I had another idea about science that might appeal, IronMom--Sara Stein's "The Science Book" (from the '70s, out of print, but lots of copies floating around) is something Groucho (also 6) and I are going to have a go at this year. It's arranged in three parts: Outsides (pests, pets, people), Insides (protistas, plants, animals), and Invisibles (touches, noises, sights, tastes & smells, charges, thoughts). I like the tone: she's curious, intelligent, and witty, and assumes her reader is as well. There are lots of black and white photos, and lots of experiments ("lung machines, bottle flutes, quiz boxes, pig grunters, light switches, balloon rockets, tooth casts, skeletons, draft detectors, optical illusions, dancing mothballs, leaf starch, electric wands, and candy sparks," says the back cover). There's likely more there than we'll want/be able to do in a year, but that's OK, too, I think--it's much more of a ramble through things that look interesting on any given day, than it is a sequential curriculum where each step builds on the previous one.
You could investigate the TOPS science modules, too (
www.topscience.org ). They are basically books of experiments; there's some explanation of things, but not in any amount of detail (well, at least in the ones that we have, I should say). I can't remember what science the WTM says for grade one--is it biology? So you might like the radishes one, or corn & beans, or the animal camouflage one.
Hope that helps!
peace
minnie
