The following post is in collaboration with SPORK. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Homeschool parents! If you've been looking for a curriculum that covers BOTH math and science, read on to learn more about SPORK. This K-2 program may be just what you're looking for!
As a homeschool mom, I'm always on the lookout for quality programs and resources that either save me time, or money, or both. So when I was given the opportunity to review SPORK Butterfly Math & Science K-2, a program that combines TWO subjects, I was quick to agree. Here's what I think about it...
Two Subjects in One
I am a HUGE fan of cross-curricular learning. In fact, I would bet that many homeschoolers are. It's one of the things that makes unit studies so popular. For me, it's because I love teaching my children how interconnected the world (and universe!) is. Seeing the relationship between objects and/or concepts is a powerful skill that I want my kids to develop and use as they grow up. Plus, I think it makes learning more fun!
What SPORK is Like
I wasn't sure what to expect from this program. But it turns out, I really do love it. Why? Because of several reasons:
First, the layout/dashboard is simple. There are 18 units with 8 to 12 lessons in each. Each lesson covers a new concept for math and one new concept for science. For example, lesson 15 covers tallying (math) and states of matter (science). I can go into the dashboard, pull up the lesson we're on and click on instructions. From there, it is a simple list layout with links to printables or digital resources for everything we cover.
The layout can be short or long. But each activity is clearly defined in its own highlighted box:
Second, the directions are minimal. This is an activity-based program and my son learns by doing. I don't have to lecture, but we have discussions and I might click a link to pull up a visual to explain a concept, such as states of matter:
The program recommends a schedule of five times a week for 85 minutes. This works out to be about 17 minutes a day. Given that some lessons are a little longer and others a little shorter, this is fair. I don't really pay any attention to the time frame because we just go at a stead pace and try to get one or two lessons done each day. But we probably do about 15 - 20 minutes a day. Days with "experiments" or hands-on activities can take a little longer, but we don't mind if it is something that really engages my son.
A Variety of Learning Activities
Third (and the thing that I love the most), the lessons are consistent - but diverse! This sounds like an oxymoron, but we start off with a review of the previous lesson and/or previously learned concepts, then move on to learning something new, and then we always end with the Learning Path.
So let me explain this a bit. We usually do one worksheet that just reviews the skills he has learned. The worksheets are not tedious. Seriously, there is like one question for each concept:
I cannot emphasize enough why I like these worksheets. They don't require my son to do the same type of problem or answer the same questions over and over again like a sheet of multiplication questions. As you can see from the picture above, the problems/directions are brief and require him to do something once (or at most three times as in the last question). These bite-sized problems prevent my son from hating the work because he answers one thing, then - BOOM! - he's answering/doing something different.
You might think this just wouldn't work, but repetition is built into this program so that he does this everyday. That daily repetition carries over with some older concepts replaced as new ones are learned. This repetition builds my son's confidence and his enjoyment of both science and math. It really is brilliantly done.
And the new concepts may require us to do a hands-on activity, study and discuss some visual aids, or something completely different, such as one fun activity for learning about tally marks that required my son to watch an animation of cows jumping over a moon and use tally marks to keep track of how many had jumped (I had the option to click on the image and make it full-screen)...
So my son isn't doing only lectures and then worksheets in every lesson. He knows that he will do at least one worksheet, but it's quick and "easy."
The Learning Path
And at the end of each lesson, my son does his Learning Path. This is an online, game-like series of tasks that my son does. The Learning Path looks like this:
And it can be done with a touchscreen or a mouse/touchpad. Each number takes him to an activity that covers the concepts he has been learning. I know that he's developing those math and science skills, and he thinks he's getting "tech time" and playing games.
If you'd like to try before you buy, you can definitely
request a demo from the company. I ALWAYS tell parents who are shopping around for a curriculum to download the samples or request a demo before they buy to see if it is a good fit for their family. Doesn't matter what the subject is, it only makes sense to try it first.
What's Included in the Curriculum
When you purchase this program (only $39!!), you'll get access to the online learning portal. You will have a dashboard, and your child will have a separate one so that they can access the Learning Path.
I also received the manipulatives kit that provides all the items we need to do the activities. It has a LOT packed into the kit for the price ($45). I think ours had around 20 items and it included everything from a geoboard and rubber bands to base ten blocks to tangrams and a lot more. But if you have all the basic math manipulatives, you might not need to purchase this. It's definitely way cheaper than purchasing each of these manipulatives independently, though.
And lastly, I received three books:
- The Teacher Resources Book ($35) that contains the non-worksheet printed resources that you may need while teaching, as well as the tests for the end of each unit (don't worry - they're simple!).
- The Butterfly Math & Science B ($45) - Student Workbook: Part 1 which contains all of the printable worksheets and activity sheets for units 1 - 9.
- The Butterfly Math & Science B ($45) - Student Workbook: Part 2 which contains all of the printable worksheets and activity sheets for for units 10 - 18.
These books are great if you don't have a printer or want to save on ink. But all of these materials are available for download through the learning portal, so I haven't even used them. For visual aids, I just show my son the screen and we discuss the topic. And if I need a worksheet or resource printed out, I just click the link, open the PDF, and print it. I feel like I save a lot of paper (and trees!) this way. But I also have an Epson EcoTank, so printing doesn't cost me a fortune in ink. If you have just a regular inkjet printer (or don't have a printer), then purchasing these books may be way more cost effective.
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