last a lifetime. Living Science Academy elementary classes provide one or two days a week of classroom experience in a nurturing environment as well as a week’s worth of grade-appropriate work.
For grades 2-5, we offer all subjects required by the State of Georgia, Click a grade area below to skip directly to that section, or continue scrolling to see all that Living Science Academy has to offer for homeschooling elementary students!
K-1 Science Clubs
In kindergarten and first-grade Science Clubs, every meeting is an integrated, hands-on science experience. Classes meet for 5.5 hours on Mondays with an optional 5.5-hour day on Fridays. Grades K-1 have separate classes for instruction and enjoy large group and recess/lunch time together. We use a two-year rotation, so students who begin with us in kindergarten will not repeat the same material.
Mondays begin with hands-on activities, devotions, and calendar activities. Students then rotate through ELA topics such as phonics, handwriting, and vocabulary, as well as math topics using centers. Afternoons are filled with science discovery beginning with a great piece of children's literature, and bringing in math, engineering, technology, and more. Friday Adventure time supplements and supports Monday's lessons with more hands-on activities. Throughout the year, students participate in show-and-tell, music and movement, art projects, and lots of seasonal/holiday fun!
Field Trips and Events
Science club members take a family-friendly science-themed field trip each school year. Additional special events include Christmas Craft Day, Living Science Christmas Open House Performance, Valentine/Celebrate God's Love Party, Christ Is Risen Celebration, and an end of the year program.
A typical day in Monday Science Club:
K - ELA, 1st - Math and Vocab Centers
Morning Break
K - Math and Vocab Centers, 1st ELA
Lunch and Recess
K - Discovery Time, 1st - Science
Afternoon Break
K - Science, 1st Discovery Time
K - ELA, 1st - Math and Vocab Centers
Morning Break
K - Math and Vocab Centers, 1st ELA
Lunch and Recess
K - Discovery Time, 1st - Science
Afternoon Break
K - Science, 1st - Discovery Time
End of Day
K-1 Science Clubs are engaging and fun. We have a very busy class time and we all go home exhausted!
Elementary Grades 2-3
Science
Our 2nd and 3rd grade hands-on science classes meet for an hour and a half on Wednesdays. Students use interactive lapbooks (2nd) and notebooks (3rd) to support each science unit, a great way to practice their vocabulary and absorb new information, including scripture. We do a hands-on experiment in class almost every week. For homework, students study their lapbooks/notebooks and write a grade-appropriate science summary to review their accomplishments from class.
Mathematics
The 2nd and 3rd grade math class includes introductions to new skills, hands-on/manipulative practice, lots of math facts practice, math games, skills reinforcement, and skills assessment. Students complete activities through small group rotations each week. Homework includes lessons from our math text and activities that relate to our skills studies.
Math classes meet once a week on Wednesdays, and our optional (but highly recommended) Friday STEAM Adventure classes provide the opportunity for students to ask questions about their homework and participate in group activities to reinforce concepts.
Technology & Engineering
In 2nd and 3rd grade technology and engineering, we work on logic and problem-solving skills. We also learn the Engineering Design Process (EDP)—ask, imagine, plan, create, improve—and apply it to "builds" in teams. Teamwork is not always easy, but it is an important skill to learn!
English Language Arts (ELA)
The 2nd and 3rd grade language arts curriculum is comprehensive, including cursive writing, spelling, sight words, phonics, journaling, grammar, different types of writing (narrative, persuasive, descriptive, expository/ informative, and poetry), assigned reading, and free choice reading. Students who participate in our optional STEAM Adventure program also cover language arts during the Friday classes.
STEAM Plus ELA Adventures
Our Friday STEAM Adventure classes cover music, Bible, art, drama,and geography plus math and English reinforcement activities. The classes incorporate Bible lessons so that over four years, students complete an overview of the entire Bible. Participating in these classes gives students two full school days of hands-on learning and adds the fine arts to our already strong STEM program.
Field Trip and Special Events Days
In 2nd and 3rd grade, we go on one all-day field trip, usually in the fall. Our field trip is related to one of our science units for that school year. We also have several "special events" days such as Christmas Around the World, Celebrate God's Love Day, and Field Day. Our Mini-Expedition in the spring is an all-day fun-filled event including art, math, science, engineering, games, music, and worship.
Elementary Grades 4-5
Science
In 4th and 5th grade hands-on science, we meet for 90 minutes each Wednesday to cover a two-year rotation of topics. We explore earth science by studying the earth’s layers, rocks, and minerals. We learn about life science by digging into ecosystems and the plants and animals God created to live in them. We delve into chemistry by introducing students to the make-up of matter, mixtures, and solutions. We investigate heat, energy, electricity, and magnetism! We discover that we are fearfully and wonderfully made by learning about our bodies and the systems that keep us going!
Mathematics
Our elementary math classes are designed to help parents teach math to their students at an appropriate level. We introduce and go over concepts during class time. Assigned weekly work enables parents to review and practice concepts with their students at home.
In both 4th and 5th grade math, Living Science Academy teaches traditional methods with a focus on place value, giving the students a solid foundation in number sense. We are equally concerned about the process by which math equations are solved and the accuracy of the solutions. To facilitate students’ progress, we highly encourage parents to help their children practice math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) until they are firmly memorized.
Math classes meet once a week on Wednesdays, and our optional (and highly recommended) Friday STEAM Adventure classes also cover related math topics.
Technology & Engineering
While science allows us to gain an understanding of the physical world around us, engineering enables this understanding to come to life through problem solving, designing, and building things. Technology & Engineering classes supplement science topics or introduce technology and math application concepts that augment the design process. The two classes work together to strengthen understanding of STEM ideas and encourage critical thinking skills. These skills—observation, analysis, inference, communication, and problem solving—are heavily emphasized every week.
In keeping with the Living Science tradition, this class is very hands-on. Homework is light, though students frequently want to try the builds at home where they can test and be in control of all the variables.
English Language Arts (ELA)
STEAM Plus ELA Adventures
Our Friday STEAM Adventure classes cover music, drama, Bible, art, and geography plus math and English reinforcement activities. The classes incorporate Bible lessons so that over four years, students complete an overview of the entire Bible. Participating in these classes gives students two full school days of hands-on learning and adds the fine arts to our already strong STEM program.
Field Trip & Special Events
In 4th and 5th grade, we go on one all-day field trip, usually in the fall. Our field trip is related to one of our science units for that school year. We also have several "special events" days such as Christmas Around the World, Celebrate God's Love Day, and Field Day. Our Mini-Expedition in the spring is an all-day fun-filled event including art, math, science, engineering, games, music, and worship.