For the first few years of my older kids’ early elementary days, we used science encyclopedias on animals, plants, etc. or easy chemistry/physics experiments for our studies. We kept it pretty simple and fun. And I believe that was sufficient for those early years.
Once my oldest was entering 5th grade, I did want to switch to more of a curriculum style. I ended up choosing the God’s Design series by Master Books, and I have been very pleased with it. We have used it on a four-year cycle: God’s Design for Life (human anatomy, botany, and zoology), God’s Design for Heaven & Earth (geology, astronomy, and meteorology), God’s Design for Physical World (heat, machines, and technology), and God’s Design for Chemistry & Ecology (atoms, molecules, matter, and ecosystems).
The curriculum is designed for 3rd-8th grade and can be for the most part easily taught to a span of grades/ages. The lessons are short, but there is more information that the older kids can read to get more in depth. They offer a variety of hands-on activities and experiments that can be chosen and easily done. There are printable worksheets, quizzes, and tests.
The material is written from a young earth creation viewpoint and promotes a Christian worldview. I am on my second rotation with the curriculum and have enjoyed using it with my kids, and it has been an effective tool for teaching a solid science curriculum from a creationist viewpoint.
My oldest is in 9th grade, so I chose a new curriculum for him this year. As he very much enjoyed Algebra I with Shormann Math last year, we thought we would try Shormann’s Dive Biology class. The course is exceptionally priced, and it offers a sibling discount. It is a self-paced online class. The class includes a lab, which can simply be viewed virtually, with the student just filling in the lab manual. Or the student can buy the lab materials (which do cost considerably more) and actually do almost all of the lab work along with the video. I am a big fan of learning by doing, so we went with buying the extra lab materials and specimens (although we pieced ours together to save some money). Whether doing hands on lab or not, a high school science credit is granted.
The class can be used with a biology textbook or (which we do) a compilation of online articles, papers, or videos that Dr. Shormann has the students read each week with the lessons. Along with the reading assignments, there are weekly lectures, worksheets, reviews, and quarterly exams.
My son has very much enjoyed this class. It has been a challenge for him, but it has been good. Dr. Shormann is a Christian and makes his Christian, creationist worldview very clear in his teaching. We are very happy with this choice for high school science.
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Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay