I was talking to one of my friends recently about the difficulty in choosing a science curriculum for our homeschool kids. She felt like she nailed her Math Curriculum choice (Right Start Math, which we used and loved) on the first try and was hoping for the same experience with Science.
So, I thought I’d share our own journey with science and offer some recommendations and links depending on the scientific bent of your kids and your family’s values.
Charlotte Mason Style
We read a ton of books on natural sciences and tried to spend as much time in nature as we could. Some of our favorite books included:
- Burgess Bird Book
- Burgess Animal Book
- William Long’s Books
- Physics Lab in the Home/Supermarket
- Nature Study Notebooks
- Geography – Evan Moore Workbooks
But I do have a couple geeky, engineering-type kids who love to build and who have a more natural bent to engineering and the physical sciences. For those, I really enjoyed the various Unit Concepts from Moving Beyond the Page.
In addition, we purchased various Kits like, Circuits, Magnetics, etc. and always made sure to have plenty of things to build with – LEGO’s, Magnatiles, KEVA Planks, etc.
But other curriculum options and sites we have tried or heard great things about would include:
- Jay Wiles – A Christian based science program
- Elementary/Middle School Science by Bernard Nebel – covers STEM requirements in a sequential order for most branches – biology, physical science, astronomy, geology, and chemistry
- Apologia – Flying Creatures, Land Animals, Water Animals, Human Anatomy – There are online class options as well for upper levels in this science curriculum
And a few last resources to share:
- Make – A wealth of project ideas and resources for the science-bent, curious child
- Coursera.com – This site offers college level courses for free for most subjects.
- Science Museums – Most large cities have science museums with interesting hands-on activities and programs for kids of all ages
Animal sites:
Which are your favorite science curriculum and resources?
Freejourners 