For many Christian homeschool families, it’s important to find a Christian homeschool science curriculum that reinforces what the Bible teaches. Secular science curriculums (like those taught in public schools) often address science from the evolutionist perspective. Bible-based homeschool curriculum, however, points to Creation as the beginning and basis of all science.
Surprisingly, there are quite a few options when it comes to Christian science curriculums. Finding the perfect one for your homeschool family probably seems daunting; after all, you want your child to receive the best education that strengthens their knowledge and their faith!
So, once again, we’re here to make your search easier! We’ve researched, sampled, and reviewed a slew of Christian homeschool curriculums and crafted a summary that breaks down the details of each.
Let’s roll!
An Extensive Review of the Best Christian Homeschool Science Curriculums
As you read, keep in mind that the best homeschool science curriculum might look different for each family. This detailed list will give you the opportunity to weigh the pros and cons of each and how they line up with your beliefs and homeschool needs.
Journey Homeschool Academy
When it comes to science, Journey Homeschool Academy (JHA) has a lot to offer for all grade levels. The core of each course are beautifully edited, interactive videos. This is where JHA shines. While many curricula now offers videos, their videos are more than boring talking head videos. Their videos truly engage students minds and tap their curiosity. In addition, the videos are very visually interactive.
But JHA doesn’t only focus on their videos. They bring in other important elements to offer a well-rounded learning experience including:
- Recommended textbook reading (for middle and high school – including many of the other textbooks on this list)
- Living book reading lists (for elementary)
- Hands-on labs and activities
- Quizzes and Exams
- Homework questions (high school)
This Christian-based homeschool curriculum recognizes the importance of independence when it comes to homeschooling, but it also has plenty of opportunities for parent/teacher involvement. In addition, JHA prides itself on being “firm believers that science courses can bring a biblical perspective to the wonder and awe of creation, while also providing a rigorous academic education.”
JHA describes their video instructors as “virtual mentors.” They’re not just teachers; they’re truly passionate about science and have a main goal of making each course engaging and educationally stimulating. Although JHA’s online Christian science curriculum does not have its own textbooks, it offers extensive reading lists (primarily recommending living books at the elementary level) and textbook suggestions that line up with each week’s lesson plan.
For science offerings, Journey Homeschool Academy currently offers courses in astronomy, biology, chemistry, Earth science, Physics and Bible (with physical science coming soon!).
-
Format
Core of the course is engaging, visually stunning, self-paced video lectures
-
Hands-On Opportunities
Labs and activities accompany almost every weekly lesson for all levels. Middle and high school labs are are designed to provide opprtunities for students to explore topics in-depth while also still being doable at-home and include lab tutorial videos. Students also learn to write lab reports at the high school levels.
-
Parent Involvement: Low
At the elementary level this curriculum is very open and go. Most lab supplies are easy to find around the house or at the local grocery store.
At the middle and high school level parents will need to check homework and labs using the keys provided, but quizzes and exams are automatically graded. Video lectures make teaching students the concepts easy and extra resources like the homework help videos for chemistry and physics are a great assistance for families when they get stuck on a problem. -
Elementary Course Offerings
Biology
Astronomy
Earth Science -
Middle School Course Offerings
Earth Science
Astronomy
Physical Science (Coming soon!) -
High School Course Offerings
Astronomy
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Apologia
Apologia’s science curriculum is often a top choice for homeschool families and is written from a young earth creationist worldview.
In addition to offering a science curriculum for all grade levels, Apologia has pre-recorded video packages and live online classes for grades 7-12; these do cost extra but appeal to visual learners. They do not currently have video packages for their elementary courses. Each course comes with an Apologia-authored textbook (digital and audio versions available) and a student notebooking journal.
Popular reviews praise Apologia for being thorough but note that it can sometimes be too overwhelming, especially for younger grades. This is particularly due to the heavy focus on vocabulary memorization and textbook reading.
Apologia offers an extremely long list of science subjects: botany, marine biology, anatomy, and advanced options for subjects like chemistry and physics.
-
Format
Core of the course is textbook based, but grades 7-12 have “talking head” video options.
-
Hands-On Opportunities
An activity book is available with elementary, but is primarily book work and not hands-on labs. Upper levels have some accompanying easy kitchen labs.
- Parent Involvement: Low
At the elementary level, this curriculum requires a lot of parental involvement since the textbook is the primary focus.
At the middle and high school level parents, involvement will depend upon the format you choose. There will be less involvement should you choose to use the video format. Parents will still need to check homework and labs using the keys provided, but quizzes and exams are automatically graded.
-
Elementary Course Offerings
Anatomy
Astronomy
Botany
Chemistry & Physics
Earth Science -
Middle School Course Offerings
General Science
Physical Science -
High School Course Offerings
Astronomy
Biology
Chemistry
Health & Nutrition
Marine Biology
Physics
Advanced science courses
Bob Jones University (BJU Press)
BJU Press produces science curriculum for all grade levels. Their textbooks are colorful and full of pictures and diagrams. Their course overview states, “Lessons engage students in worldview formation by answering the following questions: Where did our world come from? Why do things work together the way they do? Where are we and why are we here? And why is science important?”
Make note that there are multiple books to purchase when using BJU Press science curriculum. There are many components that add up quickly and create a less-concise package: teacher edition, student edition, activities book, activities answer key, assessments, and assessments answer key. Rather than including all of this content in one book, BJU Press has produced each needed book individually.
At this time, BJU Press also offers online and DVD learning options. The online option also includes online assessments (Grades 5–12 only) and a grade book for online assessments.
BJU Press believes in the connection between a biblical worldview and science. Their primary goal is to produce “student scientists” who can solve real-world problems from this biblical worldview.
-
Format
Core of the course is heavily textbook based, but there is an online and DVD option as well.
-
Hands-On Opportunities
Activities are scattered throughout the course in elementary, while the upper levels have lab books to accompany their textbooks. Many labs may be difficult to complete at home due to requiried supplies which are more condusive to classroom learning.
-
Parent Involvement: High
At the elementary level, this curriculum requires a lot of parental involvement since the textbook is the primary focus.
For grades 5 – 12, the level of parent involvement will depend upon the format you choose. There will be less involvement should you choose to use the video format. Course quizzes and tests will be graded automatically, but parents are responsible for grading additional items. -
Elementary Course Offerings
Science 1 – 6
*Each grade level contains a variety of topics. -
Middle School Course Offerings
Life Science
Earth Science -
High School Course Offerings
Biology
Chemistry
Physical Science
Physics
Abeka
Widely known as one of the largest Christian homeschool curriculum sources (for all subjects), Abeka offers a “Science/Health Series” for every grade level and elementary levels have a heavy focus on studying God’s World.
In addition to the core reading material, Abeka also offers activity books and supplemental material for each of these elementary courses that focus on health and wellness. Grades 3 and up also can purchase a video option that offers pre-recorded teaching videos.
Using the video option for any of the Abeka science courses does tack on a significant cost that is pricier than most. These videos are offered in year-long and semester-long formats, though the year-long format is obviously more expensive.
For middle and high school grades, students will learn about the “typical” science subjects: biology, earth and space science, chemistry, etc. The high school “textbooks” have a digital option available for purchase, which can significantly lower the high cost of this curriculum.
- Format
Core of the course is heavily textbook based, but there is an online and DVD option as well. -
Hands-On Opportunities
Labs and activities accompany almost every weekly lesson for all levels.
-
Parent Involvement: Medium to High
The level of parent involvement will depend upon the format you choose. There will be less direct teaching involvement should you choose to use the video format, but parents are responsible for grading all quizzes, tests, and additional items.
-
Elementary Course Offerings
Grades 1 – 6
*Each grade level contains a variety of topics. -
Middle School Course Offerings
Life Science
Earth & Space Science -
High School Course Offerings
Biology
Chemistry
Physical Science
Physics
Berean Builders
Berean Builders’ stated mission of how its science curriculum functions, “We want to help parents teach their children to become critical thinkers.” They base this mission on Acts 17:11, which encourages Christians to study and examine the Scriptures regularly to learn what is true.
From a science perspective, Berean Builders points to the Bible as the basis of all science. Elementary students have the opportunity to learn about how science has progressed over time, while middle and high school students can learn about more focused scientific subjects like biology, earth science, and more.
The actual textbook provided by Berean Builders is text-heavy but is interwoven with labs. Younger students will definitely need teacher involvement due to the text-heavy lessons. For middle and high school students, there are both live online classes and pre-recorded (non-graded) teachings. Each is accompanied by a textbook, in addition to lab kits and student workbooks/sheets.
Berean Builders does tend to lack engaging content, but it gets the job done and is thorough in covering the key points of science. The online classes (taught by Jay Wile) can foster the discussion that the textbook lacks.
- Format
Core of the course is textbooks, but does have live and pre-recorded class options for grades 7-12. - Hands-On Opportunities
In elementary, each lesson is built around an experiment or activity. Upper levels are lab-based and while they may not have a lab every day, their website states “they will have more days with an experiment or activity than days without one.” -
Parent Involvement: Low to High
At the elementary level, this curriculum requires a lot of parental involvement since the textbook is the primary focus and there are plenty of hands-on activities. For grades 7 – 12, the level of parent involvement will depend upon the format you choose. There will be lower involvement should you choose to use the live classes as they provide grading of all test and lab notebooks for an independent evaluation of student performance. The pre-recorded video option is ungraded, so all grading would be the responsibility of the parent.
-
Elementary Course Offerings
Science in the Beginning
Science in the Ancient World
Science in the Scientific Revolution
Science in the Age of Reason
Science in the Industrial Age -
Middle School Course Offerings
Science in the Atomic Age
Discovering Design with Earth Science -
High School Course Offerings
Discovering Design with Earth Science
Discovering Design with Biology
Discovering Design with Chemistry
Exploring Creation with Physics
My Father’s World
The name alone speaks to the heavy Creation-based focus of this homeschool curriculum! My Father’s World (MFW) offers a variety of subjects that are packaged into comprehensive bundles. These bundles contain all of the necessary subjects for each grade level (science, math, reading, geography, literature, etc.), which can turn your curriculum hunt into a one-stop shop!
Unlike the other curricula discussed previously, My Father’s World doesn’t have its own independently produced science curriculum. It pulls other well-known curriculums into its bundles, with a huge emphasis on history over all other subjects. While extremely strong in its Bible-focused teachings, it doesn’t write and create its own science curriculum, which we believe to be so fundamental to Christian homeschool curriculums.
- Format
Core of the course is living books for elementary and textbooks for upper levels. -
Hands-On Opportunities
Labs and activities accompany almost every weekly lesson for all levels
-
Parent Involvement: High
At the elementary level this curriculum is very open and go. Most lab supplies are easy to find around the house or at the local grocery store.
At the middle and high school level parents will need grade all items. -
Elementary Course Offerings
Each level focuses on a variety of topics that coincide with the unit topic and utilizes living books, rather than a specific curriculum.
-
Middle School Course Offerings
Provides recommendations from other Christian publishers
-
High School Course Offerings
Provides recommendations from other Christian publishers
DIVE (Shormann)
Written by Dr. David Shormann, DIVE Interactive Education presents an online science curriculum for grades 7-12. Each course is self-paced, with 12 months of access to e-learning materials. Dr. Shormann teaches from a Creationist worldview and encourages students to use science as a tool for understanding Scripture and God’s grand plan for the world.
DIVE science courses require the application of math concepts, and each grade level has an accompanying math course (e.g. Algebra 1, Calculus, etc.) that coincides with the science topics. This is supposedly because DIVE focuses on integrating math into their science courses, so certain math concepts need to be fully understood in order to be successful in their science curriculum. However, many of DIVE’s negative reviews come from this math integration; parents dislike the number of math concepts used in the science curriculum.
Each course from DIVE includes:
- Teacher’s guide
- Updated video lessons (taught by Dr. Shormann)
- Digital assignments (submitted online and automatically graded)
- Lab manual and kit
It should be noted that for 12th grade, DIVE utilizes the physics curriculum published by Saxon (commonly known for their math curriculum).
- Format
Core of the course is self-paced video lectures -
Hands-On Opportunities
Labs and activities accompany weekly lessons
-
Parent Involvement: Low
Video lectures make teaching students the concepts easy. Per their website, “all homework, facts practice, and quarterly reviews are interactive learning activities and are completed online, automatically graded, and the grades are stored in an online gradebook” making this a very low involvement curriculum choice.
-
Middle School Course Offerings
Earth Science
Integrated Chemistry & Physics -
High School Course Offerings
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Science Shepherd
Developed by a homeschool dad, Science Shepherd seeks to offer a high-quality science curriculum from a biblical perspective. Each course (except for their Bible course) is formatted to be taught throughout a typical 34 to 36-week school year.
For each course, there are package purchase options, and each contains instructor-taught video lessons. The video package ranges in price and is offered in 15-month streaming access, lifetime streaming access, or as DVDs.
Elementary levels don’t have a textbook option for purchase, but middle and high school levels have an accompanying textbook written by Science Shepherd.
User reviews note that while Science Shepherd offers a very thorough science curriculum, it may be rigorous for younger grade levels. This should be considered when choosing what science course your student would use from Science Shepherd. All-in-all, the learning format of Science Shepherd can be easily compared to Apologia.
- Format
Core of the course is self-paced video lectures -
Hands-On Opportunities
Optional hands-on activities accompany weekly lessons in elementary; the hands-on activities/labs are strongly recommended in the upper levels.
-
Parent Involvement: Low to Medium
At the elementary level this curriculum is open-and-go. Most lab supplies are easy to find around the house or at the local grocery store.
At the middle and high school level, video lectures make teaching students the concepts easy. Parents will need to grade all items. -
Elementary Course Offerings
Astronomy
Earth Science
Introductory Science
Physical Science -
Middle School Course Offerings
Astronomy
Chemistry
Life Science
Physical Science
Physics -
High School Course Offerings
Astronomy
Biology
Chemistry
Life Science
Physics
Novare Science
Novare Science sets itself apart by establishing a model of “Wonder. Integration. Mastery. Fascinated students who deeply understand and remember their science.” Novare and its creators believe that there is much lacking in “regular,” modern-day textbooks, so they have written shorter, more concise textbooks that are designed around their three core principles of wonder, integration, and mastery.
Unlike most of the curriculum on this review, Novare is written from an old Earth creation viewpoint.
From a format perspective, Novare seeks to improve the learning experience by teaching on fewer topics and instead diving deeper into core concepts. They are primarily textbook-based, and like DIVE’s (Shormann) science curriculum, Novare uses quite a few math concepts throughout their lessons. The authors also reiterate key learning concepts throughout each curriculum, hitting on their “mastery” core principle.
There are no online or video options for any of Novare’s courses, but digital resources are available for planning resources such as quizzes, tests, and answer keys. The base curriculum package is expensive, but because there is no online video option, it can be reused. Supplemental materials are also available for additional purchase.
Currently, Novare only offers curriculum options for grades 7-12.
- Format
Core of the course is textbook based. -
Hands-On Opportunities
Labs accompany key concepts in lessons
-
Parent Involvement: Medium to High
As there is no online component, parents will need to grade all portions of this curriculum. Depending on your student, you may be able to allow them to work independently, but students will likely need assistance with the labs.
- Middle School Course Offerings
Earth Science
Life Science
Physical Science -
High School Course Offerings
General Biology
General Chemistry
Introductory Physics
Accelerated courses for all the above.
Noeo Science
Unlike many of the homeschool science curriculum options that we have reviewed so far, Noeo Science sells as an all-inclusive science bundle. Each Noeo package contains everything you need for a year of science, and there are package options for grades 1-8. (There is no high school option if using Noeo Science.)
Inside each package, you will find a lab manual, experiments and their materials, living books, and an instructor’s guide. Note that there is the option to purchase each item individually, which is a great offering if you have multiple children in the same grade level.
From a Christian standpoint, Noeo does consider itself to be a Christian company, but it designs and markets its product for both Christian and secular homeschool families. The idea of evolution may be briefly mentioned throughout reading materials, but it is not encouraged or openly taught as true.
For many, a big downside to Noeo is its lack of testing materials. Its creators believe that while testing may be the ideal learning retention model for large classrooms, it can be unhelpful in smaller settings like homeschooling. Instead, Noeo curriculum encourages narration practices and daily questions to encourage reading comprehension.
- Format
Core of the course is living books. -
Hands-On Opportunities
Labs and activities accompany almost every weekly lesson for all levels
-
Parent Involvement: High
This curriculum is very open and go for parents and lab supplies are included with the course purchase allowing for easy implementation.
Parents will need to be more hands-on with planning out the week using the instructors guide, and implementing the lessons. -
Elementary Course Offerings
Biology 1 & 2
Chemistry 1 & 2
Physics 1 & 2 -
Middle School Course Offerings
Chemistry 3
Physics 3 -
High School Course Offerings
N/A
God’s Design Series
God’s Design Science Series is heavily Bible-based with an emphasis on the Genesis account of Creation (it teaches from a Young Earth worldview). Authors Richard and Debbie Lawrence homeschooled their own children, which inspired the creation of this curriculum.
Like Noeo, God’s Design Series is only offered for grades 1-8. For grades 1 and 2, there is a single book that encompasses the entire course; this is because science isn’t at the top of the priority list for younger grade levels. However, for grades 3-8, God’s Design Series offers a student textbook and teacher’s guide for each of the four courses available. The teacher’s guide is massive and contains just about everything needed to teach the course: activity pages, lab worksheets, quizzes, exams, and more.
The student textbook is full of material. But because the textbook covers such a wide age span, some children may have difficulty taking in all of the information provided.
- Format
Core of the course is textbooks. -
Hands-On Opportunities
Labs and activities accompany many lessons for all levels
-
Parent Involvement: Medium to High
This curriculum is very open and go, however parents will need to guide younger students through the program since the textbook is full of informatin. Most lab supplies are easy to find around the house or at the local grocery store.
Parents will need to check worksheets, quizzes, and exams using the keys provided. -
Elementary Course Offerings
God’s Design Life: For Beginners (1st – 2nd grade)
God’s Design Heaven & Earth: For Beginners (1st – 2nd grade)
God’s Design for Life (3rd – 8th grade)
God’s Design for Heaven & Earth (3rd – 8th grade)
God’s Design for Physical World (3rd – 8th grade)
God’s Design for Chemistry & Ecology (3rd – 8th grade) -
Middle School Course Offerings
God’s Design for Life (3rd – 8th grade)
God’s Design for Heaven & Earth (3rd – 8th grade)
God’s Design for Physical World (3rd – 8th grade)
God’s Design for Chemistry & Ecology (3rd – 8th grade) -
High School Course Offerings
N/A
Sonlight
Last but not least, we reach Sonlight. This massive Christian homeschool curriculum company has a complete homeschool science curriculum for every grade level. Sonlight blends secular viewpoints with biblical discussions.
In today’s popular world of online Christian homeschooling, Sonlight lands in the minority with no internet access required to use their science curriculum. Instead, Sonlight is a “literature-based” company. Each science course includes an instructor’s guide, which Sonlight considers to be the epicenter of each curriculum offering. The instructor’s guide includes a complete teaching schedule, reading list, hands-on activities, question prompts, and video suggestions.
For those who like to use the internet to aid in their student’s learning, you may find Sonlight to be lacking. This curriculum should be considered for students who are strong readers and teachers who have the time to be very involved in their child’s learning.
Note: Sonlight has a new video option for its elementary science programs, though it does cost extra. “Discover & Do” is a video supplement that expands learning opportunities and offers more visual, hands-on activities for younger students.
- Format
Core of the course is living books. -
Hands-On Opportunities
Labs and activities are integrated into the lessons for all levels
-
Parent Involvement: High
As there is no online component, parents will need to grade all portions of this curriculum as well as providing question prompts, suggested video links, etc. Depending on your student and their ages, you may be able to allow them to work independently, but students will likely need assistance with the hands-on activities.
-
Elementary Course Offerings
Ecosystems, Meteorology, Physics, & Engineering Design
Light & Sound Waves, Biological Features, Space Systems, & Engineering DesignMatter, Ecosystems, Earth Systems, & Engineering Design
Forces & Interactions, Life Systems & Cycles, Weather & Climate, & Engineering Design
Energy, Waves, Biological Systems, Earth Systems, & Engineering Design -
Middle School Course Offerings
Electricity, Magnetism, & Astronomy
Health, Medicine, & Human Anatomy
Geology, Physics, & Origins
Conservation, Robotics, & Technology
Physics, Electromagnetism, & Waves -
High School Course Offerings
General Science
Physical Science
High School Biology
Berean Chemistry
Apologia Chemistry
High School Physics
Advanced Biology
Advanced Chemistry
So, what next?
Whew! If you’ve made it this far and read through our extensive review of each homeschool science curriculum, major kudos to you. It’s often a daunting task to choose the right curriculum for your family, and I hope that this review has made your decision less stressful.
If you’re still wanting to learn more about each curriculum, the majority provide samples that you can download and peruse. At Journey Homeschool Academy, we also offer previews for our science courses, including lesson samples, video previews, and quiz samples.
Ultimately, keep in mind that every homeschool family has its own set of needs, preferences, and budget. There are some truly amazing homeschool science curriculums on the market today!