Are you looking for the best choice for teaching science to your children this year? We offer a wide variety of courses - including ones written specifically for homeschools - and want to help you find the one that best fits your family's needs. Please click on the links in the Table of Contents to find out more about specific curriculum.

• Curriculum:

• Unit Studies:

• Secular Curriculum:

Quick Curriculum Comparison Chart

There are some science curriculums which Home Science Tools supports by providing special order forms and science kits for completing the labs or hands-on activities. All of these are written from a Christian perspective and are appropriate for homeschools (for other options, see Secular Curriculum). We recommend asking the following questions when evaluating a science curriculum. The answers you find will help you decide on a curriculum that is appropriate for your abilities and your student's needs.

1. Scope and sequence: How systematic is this curriculum? Are key concepts built upon at each grade level? Are all topics covered adequately?
2. Hands-on activities: Are there hands-on labs, so that your child gets to see and experience science principles at work?
3. Cost of labs: Do the labs use mostly household materials, or are special or expensive lab materials required?
4. Parent/Teacher involvement: Are the students able to work fairly independently with the curriculum, or is a high amount of parental involvement and preparation necessary?

• Excellent scope and sequence
• Extensive labs
• Lab cost is high for high school level; balance and microscope necessary for several grades
• High parental involvement/preparation time
• We highly recommend this curriculum for grades 1-6, to provide an excellent preparation for upper-level science. We recommend the high school level courses for parents who have a strong science background and want a very vigorous course with extensive labs.
• We sell curriculum and science kits.

This is a very comprehensive, systematic, quality curriculum with an excellent scope and sequence. Materials are developed with increasing depth at each grade. All major science topics are introduced in grades 1-6 and then developed in detail in grades 7-12. Each course includes a variety of hands-on, science skill-building labs. Materials for grades 1-6 include student text, teacher edition, teacher packet, student notebook, tests, and answer key. Materials for grades 7-12 include student text, teacher text, student lab book, teacher lab book, tests, and answer keys. We highly recommend Bob Jones for grades 1-6 in order to lay a solid foundation for the higher grades. It is also appropriate in grades 7-12 for parents with a strong science background or if you have children who excel at science and are interested in pursuing a scientific area of study in college.

Weaknesses are high amount of teacher preparation time, excessive content in the upper level courses, and high lab costs. This curriculum was designed for teaching in school classrooms, making the lessons and labs more challenging to do in a homeschool setting.

• Excellent scope and sequence
• Good labs
• Lab costs are low; microscope necessary for the Biology, Marine Biology, and Human Body courses
• Low parental involvement/preparation time
• We highly recommend this curriculum for grades 7-12. The easy-to-understand style of instruction and the low lab costs makes doing upper level science possible. The elementary courses are written for grades 2-6 and are a good choice for a year each of elementary level science.
• We sell curriculum and science kits

We highly recommend all of the Apologia courses. Aimed at providing a good science education for homeschooled students from elementary age through high school, this curriculum is the best choice for most families. Dr. Jay Wile, the primary author of this curriculum, writes in a clear, conversational manner that makes science concepts much easier to understand than most other science courses do. The high school courses are designed to prepare a student for college-level classes. Students should be able to work independently for the most part, usually with only minor parental preparation time. To complete a course in 32 weeks, plan on 3-4 hours of study per week.

Labs use primarily household items or other inexpensive items, although a microscope is needed for Exploring Creation with Biology, The Human Body, and Marine Biology.

Although Apologia courses are easily adaptable to other grade levels, the planned scope and sequence is as follows: Astronomy, Botany, Zoology 1 or Zoology 2 in any four of grades 2-6; General Science for grade 7, Physical Science for grade 8, Biology for Grade 9, Chemistry for grade 10, Physics for grade 11, and any of the Advanced courses for grade 12 (Advanced courses include Marine Biology and three "advanced placement" (AP) courses: The Human Body: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, Advanced Chemistry in Creation, and Advanced Physics in Creation.)

In addition to the textbook and a tests & solutions manual for each course, a full-course CD-ROM and a companion CD are available for several grades. An audio CD is also available for some courses, which is a great option for auditory learners or for getting your science lesson on the go.

Dr. Wile provides support by e-mail, telephone, regular mail, or www.highschoolscience.com.

• Good scope and sequence
• Good labs
• High lab costs for high school level; balance and microscope needed for several grades.
• Low parental involvement/preparation time
• We recommend for grades 1-6, for families who prefer a self-paced, workbook-based course with low parental involvement. Use for grades 7-12 if you like this format and would like to continue it through high school.
• We sell curriculum and science kits

The Alpha Omega LifePac Gold is a complete, affordable, time-saving, easy-to-use curriculum. Subject matter for each curriculum is divided into ten LifePac workbooks for self-paced learning. These workbooks include text, workbook activities, lab activities, review questions, and written tests. A two-volume Teacher's Guide is included, containing management material, teacher notes, alternate tests, and all answer keys. This curriculum is a good choice if your child enjoys self-paced study or if your teaching time is limited.

Alpha Omega Switched-on Schoolhouse Curriculum (Grades 3-12)

• Good scope and sequence
• CD-ROM
• Good labs
• Moderate lab costs; balance and microscope needed for several grades.
• Moderate parental involvement/preparation time
• We recommend for grades 3-6, for families who prefer a self-paced course that is done on the computer and requires low parental involvement. Use for grades 7-12 if you like this format and would like to continue it through high school.
• We sell curriculum and science kits

Switched-on Schoolhouse is a CD-ROM curriculum that provides an interactive, multimedia learning environment and is based on Alpha Omega's LifePac Gold curriculum. Switched-on Schoolhouse saves time by taking care of your grading, score computation, record keeping, and lesson planning, so you can spend more one-on-one time with your children. You'll also have the benefit of full multimedia movie and audio clips, slide shows, internet links, and 3D interactive projects. Available for grades 3-12 only.

Real Science 4 Kids Curriculum (Grades 4-6)

• Good scope and sequence
• Good labs
• Moderate lab costs
• Moderate parental involvement/preparation time
• We recommend for families who don't want to do science every year in the elementary grades but want a solid foundation for junior high and high school science.
• We sell curriculum.

Real Science 4 Kids Level 1 (for grades 4-6) focuses on fundamental concepts and key terms, making it a great choice for families who want just one science course in elementary school. This series covers chemistry, biology, and physics, giving your children a familiarity with the concepts they'll build on later. Each topic is covered in an individual book; the three together provide a full year of science doing one chapter per week. The 30 hands-on experiments are designed around the scientific method and emphasize investigation.

Real Science 4 Kids chemistry courses are also available for Pre-Level 1 (grades K-3) and Level 2 (grades 7-9). The labs in Level 2 are designed to use the scientific method and develop scientific thinking.

Castle Heights Curriculum (for high school lab work only)

• Good scope and sequence
• Excellent labs
• High lab costs for chemistry & physics; a microscope is necessary for the biology course.
• High parental involvement/preparation time
• We recommend this curriculum for grades 8-12, for families who are using a Bob Jones or A Beka textbook but want homeschool-friendly labs. Castle Heights also offers an elementary-level course appropriate for grades 5-7.
• We sell curriculum and science kits

Use these lab courses with a Bob Jones, A Beka, or other textbook. You'll need to change the order of the activities in the Castle Heights lab manuals to match the text you are using. Order each lab manual with a student notebook which contains blank lab report sheets.

• Excellent scope and sequence
• Extensive labs for high school, but limited activities for elementary level
• High lab cost for high school level; balance and microscope necessary for several grades
• High parental involvement/preparation time
• We recommend this curriculum for the elementary level, for families who prefer just reading a textbook without hands-on activities. We recommend the high school level courses for parents who have a strong science background and want a very vigorous course with extensive labs
• We sell science kits, but not curriculum (order from A Beka at (800) 874-2352)

A Beka is similar to Bob Jones in that it is comprehensive and is excellent quality, and follows a similar scope and sequence. For grades 1-6, the required work is mostly reading and discussion with significantly fewer hands-on activities. Grades 7-12 are just as rigorous as Bob Jones. We don't sell A Beka curriculum, but both the curriculum price and the lab costs are similar to Bob Jones. This curriculum was designed for teaching in school classrooms, making the lessons and labs more challenging to do in a homeschool setting.

God's Design Curriculum (Grades 1-6 and 3-8)

• Good scope and sequence
• Hands-on activities
• Low preparation time
• We recommend this curriculum to families who enjoy an easy-to-read textbook format with lots of discussion questions and activities.
• Best for grades 4-6, but can easily be adapted for younger kids as well. The Physical World series has extra material for middle school students.
• We sell curriculum

This curriculum is written for homeschooled kids at an elementary age level, providing them with a good foundational overview of science concepts. Courses cover life science, earth science, and chemistry for grades 1-6 and physical science for grades 3-8. Each lesson includes "What Did We Learn?" review questions and a "Taking It Further" idea, and each section includes a quiz. The physical science courses also include challenge sections with extra reading and activities for middle school students. "Special Features" that highlight past scientists and "Fun Facts" are included throughout each book.

• Each course is topical, rather than a systematic curriculum that builds on previous courses
• Music CD, text, and workbook
• No labs
• Low parental involvement/preparation time
• We recommend this curriculum for families who want to work on learning and memorizing key concepts through a workbook and singing format.
• Grades 5-8 for Lyrical Life Science; 6-9 for Lyrical Earth Science

This unique life and earth science curriculum by Dorry and Doug Eldon enhances learning by putting key information to familiar tunes. The Lyrical Life Science and Lyrical Earth Science courses offer a good introduction prior to high school. They can be used as a stand-alone topical curriculum during the elementary grades, and as a supplement for grades 8-9. Each course comes with a music CD (featuring Bobby Horton), a 90-page textbook that includes the words and music to the songs, and a 40-page workbook. The workbook has short-answer and fill-in-the-blank application questions and an answer key. Plan 10-16 weeks to complete each course.

Return to Top of Page

This complete natural science unit study from Eagle's Wings is structured around the creation events in Genesis 1. Topics include Creation, The Universe, The Earth, Rocks and Minerals, Weather, The Plant Kingdom and Ecology, The Animal Kingdom, Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Animal Ecology, and Man. You can complete the 51 lessons in either one or two years by doing 1-2 lessons per week. The 112-page Teacher's Manual tells you step-by-step what to prepare, what to say, and what to do. It Includes activities, vocabulary, bible reading, and more. The 269-page Student Workbook has many creative application activities including games, model cutouts, classification sheets, and hundreds of pictures. Workbook pages are reproducible. Includes a CD with songs. No additional materials needed. Good for multi-age teaching. Grades 1-6.

Return to Top of Page

Secular Curriculum:

Calvert School (Grades K-8)

Calvert is an accredited homeschooling program for all subjects. For science, they use McGraw-Hill textbooks in grades 1-6 and Prentice Hall textbooks in grades 7-8. The McGraw-Hill books each cover a mixture of earth, life, and physical science topics. The Prentice Hall books cover physical science in 7th grade and earth science in 8th grade. Labs are low-cost, using primarily household items.

TOPs Learning Systems (Grades 1-8)

TOPS offers dozens of unit study books that encourage science investigation using common, household items. Lab costs are low. As with any unit study approach, it is important to plan your own scope and sequence to ensure covering all the necessary topics. Plan for a good amount of parental involvement with younger children.

OdysseyWare (Grades 3-12)

OdysseyWare is a multimedia CD-ROM curriculum for grades 3-12. It saves teacher preparation time with its advanced lesson planning and automatic grading. Your student can watch science experiments on their computer.

Return to Top of Page