We’ve used Apologia for science for years now, in elementary school and now for high school. Kathryn absolutely LOVED their Marine Biology curriculum so it wasn’t difficult to convince her to use another Apologia curriculum for this year’s science.

See also: how we used Apologia’s Marine Biology in our relaxed homeschool.

We haven’t adhered to Apologia’s recommended prerequisites and that’s been just fine. Marine Biology is a more advanced curriculum than Physical Science, but we did them out of order. In fact, Apologia Physical Science is recommended for middle grades but when it takes students off on learning tangents like Kathryn would veer off to, it’s certainly enough to be a high school level course.

{Note: I received this curriculum in exchange for an honest review.}

Why my high-schooler enjoys Apologia Science:

• written in a conversational tone
• flexible in scheduling
• “On Your Own” questions require some thinking but help cement what you’ve learned so far
• written from a creationist standpoint, but includes what evolutionary scientists think to provide a view of both sides
• fun experiments!

Admittedly, Kathryn did not expect to enjoy Physical Science as much as Marine Biology, but once she got past the first module, she found she quite enjoyed it. Honestly, this surprised me — but science is her favorite subject so I suppose it should’ve have been so surprising.

Some of the topics covered in Apologia Physical Science:

• atoms, molecules, and matter
• the composition of air; air pollution, the ozone layer, and the greenhouse effect
• atmospheric pressure and the layers of the earth’s atmosphere
• the composition of water; hydrogen bonding, and hard/soft water
• the hydrosphere, the lithosphere, and the layers of Earth
• weather predictions, and factors that affect weather
• Newton’s Laws and the physics of motion
• light; waves and sound; and the forces of creation

The experiments included were all relatively easily accomplished at home without any fancy equipment, and many had enough of a “wow” factor that Kathryn did them so that the younger two could watch, even if they wouldn’t understand the science behind the experiment.

Find this curriculum at CBD or on Amazon. Or read more details on Apologia’s site. We used the basic set, and did not find we needed any other materials, but that’s a matter of personal preference.

Next up will most likely be Chemistry, but we haven’t decided for sure on that.

Jamie

Wife, mom, J-ma. Introvert who enjoys good books, sunshine, and authentic conversation. Often seen with a steaming mug of tea in hand – unless it’s lost yet again in the microwave. Read more »