After 11 years of homeschooling, these are our favorite living science curriculum that incorporates some favorite Charlotte Mason practices.
With 3 kids and over a decade of homeschool, we have used our fair share of curriculum. By far, science has been my most difficult subject to find a good fit for. Not that there are not enough choices (and good ones at that), but some choices may work well for one kid, but not for the next one. Or one curriculum could work beautifully one year, but not in the next year.
One thing I know is that we really enjoy the practices of the Charlotte Mason style. This includes narrations, living books, short lessons, appreciating nature, and a feast of ideas.
So the choices below will lean in that direction. Not purely and perfectly Charlotte Mason, but definitely in the style and influence of her principles.
One Size Never Fits All
I feel like I have to say this everytime, but in all my experience and research, I come to the same conclusion. Despite my best homeschool hopes and research, that perfect curriculum just doesn’t exist, particularly for science.
However, what I have learned is that there are some REALLY solid science options out there for us Charlotte Mason (ish) moms. I have been trying to find the balance between story driven science with great text, hands on activities, guided nature study, and accompanying labs and projects. Also, as someone who does not have a natural science lean, it is important to me that there is ample explanations and instructions.
If you can relate to this, read on! These are the science gems I have found so far, and I’m sure there will be more to come as more and more homeschool creators enter the market.
Sabbath Mood Homeschool
I was introduced to Sabbath Mood Science from Min over at Lifegiving Motherhood. In my search for something that was designed for older kids, but went through living books, and had considered Charlotte Mason’s ideas.
We tried Sabbath Mood’s Chemistry study for Form 3 for my 7th grader. It was just what we needed at the time. Simple reading, simple activities, notebooking, and nature walks. It was not incredibly challenging or elaborate, which was appropriate for that season.
Beautiful Feet Books: The History of Science
This living science curriculum was a favorite. It is designed for grades 4th through 6th, and we used it for grades 2nd through 7th. It utilizes biographies of scientists like George Washington Carver, Thomas Edison, and Archimedes.
The only downside for us was that I could not get myself organized enough to any of the experiments described. I feel like it would have been more engaging, but I realize I need labs more spelled out and convenient for me to execute. I also have a blog post with a review of our 2 years in this curriculum linked below.
UPDATE: Since then, The History of Science has been discontinued! Their newer studies for science look just as beautiful (if not more!). Take a look at Seasons Afield for grades K-3 and World Ecology and Geography for grades 7-9th.
[RELATED POST: Review of Beautiful Feet Book History of Science Curriculum]
No Sweat Nature Study
A little known fact about me is that I’m really good at giveaways. Haha, it’s kind of a joke, but kind of not. All that to say, I won a giveaway to a quarter subscription of No Sweat Nature Study during the pandemic.
We really took advantage of our subscription! I printed out the handouts, and we attended all of the live (online) classes. Miss Cindy is an exceptional teacher with a passion for nature study. They participated in nature journaling with her, and were “oohing and ahhing,” at her presentations.
It stays on my list of potential things to purchase when we want to add something more. The quality of the class, and the fact that your whole family can attend, is one I appreciate.
Apologia’s Exploring Creation with…
In our 10 years, of homeschooling, we have definitely spent the most years with Apologia’s Exploring Creation series. There is reason behind this:
- Taught from a Biblical Worldview
- Passionately written in story form by experts in the field
- Beautiful photo examples, and also of experiments
- Plenty of “Try This!” hands on activities as well as one larger lab experiment in each chapter
- Encourages notebooking with either their student notebooks (we love these) or you can use your own notebook for more freedom
- Lab kits are available for purchase from Nature’s Workshop (I can’t recommend this enough if you are like me and need some help in the science department!)
We have used Exploring Creation with Zoology 1, 2, and 3, Earth Science, Anatomy and Physiology, Chemistry and Physics, General Science, and Physical Science over the years. This next school year, I will be using the updated version of Zoology 2 for my 5th grader and Exploring Creation with Physical Science with my 8th grader. You can use my code “trisha10” for 10% off your order.
Science has been one of the hardest subjects to find great curriculum that checked all of my hopeful boxes. These are the most engaging, educating, and memorable choices in helping prepare my children for higher level science courses.
This post was all about our favorite Charlotte Mason inspired living science curriculum.
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