Real Science for Kids

We received our bundle package in the mail a couple of days ago. As I was when I saw it at the convention, I am truly happy with our choice in science curriculum. It is laid out in a way that will help us lead right into the Apologia Science that I want to teach Luk as he gets older. There were a few reasons why we didn't get Apologia. 1) It would have been way over his head. 2) Even though it is structured to start K-6, I think that between 2nd-3rd grade would be a great time to start it. The textbooks are intense with a lot of information, and it will enforce this curriculum to a grander scale.
So, with Apologia in our future, we went with Real Science for Kids. It does not include the Biblical aspects that Apologia offers, however the textbooks are kid friendly, and are filled with information that is worded for a younger child's mentality. I also feel that I am very capable of including the wonder of God's hand in these subjects.

If you look on the Real Science for Kids website, you will see that Dr. Keller recommends that you begin with the Chemistry, however I do not agree with that philosophy. I tried finding a "why" to start there, but she does not say on the site. Well, I will tell you why I believe to start with Biology.
The following list is from World Book Curriculum for Kindergarten, which is my general basis for what to teach when to Luk. He has already by passed what they think he should for Preschool, so we are moving forward to Kindergarten. Here is the Science portion:

Science

-Observation of everyday, familiar things

-Common animals and plants
-Interrelationships of animals and plants
-Classification of living things
-Farm animals
-Care of pets
-Like and unlike plants
-Indoor plants
-The sun: our principal source of energy
-Weather and seasons
-Temperature
-Light
-Colors
-Senses
-Earth, moon, stars, planets
-Simple measurement
-Beginning experimentation

* Bold: Luk already knows it.

*Bold/Italics: We are learning these things currently through everyday activity.
*Italics: It has been mentioned, and he recognizes it but doesn't understand it.
* Regular: It will be taught in the coming school year along with the rest of the list.

Biology first because it teaches these core things. The Chemistry, in my opinion, should not be taught until the student has full understanding of living things and creation. I think that without this knowledge, there would be no foundation to where these microscopic atoms are. You learn living things, then you begin to understand that a living thing is so complex is has cells chemical balances ---> atoms ---> chemical balances. In the Biology book, it even has a small little introduction to cells.

The Pre-Level 1 Biology teaches:
Chapter 1: Life (studying life, sorting living things, kingdoms, sorting within kingdoms, naming)
Chapter 2: Cells: A Tiny City (creatures, the cell, a tiny city, parts of a cell)
Chapter 3: Food for Plants (factories, how plants make food, food factories, different leaves)
Chapter 4: Plant Parts (below the soil: the roots, above the soil: leaves, stems, flowers, other places plants live)
Chapter 5: Growing a Plant (the beginning:seeds, the middle: baby plants, the finish: flowers and fruit, starting again: the life cycle)
Chapter 6: Protozoa (tiny creatures, how can we see them, different kinds of tiny creatures)
Chapter 7: Protozoa Eat (euglena eat, paramecium eat, ameobas eat, other protozoa eat)
Chapter 8: Butterflies (beautiful butterflies, the beginning: eggs, the middle: caterpillar, the change: cocoons, the end: adult butterflies)
Chapter 9: Frogs (life on land an in water, the beginning: eggs, the middle: tadpoles, the change: tadpoles to frogs, the end: adult frogs)
Chapter 10: Our Balanced Earth (in the balance, keeping the balance, cycles)

So, here is to further why Biology first, I color coded what would be taught in this book in comparison to the Kindergarten curricula. Those not colored are taught by other means.
Farm Animals: He knows them, reinforced through field trips to petting zoo (Hunsader Farm)
Care of Pets: He currently cares for two dogs and a hermit crab.
Indoor Plants: He will be growing herbs with me to see how it spices the food we eat.
Temperature: Daily Weather Chart, Hermit Crab must be in a certain temperature.
Light: Daily living
Colors: He knows them. Primary and Secondary
Senses: I have a unit study for this.
Earth, moon, stars, planets: He will learn this in his Eagle Wings and Bible curriculum.
Simple measurement: Right Start math curriculum is teaching this; I am also going to have him measure the growth of his plants.
Beginning experimentation: There is a laboratory manual that has an experiment every week that goes with his lessons.

I still would like to figure out why Dr. Keller thinks Chemistry first, however I'm sticking with Biology unless she has an awesome reasoning behind her logic.