Our family is always on the lookout for science curricula which teach from the perspective that a loving God is the source and creator of all that we see and all that we do not see. We were delighted to receive Dr. Jay L. Wile’s, Science in the Scientific Revolution, to use and review in our homeschool.  It is meticulously researched and written, with beautiful photographs and diagrams. It led us on a fascinating journey of discovery of the scientists and scholars of the Scientific Revolution (from 1543 through the late 1700s) whose aim was to know God by studying His creation and nature. This aim impacted the discoveries and understanding of the world at that time, and still impacts us, and science, today.

Science in the Scientific Revolution is part of a 4-book series by Dr. Wile which teaches children about science beginning at Creation, and continuing on through the Ancient World, the Scientific Revolution, and the Age of Reason. This particular set includes a beautifully illustrated hardcover book, Science in the Scientific Revolution, as well as a softcover teacher’s guide called Helps and Hints for Science in the Scientific Revolution. (Dr. Wile also has a website where parents can sign up for free to receive additional help with or answers to questions about the curricula, at http://www.askdrwile.com/.) This book contains 90 lessons and can be completed in one year, if the student completes a lesson every other day. (Or, the parent may extend the curriculum for a longer period of time, by teaching lessons twice weekly.) 

This course is designed for both lower and upper elementary students (although we used it quite successfully as a history/science study for my eighth grader). It is intelligently written, and works well whether the parent reads the lessons aloud or whether the student reads them on his own (this second option will be slightly easier for the upper elementary student). Each lesson contains an activity or an experiment (all of which are to be done by the parent and child together), as well as some questions and notebooking activities to be answered by the student in a composition notebook, journal or spiral (purchased separately). These questions are included for both younger and older students, and most experiments can be completed with household items you’ll already have. (Dr. Wile has included a list of all necessary supplies for the experiments, broken down by lessons, so that the parent can prepare these ahead of time.) Answers to the review questions, optional tests, and an answer key are also included in the Helps and Hints book

In our homeschool, we used this curriculum in several ways. We started out with me reading the lessons aloud as my son sat nearby and looked at the illustrations and diagrams. After we completed the reading for the lesson, he’d answer the review questions (for older students) on his own, in a composition notebook. The experiments are interspersed throughout the lessons, so we’d read for awhile and then stop to complete the experiments. We moved through several lessons in this manner.  Once we were used to the format of the book, I’d assign the reading for my son and he would read it on his own, and answer the review questions. Then, we’d complete any activities or experiments together. We did actually have all the supplies at home for all the experiments we performed.

The lesson layout in Science in the Scientific Revolution presents scientists and their discoveries in a chronological manner, beginning in 1543 and continuing through the end of the 1700s. It begins with the infinite and goes to the minute in the first few chapters, as students are introduced to Copernicus and his study and development of the theory of the heliocentric universe. Immediately following Copernicus, students meet Vesalius, who researched and dissected the human body and transformed the understanding of how human anatomy really worked, and differed from animal anatomy. From these early lessons, Dr. Wile progresses to the topics of fossils, zoology, the marine world, chemistry, mechanical engineering, astronomy, and more! Students learn how science was approached and discoveries were made during the Scientific Revolution. They’re also introduced to Christian men who made these discoveries—Galileo, Newton, Robert Boyle, Descartes, Pascal, and many others. By the end of the book, students will have learned about and experimented with the discoveries of over thirty Christian men of science---who studied science knowing that it all originated from the mind and hand of God.

For our family, Science in the Scientific Revolution was a joy and a real journey of discovery and learning. From many science curricula we’ve encountered throughout our homeschooling years, the authors’ supposition is that creation and science originated apart from God, in a random series of events. Men and women of science are generally presented apart from their own lives or beliefs, only in connection with the discoveries they made. However, it is really true that many scientists of the 1500s-1700s were fueled by the desire to know God and His creation. And they did so, while making astounding and incredible discoveries.

This has always been our own worldview, so to find a curriculum which presents scientific truth alongside the history of those who discovered these truths---who were themselves Christians—has been wonderful. Science in the Scientific Revolution is a gorgeous, full-colored book; it’s well-written and easy for homeschoolers (both students and parents) to use. We recommend it wholeheartedly, for an intelligent journey into science and history!

-Product review by Melanie Reynolds, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, May, 2016