Homeschooling High School Science
(This post contains affiliate links and links to my business, Shining Dawn Books.)
Is Homeschooling High School Science Intimidating?
Yes, it can be. I’ve found so many wonderful resources to make it easier, though!
Apologia
We now have two years under our belt using Exploring Creation with Biology and Exploring Creation With Chemistry from Apologia. Both books have been fantastic spines to our science learning. My daughter has been able to handle most of the text material on her own, while we participated in co-op labs (see below) for the experiments. The mathematical side of chemistry was a little tough, but we made it.
Co-op Labs and Science Class Opportunities
I am so very pleased our homeschool co-op offered a biology lab and chemistry lab over the past two years, both of which followed along with Apologia. It was so nice having experienced biology and chemistry teachers leading the experiments. Not to mention, we saved a ton of money sharing the cost of supplies!
Besides co-op, we took advantage of several other classroom/lesson opportunities – especially having to do with biology. Our 4-H leader and horticulture extension agent both went out of their way to offer in depth botany classes when they heard there was a need in the homeschooling community.
In the Field Labs
Of course, we never give up on nature study. It fit perfectly with many of the biology concepts my high school girlie was learning. You might be surprised to know how many chemistry concepts fit with nature study, too! Besides that, now that she’s older, it’s way cool to really explore deeply some of the things we come across on our nature walks.
When the opportunity presents itself, I continue to do multi-age learning with all the kiddos. It’s a bit harder when high school textbook lessons are expected, but I include the younger ones in as many things as I can. Nature study is super-easy to include everyone!
High School Science Field Trips
Field trips are VERY important in our homeschool – especially as my children get older. My goodness, there are so many wonderful, deep, intriguing, hands-on, minds-on, expert-driven trips to find! Over the past couple of years, to go along with our biology and chemistry studies, we visited traveling exhibits, factories, farms, science museums, zoos, arboretums – and of course, took tons of nature walks.
High School Science Experiments
Sometimes, we needed to complete experiments from the Apologia textbooks that weren’t covered in the co-op labs. I always encouraged Mahayla to include her younger brothers and explain the experiments to them. (We all learn better when teaching!) There were even some days I asked Mahayla to find fun experiments to do with her brothers just for the “fun” of it.
High School Science as a Business
Mahayla has always had a love for animals. As she studied biology during her freshman year, we started to realize that God has an animal related future planned for her. We also studied economics that year and soon began to encourage her to use her love and talent with animals to consider starting a small business. Currently, she raises chickens (for no money yet), is breeding border collies with plans to sell the puppies, is breeding her horse with plans to sell the baby at some point, is bottle feeding a calf to raise and sell, and wants to think about boarding horses in the near future.
Besides the money side of things, she has decided to talk with a local abused women’s shelter to see if they might like her to bring her horse for a little “animal therapy” once a month. Horse therapy is a field she is seriously considering.
She hasn’t made money yet, but to watch her passions grow as she hones in on the Lord’s calling has been nothing short of amazing.
Ag Science
Because of her love for animals and farming, we are going to develop our own agricultural science curriculum for next year. She is utterly excited to dive deeper and more practically into the area of her passion. Stay tuned…I’m sure I’ll be sharing about ag science before long!
Homeschooling high school science doesn’t have to be hard! Find fabulous curriculum, helpful resources and watch for passions to follow.
This post has been linked to the Apologia Year-End Wrap-Up, the Homeschool High School Link-Up, and the Let’s Homeschool High School Link-Up.
High school science resources
Love this Cindy! You offer such encouragement and so many practical examples. Thank you!
Great post! We are doing AgScience with one of our girls this year and are using Exploring Agriscience by Ray Herron as our spine. May use the Light Units that go with it from Christian Light Publications. Loved their horticulture class that the same daughter completed this past year.
This is a great post and such an encouragement for those that think they can’t do science within a homeschool paradigm. Thanks for sharing all of this information.
Lori Lane
Hi Cindy!! We did AgriScience this year with my son. We used fifth edition Agriscience by L. DeVere Burton. It was a hefty book but it was really nice.
Cindy, My older 2 children are taking Ag using the Christian Light Units to go along with Exploring Agriscience by Ray Herren. They LOVE it! Add in their 4H garden club and it is working wonderfully!
Thanks for the suggestions for Agriscience textbooks, ladies!
Great ideas! My oldest is studying chemistry this year, but we’re stepping away from Apologia mainly because my husband is a chemistry teacher and we have a ton of chemistry books already.
Hi Cindy, it’s Jackie from Let’s Homeschool High School. I wanted to stop by and personally thank you for linking up to our first ever high school blog hop.
My daughter is going to take biology through Time4Learning’s new high school courses this year. She has dreaded taking biology only because she doesn’t really have an interest in it. I am hoping after she gets going that she will change her mind and actually enjoy it.
Joyfully,
Jackie
Let’s Homeschool High School Team
Lots of great information here. Looks like you guys are on a roll!
“In the Field Labs”…that made me smile. I like to call our field trips and nature study “field work” in our course descriptions (which I need to compile for NCAA paperwork)…but we keep our “field work” casual and fun. 🙂
I LOVE that pizza!! I’m currently impatiently waiting for my new microscope. 9th grade biology here we come! 😉 It’s great meeting another high school mama. 😉
Jealous of a new microscope! 🙂
Hey! What did you end up doing for ag science? My daughter (interested in being an agricultural lawyer) has completed Apologia physical science, biology, and chemistry, but I am unsure about her senior year. She would love to study ag science, but I need something that will count as a science not as an elective. Earth science may be the closest we can get.
Hi Lauren! We went with a student-led high school course. You can read about it at https://ourjourneywestward.com/student-led-high-school-equine-course/. It was a much better fit for her future plans than anything else I could find. 🙂