Well, let me show you what I've found so hopefully you won't be driven to wine at 10:30am. Some stuff I've used, some stuff I will try this year. Please feel free to comment below if you've used any of these and have had success (or not) with them.
- Intelligo unit studies are a great resource. Last year my son did one of their astronomy units, and found it very inspiring and thorough. They are so secular they have TWO unit studies on Evolution, and frankly, they are one of the few curricula I have ever seen to have it.
- Last year we used Noe Science and if I get around to it I will write a complete review of it. Currently the entire curricula is missing because of our move....so I'll have to find it first. It came with a science kit, lots of experiments and was pretty fun to use. There are no tests, which I didn't like, so it was hard for me to know what my children were retaining. We did Biology, and I'm sure it's pretty obvious, but evolution was never discussed. Also, there is a biblical verse in the beginning, however the rest of the curricula had no reference to any religion.
- Real Science Odyssey is said to be a secular science curricula. This is a contender this year for my butterfly. I'm betting this particular curriculum is to easy for my little science geek son, but it might be a good fit for my girl.
- Focus on Middle School Science is more of a contender for my son. They also claim to be secular.
- Elemental Science is also a contender for us next year. They go from pre-k to 7th grade and up. Edit: We ended up not choosing this curricula, so I have no personal experience with it. Comments below have noted that this is not quite a secular curricula but more of a neutral curricula. They do not cover evolution.
- Building Foundations is another secular curricula. It comes in different levels up to 8th grade.
- Last one I found that seemed worthy of a nod was the Nancy Larson science curriculum. This curricula is for kindergarten through fourth grade.
So there you have it. Hopefully with this post I've saved some sanity for you. If I missed any curricula just link it below, I'm happy to add any secular science curricula my readers may find.
Enjoy!
How interesting. I never would have thought about this, but I can understand how it would be a big frustration. I'm glad you found some that are in line with what you were looking for.
ReplyDeletePS - If I find someone who needs a rooster for their ladies, I would gladly hand over one of mine! I just want to make sure they all go to good homes if I do ever have to adopt them out.
I just started homeschooling my 12 year old son. He is passionate about science, and it's shocking how hard it is to find a curriculum. I will try some of your suggestions. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteIt's almost as bad trying to find a secular
ReplyDeletehandwriting curriculum as well.
Hiya, we are just finishing up Real Science Odyssey Biology 2 with my 12 & 13 y.o.s I found no references to religion, thankfully. We all were happy with it, as we are with other Pandia Press publications. It wasn't perfect, but nothing is...I am now on the hunt for Earth Science for next Fall, which led me to you! That glass of wine is tempting!
ReplyDeleteHi, we're just finishing bio 2 with my daughter and I'm also searching for earth science and astronomy for next year... do you mind sharing which one did you end up using? Pandia doesn't have the next level in the earth science curriculum
DeleteWe did Elemental Science this year, but it's really more of a neutral science than secular.
ReplyDeleteThank you, thank you, thank you!!! It took me HOURS of searching to come across your website which finally gave me a direction to look in :) I think we've settled on elemental for our middle schooler and R.E.A.L. science odyssey for our elementary student. My secular science nightmare is over!
ReplyDeleteMr. Q Classic Science (www.eequalsmcq.com) is great too!
ReplyDeleteNice post on "Our New Adventure:Choosing a Homeschool Curriculum".
ReplyDeleteAll of our courses can be taken by students of any age. Our online homeschooling courses foster critical thinking skills and personal responsibility with high expectations for sustained intellectual growth and superior academic achievement.
Online homeschool
r.e.a.l science claims to be evolution neutral - any science curriculum that claims to be neutral while leaving out. Foundational theories and concepts is in fact the opposite of neutral.
ReplyDeleteAgreed.
DeleteI just wanted to clarify for those reading this, R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey is not evolution neutral, in fact the RSO Biology 2 book has a unit on evolution. The confusion is over the curriculum Real Science 4 Kids which claims to be neutral but isn't. RSO is secular and RS4K's is not. The names are similar and often get mixed up unfortunately.
DeleteThank you, Jessica!
DeleteI can attest that Building Foundations is actually a secular homeschooling curriculum (or at least as far as we've gotten has been). A lot of these others are not.
ReplyDeletePlease be honest with postings like this. Don't say you are promoting secular options when you are not. Those of us who truly are secular homeschoolers waste time on blogs like this. You are not going to convert people like this. In fact, it just makes you look insecure in your beliefs.
Hi..I've recently come back to of Building Foundations, thank you for posting about it. I will be adding more about it I think when I get a chance to update the post.
DeleteAs far as the negative judgemental tone to your comment, thank you for telling me how not secular I am. I love knowing I'm a fake secularist. It's amazing you were able to discern my beliefs off of a post made to help other homeschool moms. Go you?