Friendly Chemistry
by Joey and Lisa Hajda
Friendly Chemistry
by Joey and Lisa Hajda
Reactions and Reviews from our Customers:
"Joey, I celebrate the fact that you have been able to weed out the unnecessary things and to organize what matters in a coherent way. My students learn to ENJOY (if not LOVE-some do!) the subject, and almost all of them, over the past 15-odd years, have come out of this class with confidence in their ability to understand science and to solve problems. I have purchased and reviewed other texts, and they all seem to me to be stuffed, incoherent, and extremely confusing to average students. You cannot just JUMP into all of these details and expect 99% of the class to keep up with you. Build, step by step, and they will be able to pursue finer points of interest on their own, or later, when they walk into a college class well-prepared to learn that material." Veteran co-op instructor
"My kids LOVE it! We do the labs and games once a week together. Then they do the reading, worksheets, and test all on their own." S. G. Home Schooling Mother
"We have loved Friendly Chemistry this year. I am so thankful that all four of my children taking the course together have enjoyed it. That is a major accomplishment in our house." Home Schooling Mom
"I am going through Friendly Chemistry with my 16-year-old son and 4 other boys, and it is perfect for them! I love how you break down each piece and build on it, without throwing too much info at us to digest at once. " Home Schooling Parent
"I am using Friendly Chemistry to teach a group of 20 students in 6th-11th grade. Even though there is a wide range of ages, we partner the younger with the older and they are ALL learning. We love it! It is not your "traditional" text that jumps from topic to topic. This curriculum builds from the first lesson. Each week, they use the skills learned from the previous week with the addition of a new concept. The text provides ample practice problems plus an answer key that shows step-by-step solutions. I have a Masters in Nursing and had two college chemistry classes but never truly understood it. I memorized enough to pass the exams. This was one reason why I wanted our 8th grade children to learn chemistry and the other is that with their previous science curriculum there was no exposure to chemistry. I received my text over the summer to help me prepare for the classes in the fall. Within no time, I totally understood what I had missed out on in my college classes. We all now know the WHY, not just the WHAT, when chemical reactions occur. Even though it has been 25 years since my college days, I want to go back and do it all over again!!
Another bonus is that our children are in Science Olympiad and they placed 1st in a chemistry related event. I have NO regrets for doing Friendly Chemistry and wish they offered an advanced course!" Parent and Co-op Leader
"We finished the Friendly Chemistry class a few weeks ago, and it was a raging success. Thank you again and again for such well thought out, wonderfully presented, user-friendly material. I am so grateful for your dedication to making science (and in particular, chemistry) fun for children. In fact, we had such a good time, that I will be teaching it again next year. Word has spread about what a great class it was." Co-op group leader, New Hampshire.
"I'm the mother of two adult homeschoolers, and have been a homeschool science resource teacher for 33 years. I discovered the Friendly Chemistry books and materials in 1996, and have been using them to teach chemistry ever since. The manuals are written in such clear language that it's easy for even young children--those in high elementary and middle school--to understand, yet it covers all the essentials in great detail. I use the program to introduce younger students to chemistry, and then use it in its entirety to teach a full year of high school chemistry to older students. I LOVE chemistry. It was my major in college, and it's such a delight to find teaching materials written by someone who obviously also loves the subject, and knows how to make it clear and fun. I'm a firm believer in teaching with games, and the games included in these materials do the trick. The Chemistry Kingdom play is genius! The middle school students are always eager to practice and produce the play, and it drives home information about the elements in a captivating way. I keep in touch with my students as they go off to college and beyond, and I have heard more than once that this program has taken all the fear and loathing out of college chemistry. As a matter of fact, one student was asked by her college professor...."How on earth do you know all this already?" Thank you, Joey and Lisa, for such a great program! S. Lehner
"I have taught Friendly Chemistry for nine years. The classes have been extremely popular, and students' feedback, even years later, has been very positive. The important thing about Friendly Chemistry is that it starts with the atom and builds concepts logically from there. Rather than memorizing the periodic table, students dive right into atomic theory and quantum mechanics to learn why atoms of different elements behave the way they do. The organization of the periodic table makes sense when you approach it this way! Very challenging, abstract concepts such as s,p,d, and f-shaped electron orbits are introduced with concrete manipulatives, which makes chemistry accessible to science-minded and not-science-minded students alike. Students enjoy the activities and labs, and in my experience, nobody gets left behind as the class moves along. My students meet in class for an hour and a half, once a week, so they have homework assignments and quizzes to complete at home. I've been impressed with the confidence of not-science-minded students at the end of the course. Other science teachers have endorsed my Friendly Chemistry class because they see a strong foundation in students who have taken Friendly Chemistry." SDW, Georgia
"Your curriculum has been a life-saver for us - my daughter is going to be an art major and is not particularly "science-minded"....she was very pleased with the course because it builds up knowledge step-by-step and was not overwhelming. She found the lessons very clearly explained. My homeschooling compliance organization had not heard of it before, until I showed it to them. They were pleased that it satisfied the requirements for a college-prep course. We looked at other curricula, which really seemed too "intense" for our purposes (and EXPENSIVE to boot!). I think that parents should be aware that there are other options out there for their students. I'm pleased to recommend it to others!" Amy T. Greenville, South Carolina.
"Friendly Chemistry is real-life chemistry for the rest of us." Read more...
"The hands-on experiments such as dissecting of a marshmallow, then burning it into ashes, then re-examination for purposes of showing the basic element carbon, are nothing short of genius." Homeschooling Teacher
"What I love about this chemistry program is that: 1. It is easy for me to teach and explain the concepts. Mr. Morford, my high school Chemistry teacher would be so proud. 2. Games are included throughout the course making the learning fun and not just boring bookwork. (I hate boring bookwork!) 3. The lesson plans are laid out so that all I have to do is gather basic supplies. A HUGE PLUS! 4. My kids have the opportunity to enjoy Chemistry. Whoo-hoo!" Homeschooling Family
"The curriculum is nothing fancy or frilly, but the way that this chemistry is taught is so unique! Anyone with a high schooler, or in junior high for that matter, that needs a chemistry course, really needs to check this out! I highly recommend it!!!" Friendly Chemistry Customer
"This book takes all the basics of chemistry and puts it in very simple terms. As simple as you can put chemistry! There are 32 lessons in all, but each one is short and sweet, maybe five to ten pages. Do one of these short lessons each week, along with the additional worksheets and activities, and you will have a very solid understanding of basic chemistry." Co-op Leader
"The Teacher's Edition is very detailed and explains exactly what you should do. I have been impressed with what I have experienced so far with this curriculum." Homeschooling Family
"Aimed straight at the heart of homeschool moms and dads everywhere, Friendly Chemistry includes student- tested manipulatives (love that hands-on learning!). Simple, twaddle-free explanations make chemistry concepts crystal clear, while just enough charts, graphs and exercises help you cement what you have learned." Mary Pride
"A terrific book-and-(multi)game set for beginning chemists. The book, explains the Friendly Chemistry introduction, 'was written to serve as a general chemistry guide to be used by any student, of any age, who is curious about chemistry.' " Rebecca Rupp, Home Education Magazine.
"The goal of the course is to lay a foundation so that students are prepared for a freshman college-level chemistry course. The hands-on, visual approach to learning that takes place with the games and activities will certainly make it easier for many students to grasp concepts, particularly valence structures." Cathy Duffy, Christian Home Educators' Curriculum Manual: Junior and Senior High.
"I love it! Hands-on and easy to use, with clear explanations in language you and your kids will easily understand. After perusing several dull chemistry books and a computer program that almost crashed my computer, I was genuinely relieved to find this course. Friendly Chemistry is designed to provide all that's needed for high school studies and college entrance, and you'll have fun learning it all. Included are brief biographies of important scientists and many games, some with multiple playing levels to challenge you as you learn." Jean Reed, The Home School Resource Book, 3rd edition.
"Friendly Chemistry is the most innovative approach to teaching chemistry that I have had the pleasure of coming across! It bridges the chasm between kitchen chemistry sets and boring high school texts. Best of all, it makes learning fun!" Kathleen Iuzzolino, Homeschool Connection, Inc.
"We have finished the entire Friendly Chemistry program and we wanted to let you know how fun and great it was! I have a background in chemistry, but I think it would have been easy to use even if I hadn't. Our 13 year old is very interested in chemistry and we also used a high school textbook to answer some of his more involved questions. However, we didn't find the high school text to be much more detailed than the Friendly Chemistry material! His retention has been excellent; after our Christmas break, he didn't seem to have any trouble diving right back in. The Friendly Chemistry material really helped us all to be able to visualize and REMEMBER the concepts presented. I think anyone who has used Friendly Chemistry will feel the same way--it is a real breakthrough in explaining some very difficult concepts in a very "friendly" way! I can't thank you enough for writing such a great "text." Thank you for a truly great program." Homeschooling Family, Colorado.
"If you decide to write another course book, let me know. This is great!. The students understand it easily. It is writen well and understandable and it reviews and reinforces everything very nicely. The experiments are good also. Very implicit and easy to follow instructions too." Private School Instructor
"We love our Friendly Chemistry. Thank you for this great kit. It truly does make chemistry "friendly." My boys, ages 14 and 12, are enjoying it, and better yet, they are understanding it!" Homeschooling mom, Alberta, Canada.
"First let me say I never knew science could be this simple to understand and teach. As I prepare to teach my 17 year old son with learning disabilities, I look up from the lesson and tell my husband - "I so understand this!" For someone who dreads teaching science - that is quite an accomplishment!" Homeschooling Mother
"This is the very first science curriculum I have thoroughly enjoyed cover-to-cover. The text explained the chemistry concepts in an easy-to-understand way; yet covered all the basic concepts of chemistry. The games were great! They cleverly reinforced the text concepts in a FUN way. I feel confident to begin advanced chemistry. Homeschooler in Minnesota
"The adjective, "Friendly" caught my eye as a parent educator. I was looking for a chemistry course for my son that would 'befriend' me as I, the teacher, explained the concepts to my son. I handed the box to my student so that he could familiarize himself with the scope of the course, and I never saw the box again!! Instead, I would hear day after day, "Mom! Come see what I have learned!"Homeschooling parent
"We have just finished the chapter about electron dot notation and are now learning about the 'families' of elements. My 9th and 11th grader never dread' Chemistry time. The Doo Wop board is an incredible creation. How easy! My junior is a very visual learner and she would have never understood the concepts (of energy levels, orbits, orientation) with a written explanation. With the Doo Wop board, it took about 2 minutes! Homeschooling mother of two
"Thanks so much for your prompt and helpful reply! We are enjoying your "hands-on" approach immensely. Homeschooling Parent
"Yes, she is all done now! We appreciate all the help you willingly gave us this past year.
My daughter said that Friendly Chemistry explained things more in-depth and more clearly than the curriculum we tried previously. Focusing on the concepts and less on the formulas was just what she needed. We are glad you wrote this curriculum and will recommend it to others." Parent of high schooler.
"We used this and it has been amazing. Even when I had questions and emailed, I got fast replies and great help. I love this chemistry and will use it with my kids coming along." Homeschooling mother.
"Joey, I celebrate the fact that you have been able to weed out the unnecessary things and to organize what matters in a coherent way. My students learn to ENJOY (if not LOVE-some do!) the subject, and almost all of them, over the past 15-odd years, have come out of this class with confidence in their ability to understand science and to solve problems. I have purchased and reviewed other texts, and they all seem to me to be stuffed, incoherent, and extremely confusing to average students. You cannot just JUMP into all of these details and expect 99% of the class to keep up with you. Build, step by step, and they will be able to pursue finer points of interest on their own, or later, when they walk into a college class well-prepared to learn that material." Veteran co-op instructor
"My kids LOVE it! We do the labs and games once a week together. Then they do the reading, worksheets, and test all on their own." S. G. Home Schooling Mother
"We have loved Friendly Chemistry this year. I am so thankful that all four of my children taking the course together have enjoyed it. That is a major accomplishment in our house." Home Schooling Mom
"I am going through Friendly Chemistry with my 16-year-old son and 4 other boys, and it is perfect for them! I love how you break down each piece and build on it, without throwing too much info at us to digest at once. " Home Schooling Parent
"I am using Friendly Chemistry to teach a group of 20 students in 6th-11th grade. Even though there is a wide range of ages, we partner the younger with the older and they are ALL learning. We love it! It is not your "traditional" text that jumps from topic to topic. This curriculum builds from the first lesson. Each week, they use the skills learned from the previous week with the addition of a new concept. The text provides ample practice problems plus an answer key that shows step-by-step solutions. I have a Masters in Nursing and had two college chemistry classes but never truly understood it. I memorized enough to pass the exams. This was one reason why I wanted our 8th grade children to learn chemistry and the other is that with their previous science curriculum there was no exposure to chemistry. I received my text over the summer to help me prepare for the classes in the fall. Within no time, I totally understood what I had missed out on in my college classes. We all now know the WHY, not just the WHAT, when chemical reactions occur. Even though it has been 25 years since my college days, I want to go back and do it all over again!!
Another bonus is that our children are in Science Olympiad and they placed 1st in a chemistry related event. I have NO regrets for doing Friendly Chemistry and wish they offered an advanced course!" Parent and Co-op Leader
"We finished the Friendly Chemistry class a few weeks ago, and it was a raging success. Thank you again and again for such well thought out, wonderfully presented, user-friendly material. I am so grateful for your dedication to making science (and in particular, chemistry) fun for children. In fact, we had such a good time, that I will be teaching it again next year. Word has spread about what a great class it was." Co-op group leader, New Hampshire.
"I'm the mother of two adult homeschoolers, and have been a homeschool science resource teacher for 33 years. I discovered the Friendly Chemistry books and materials in 1996, and have been using them to teach chemistry ever since. The manuals are written in such clear language that it's easy for even young children--those in high elementary and middle school--to understand, yet it covers all the essentials in great detail. I use the program to introduce younger students to chemistry, and then use it in its entirety to teach a full year of high school chemistry to older students. I LOVE chemistry. It was my major in college, and it's such a delight to find teaching materials written by someone who obviously also loves the subject, and knows how to make it clear and fun. I'm a firm believer in teaching with games, and the games included in these materials do the trick. The Chemistry Kingdom play is genius! The middle school students are always eager to practice and produce the play, and it drives home information about the elements in a captivating way. I keep in touch with my students as they go off to college and beyond, and I have heard more than once that this program has taken all the fear and loathing out of college chemistry. As a matter of fact, one student was asked by her college professor...."How on earth do you know all this already?" Thank you, Joey and Lisa, for such a great program! S. Lehner
"I have taught Friendly Chemistry for nine years. The classes have been extremely popular, and students' feedback, even years later, has been very positive. The important thing about Friendly Chemistry is that it starts with the atom and builds concepts logically from there. Rather than memorizing the periodic table, students dive right into atomic theory and quantum mechanics to learn why atoms of different elements behave the way they do. The organization of the periodic table makes sense when you approach it this way! Very challenging, abstract concepts such as s,p,d, and f-shaped electron orbits are introduced with concrete manipulatives, which makes chemistry accessible to science-minded and not-science-minded students alike. Students enjoy the activities and labs, and in my experience, nobody gets left behind as the class moves along. My students meet in class for an hour and a half, once a week, so they have homework assignments and quizzes to complete at home. I've been impressed with the confidence of not-science-minded students at the end of the course. Other science teachers have endorsed my Friendly Chemistry class because they see a strong foundation in students who have taken Friendly Chemistry." SDW, Georgia
"Your curriculum has been a life-saver for us - my daughter is going to be an art major and is not particularly "science-minded"....she was very pleased with the course because it builds up knowledge step-by-step and was not overwhelming. She found the lessons very clearly explained. My homeschooling compliance organization had not heard of it before, until I showed it to them. They were pleased that it satisfied the requirements for a college-prep course. We looked at other curricula, which really seemed too "intense" for our purposes (and EXPENSIVE to boot!). I think that parents should be aware that there are other options out there for their students. I'm pleased to recommend it to others!" Amy T. Greenville, South Carolina.
"Friendly Chemistry is real-life chemistry for the rest of us." Read more...
"The hands-on experiments such as dissecting of a marshmallow, then burning it into ashes, then re-examination for purposes of showing the basic element carbon, are nothing short of genius." Homeschooling Teacher
"What I love about this chemistry program is that: 1. It is easy for me to teach and explain the concepts. Mr. Morford, my high school Chemistry teacher would be so proud. 2. Games are included throughout the course making the learning fun and not just boring bookwork. (I hate boring bookwork!) 3. The lesson plans are laid out so that all I have to do is gather basic supplies. A HUGE PLUS! 4. My kids have the opportunity to enjoy Chemistry. Whoo-hoo!" Homeschooling Family
"The curriculum is nothing fancy or frilly, but the way that this chemistry is taught is so unique! Anyone with a high schooler, or in junior high for that matter, that needs a chemistry course, really needs to check this out! I highly recommend it!!!" Friendly Chemistry Customer
"This book takes all the basics of chemistry and puts it in very simple terms. As simple as you can put chemistry! There are 32 lessons in all, but each one is short and sweet, maybe five to ten pages. Do one of these short lessons each week, along with the additional worksheets and activities, and you will have a very solid understanding of basic chemistry." Co-op Leader
"The Teacher's Edition is very detailed and explains exactly what you should do. I have been impressed with what I have experienced so far with this curriculum." Homeschooling Family
"Aimed straight at the heart of homeschool moms and dads everywhere, Friendly Chemistry includes student- tested manipulatives (love that hands-on learning!). Simple, twaddle-free explanations make chemistry concepts crystal clear, while just enough charts, graphs and exercises help you cement what you have learned." Mary Pride
"A terrific book-and-(multi)game set for beginning chemists. The book, explains the Friendly Chemistry introduction, 'was written to serve as a general chemistry guide to be used by any student, of any age, who is curious about chemistry.' " Rebecca Rupp, Home Education Magazine.
"The goal of the course is to lay a foundation so that students are prepared for a freshman college-level chemistry course. The hands-on, visual approach to learning that takes place with the games and activities will certainly make it easier for many students to grasp concepts, particularly valence structures." Cathy Duffy, Christian Home Educators' Curriculum Manual: Junior and Senior High.
"I love it! Hands-on and easy to use, with clear explanations in language you and your kids will easily understand. After perusing several dull chemistry books and a computer program that almost crashed my computer, I was genuinely relieved to find this course. Friendly Chemistry is designed to provide all that's needed for high school studies and college entrance, and you'll have fun learning it all. Included are brief biographies of important scientists and many games, some with multiple playing levels to challenge you as you learn." Jean Reed, The Home School Resource Book, 3rd edition.
"Friendly Chemistry is the most innovative approach to teaching chemistry that I have had the pleasure of coming across! It bridges the chasm between kitchen chemistry sets and boring high school texts. Best of all, it makes learning fun!" Kathleen Iuzzolino, Homeschool Connection, Inc.
"We have finished the entire Friendly Chemistry program and we wanted to let you know how fun and great it was! I have a background in chemistry, but I think it would have been easy to use even if I hadn't. Our 13 year old is very interested in chemistry and we also used a high school textbook to answer some of his more involved questions. However, we didn't find the high school text to be much more detailed than the Friendly Chemistry material! His retention has been excellent; after our Christmas break, he didn't seem to have any trouble diving right back in. The Friendly Chemistry material really helped us all to be able to visualize and REMEMBER the concepts presented. I think anyone who has used Friendly Chemistry will feel the same way--it is a real breakthrough in explaining some very difficult concepts in a very "friendly" way! I can't thank you enough for writing such a great "text." Thank you for a truly great program." Homeschooling Family, Colorado.
"If you decide to write another course book, let me know. This is great!. The students understand it easily. It is writen well and understandable and it reviews and reinforces everything very nicely. The experiments are good also. Very implicit and easy to follow instructions too." Private School Instructor
"We love our Friendly Chemistry. Thank you for this great kit. It truly does make chemistry "friendly." My boys, ages 14 and 12, are enjoying it, and better yet, they are understanding it!" Homeschooling mom, Alberta, Canada.
"First let me say I never knew science could be this simple to understand and teach. As I prepare to teach my 17 year old son with learning disabilities, I look up from the lesson and tell my husband - "I so understand this!" For someone who dreads teaching science - that is quite an accomplishment!" Homeschooling Mother
"This is the very first science curriculum I have thoroughly enjoyed cover-to-cover. The text explained the chemistry concepts in an easy-to-understand way; yet covered all the basic concepts of chemistry. The games were great! They cleverly reinforced the text concepts in a FUN way. I feel confident to begin advanced chemistry. Homeschooler in Minnesota
"The adjective, "Friendly" caught my eye as a parent educator. I was looking for a chemistry course for my son that would 'befriend' me as I, the teacher, explained the concepts to my son. I handed the box to my student so that he could familiarize himself with the scope of the course, and I never saw the box again!! Instead, I would hear day after day, "Mom! Come see what I have learned!"Homeschooling parent
"We have just finished the chapter about electron dot notation and are now learning about the 'families' of elements. My 9th and 11th grader never dread' Chemistry time. The Doo Wop board is an incredible creation. How easy! My junior is a very visual learner and she would have never understood the concepts (of energy levels, orbits, orientation) with a written explanation. With the Doo Wop board, it took about 2 minutes! Homeschooling mother of two
"Thanks so much for your prompt and helpful reply! We are enjoying your "hands-on" approach immensely. Homeschooling Parent
"Yes, she is all done now! We appreciate all the help you willingly gave us this past year.
My daughter said that Friendly Chemistry explained things more in-depth and more clearly than the curriculum we tried previously. Focusing on the concepts and less on the formulas was just what she needed. We are glad you wrote this curriculum and will recommend it to others." Parent of high schooler.
"We used this and it has been amazing. Even when I had questions and emailed, I got fast replies and great help. I love this chemistry and will use it with my kids coming along." Homeschooling mother.
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