A Look at High School Sciences

Anxious. Nervous. Discouraged. Overwhelmed. Inadequate. These are emotions a homeschool mother might feel if she has a child approaching their high school years. Certainly many moms can attest to feelings of dread over a world filled with challenging subjects, confusing transcripts, and emotional teenagers. Homeschooling through high school undoubtedly has its challenges; however, it is also full of learning, relationships, and so much joy.

You don’t have to be a professional.

I have talked to many homeschool moms who feel especially inadequate in one particular subject: science. Whether you’re worried that you aren’t “smart enough” or you think your child needs traditional science courses with boring textbooks, I am writing to encourage you that no one needs to be afraid to tackle this subject with your high schooler. You do not need to be a professional scientist; you are most certainly “smart enough.”

Haven’t we all had the privilege of learning many new things as we’ve homeschooled our children? As a first generation homeschooler, I have had the joy of learning science, history, math, and even diagramming in a way that has opened my eyes to the beauty of homeschooling. So as our children learn, we learn alongside them, and we are able to share a genuine excitement of learning with them!

While it is true that you are able to learn any topic you put your mind to, the reality is that as your child goes through the high school years, it isn’t absolutely necessary that you know and understand every topic that comes up in the subject. If you choose your curriculum wisely, you can have access to plenty of help and guidance. Depending on the needs and desires of your child, you can choose a curriculum that is literature-based, online, or more traditional.

Choose and customize curriculum.

Indiana public schools require students to earn a minimum of 2 credits of biology, 2 credits of chemistry, physics, or integrated chemistry/physics, and 2 credits of another science course. As Indiana homeschoolers, we are required to provide an equivalent education and always want to strive for excellence. Most homeschool parents choose to help their student mirror these requirements, and many go above and beyond these.

If your child is interested in pursuing a science-related field in college, you should consider having them take a fourth year of science in whatever topic delights them the most. Two of my sons took astronomy as their fourth science course, another son took kinesiology and nutrition, and my daughter took anatomy. There are so many options to choose from! If your child is especially driven and desires to obtain college credit while in high school, another option for their fourth year of science is to take an AP course (aphomeschoolers.com is a popular option) or take advantage of dual enrollment, either locally or online.

In order to determine what specific curriculum is best for your child, you need to first consider what your goals are. Do you want to present the “gist” of each of the core science subjects of biology, chemistry, and physics? Or do you or your child want to dive deep into the subject for a more rigorous preparation of college-level science? A large part of what curriculum you choose will depend on whether your child has an interest in math and science or not. There is no need to overwhelm yourself or them with a math-centered curriculum if they struggle with math. There are wonderful options that do not require any math.

Make labs work for you.

Another stumbling block that many moms face is that most high school science subjects involve hands-on lab experiments. There is no need to worry about the science laboratory portion! Most curricula offer an optional kit so that you have all the materials in one box ready to go. Some of the kits can be expensive, but often there are several students going through the same subject at the same time, so sharing is a great option.

Even better, why not organize a group of students that can meet throughout the year and do the labs together? An adult would need to be present, but that role can be as simple as making sure all the materials are together and guiding the students through the procedure, which should be clearly spelled out in the curriculum. If you feel comfortable, you could add an aspect of teaching and/or answering questions. In my experience, high school students have been very capable of going through the lessons on their own at home. Ideally, they come to the lab class prepared and with the knowledge necessary for the experiment. So it is not necessary for you to be an expert in the topic!

My personal experience includes leading three of my children and a group of their peers through high school chemistry when they reached their junior year. (I used a different curriculum each time!) Each group included approximately ten students. My major was chemistry in college, so it was natural for me to offer to lead a lab class for our local homeschool community.

For several years before this, other homeschool moms who discovered that I actually enjoyed chemistry would ask me to please teach chemistry to their kids. I certainly had the desire to teach this subject, and while I had forgotten much of the chemistry I had learned in college (like so many other subjects!), I felt confident I could relearn it relatively quickly.

What I soon found out, once I got started with my first son’s class, was that meeting for a lab class every other week did not allow me the time to actually teach anything. I was simply guiding the students through the already organized experiments. Just as the curriculum presents everything to the students, the curriculum provides what the mom needs to know too.

As much as I had the ability to teach chemistry, I had to acknowledge that the students were just as capable of learning independently from the curriculum. You, as the leader/facilitator/mom, only need to be aware of how to find the answers when questions are asked. And some curricula will offer more hand-holding than others if that’s what you need.

Although most people assume that high school sciences must include a laboratory portion, a hands-on, in-person lab is not necessarily required. One of my sons, who loves reading and writing more than math and science, took notes in his lab journal while watching the accompanying lab videos for his biology course instead of performing the experiments and dissections himself. For a child who is a more kinesthetic learner, it would be more important for him or her to perform the hands-on experiments themselves.

Start researching.

It can often be helpful to have a jumping off point for exploring different curricula out there. I have compiled a science curricula chart which lays out various science curricula that I have come across in my years of homeschooling. This is not an exhaustive list; these are just ideas to get you started with your research. You’ll need to consider the unique needs and giftedness of each of your children as you choose how to navigate high school science. But remember that each curriculum is just a resource—a guide to lead us to the One who made all things orderly and perfect. His creation is waiting for us to search out its secrets with curiosity and wonder! Praise the Lord for homeschooling!

Note: On mobile, table below is best viewed in landscape mode.