Science in the early elementary years can be tricky for Robinson Curriculum (RC) families, when states require it from the earliest possible grades. I was drawn to RC for it's pragmatic, classic, and independence-building approach to education. Now, how is a five, six, seven year old supposed to teach themself "science"? I have a tweak, as I usually do.
If I wasn't willing, able, or interested in purchasing a separate science curriculum and wanted to utilize what I already had with RC to it's fullest where would I start a young child with science? I would look to the Arthur Scott Bailey books provided in the core curriculum and bonus materials. There are a ton more out there, try Project Gutenberg, to choose from for free. These tales focus on animals and their environments. Use the stories as a jump off point for a nature study or animal mini unit.
How? I'll share what I did for The Tale of Jolly Robin. I took an hour or so to peruse the book and write out a list of terms, animals, habitats, anything ecosystem related and such that was mentioned. Then I used the powers of the interwebs to pull videos, webpages, definitions and the like to compile a Study Along: The Tale of Jolly Robin. This is my first one so I haven't perfected my ideal study but I'm looking forward to future projects to take another crack at it. This study has videos and pages linked throughout the document so you can bring them up for your student as they come to them in their pages.
Now I could have just done this daily when my son was reading his book and kept his notes in a notebook but I prefer to do my thinking up front and then enjoy the fruits of my labor. I find this to be easier for me personally. Also, I wanted to save my resources so I can do it again with my younger son without repeating all the looking up process. My son reads his chapter (they are quite brief) and then we consult the Study Along and do a page or a section. There is more story than study so this doesn't have to be done each day or the student could pick something related to the story they want to research and give it a go. Perhaps a library trip is in order and a stack of books on birds, seasons, robins, eggs, trees, woods, swamps, etc... lives in the schoolroom for personal study. I literally write "library books" on my lesson planner to allow for such time but that's me. I LOVE planning.
Speaking of planning, I plan on making more Study Alongs to go with subsequent stories we read, so I'll add them into my store for people that prefer to grab something pre-assembled. There are so many book options with this series that you could really tailor it to your child's interests if you do this on your own. It is a bit time consuming but you'll have something to work on as your kids do their math facts or whatever and set that good study example.
If your student doesn't start reading the RC list until first or second grade but your state requires science starting in kindergarten, like my state, there is a resource we loved, The Berenstain Bears' Big Book of Science and Nature. My middle son and I went through this last year and he absolutely loved it. He still looks through that book on his own and tells his little brother about things in it. Of course we're still working our way through the Julia Rothman Collection of books but taking breaks in that progression to do these Study Alongs will stretch out our science curriculum for next to no extra cost. Homeschool win! I will also continue to use this 5th Grade Science Option as my younger boys get older.
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