My son is science-minded. In elementary school, he read an entire set of science textbooks for fun. It has been important, then, when shopping for a homeschool science curriculum for him that I selected a curriculum that fostered independent learning and was college preparatory. I first learned of Berean Builders in 2022 when my son was ready to study chemistry. In eighth grade, he used a biology curriculum written by Dr. Jay Wile and enjoyed it. Continuing to use curricula written by Dr. Wile was a natural choice, so he used Discovering Design with Chemistry in his freshman year, and then he used Discovering Design with Physics, also written by Dr. Wile, in his sophomore year.
Homeschool Science Curriculum
As much as my son IS science-minded, my oldest daughter is NOT. Last year we attempted four science curricula before we landed on one general science curriculum that we just had to grit our teeth and get through so we could say we finished a science study for the year. It was painful. And honestly, I never even thought to look at Berean Builders curriculum for her, because I had only ever looked at their heavy-weight college preparatory homeschool high school science for my son.
But then, I realized they have elementary science and junior high science, too. Mind. Blown. No, seriously. We all know that most science curricula are written topically and are unit-based. When studying life, we start off with insects, then birds, then animals, so on and so forth. When studying the planet, we start off with weather, etc, etc. We’ve done unit studies and such. It’s one of the reasons she’s not inclined toward science. She’d rather be singing or throwing a frisbee. We wanted something different for science this coming year. Berean Builders Science Through HiStory series takes a completely different approach, exploring science through a chronological journey through science, which may be perfect for my non-sciency kid. Students learn science in the order it was discovered by the great scientists of history. As a result, the topics change frequently.
For example, in the first 15 lessons of Science in the Ancient World, students learn about measuring tall things, fire, music, atoms, and medicine. The topics are unified by the people who studied them and the way science was developing at the time.
The Homeschool Elementary Science from Berean Builders includes:
- 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
You can save money and get all five textbooks in the Science Through History set.
The Homeschool Junior High Science from Berean Builders include:
The Homeschool High School Science from Berean Builders includes
- Discvering Design with Earth Science – yes, it’s listed twice, because some kids take it in 8th grade, some take it in 9th grade.
- Discovering Design with Biology
- Discovering Design with Chemistry (see my review of Discovering Design with Chemistry)
- Discovering Design with Physics (see my review of Discovering Design with Physics)
The Discovering Design series has been a great fit for my son. And while my daughter is NOT science-minded, she DOES enjoy history and learning what makes people tick. As I’ve mentioned, my son isthe kid who read science textbooks for fun, she is the kid that read history and psychology textbooks for fun. With that in mind, I was delighted to get the opportunity to check out the Science in the Atomic Age curriculum.
Science in the Atomic Age is a laboratory-based, junior high science course that covers a wide range of topics that are of interest to modern scientists. So, how am I going to get my non-sciency girl loving this curriculum? Well, it starts by helping her understand the sciency stuff that is necessary for life – like atoms, molecules, chemicals, cells, DNA, etc. However, ALL of these topics are discussed in the context of history. Specific scientific advances are explained and how their impact on understanding changes things is explored. This allows students to explore science in the context of history.
From there, students describe the living world at each level of organization – from how cells make tissues to how organisms interact in communities that form biomes, etc. Throughout the curriculum, God’s design is highlighted in nature and students discuss important topics like creation and evolution.
The course includes a lot of focused learning through experiments and hands-on activities which can typically be done with household items or things easily obtainable from your local store. For students completing every step, it should take an average of about 30-45 minutes every day of the week to cover the course in a year. For non-sciency students, it may take a little longer if they drag their feet. Ask me how I know.
The textbook does have an accompanying Answer Key and Tests booklet that you can get. It also has all of the answers to the review questions from the textbook in it. If you have an auditory learner, grab the Science in the Atomic Age Audio Book, which is available on USB drive from Berean Builders or on Audible. Because my daughter has learning differences, she’ll definitely be using the audiobook files. Depending on how things go, we may also get streaming access for the recorded classes. Please note (and learn from my mistake) – if you choose to print the available PDF Student Notebook listed under Resources on the product page (which I did) that pages 176-300 literally just have “Laboratory Notebook” and a page number at the top of the page. You can safely print up to page 172 and then hand your kiddo a spiral-bound notebook for the Laboratory Notebook if you want to save some printer paper.
We are crossing our fingers that she will come to appreciate Dr. Wile’s teaching as much as our son did. If not, praying at least this would be the only science curriculum we need for her this year.
I’ve been a fan of Berean Builders for the quality of their textbooks materials wise – the binding is sturdy and they stand up to the abuse the average adolescent dishes out – tossing books on their nightstand or floor. I also really appreciate that Berean Builders strives to accommodate various learning styles by providing books in print, audio, and video. As a bonus, Berean Builder courses come with a useful course website and the answer service for free to give support and to accommodate different learning styles.
