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Friendly Chemistry utilizes a game approach to learning chemistry. The set includes game boards and markers, flash cards, etc., plus a ring bound textbook. The text has wide margins on all sides, with plenty of space to take notes, so although the text has over 300 pages, it probably equates more closely to about a 150 page book. Topics covered include the basic structure of the atom, how the periodic table works, quantum mechanics, electron configuration and reactivity, ions, chemical reactions, and various formulas for working with chemical equations. Friendly Chemistry deals with the theory part of chemistry. You will also need to purchase a chemistry set with a lab manual, such as ChemLab (see our review), if you want a well-rounded chemistry course.
The title of the book tells it all--Friendly Chemistry. The text is very easy to understand. We used it at the high school level, but if you have bright children that enjoy science and math, they should have no trouble understanding the material from about the sixth grade level and upward. The games are ideal for multilevel teaching with several children, but in most cases can also be used by the lone student.
This was our first experience with learning through game-playing. I can’t say we enjoyed that part of the course, not because there is anything wrong with the materials, but because that just isn’t a way we like to pursue our learning. After the first few weeks of attempting the game boards, we simply ignored them and concentrated on the text. There are plenty of worksheets in the appendix that will accomplish the same goals. We finished the book in one semester, and then spent our second semester doing labs, using the Chemlab kit.
Overall, I liked Friendly Chemistry. Everything was so clearly explained, and an incremental approach (learning little bits at a time) was used. The book did not contain Christian content, but neither did it present evolution or other anti-biblical thought. (I used those wide margins to add my own comments from a Christian perspective for my student.) The only drawback is the high price tag, especially if you end up omitting the games, as we did.
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