Got a budding scientist and don’t know how to help them? Check out these ideas for some science help for your homeschooler.

Science Help For Homeschoolers

Disclosure: I had the wonderful opportunity to learn about College Prep Science in preparation of this post and was compensated for my time and sharing of their courses. All opinions are honest – I want to help YOU in your choice of homeschool curriculum!

Science Help For Your Homeschooler

Do you ever feel like your kids are better at science than you are?

If you never majored in science yourself, at some point you’re probably going to feel like your kids need a little bit more help with science than you can give. And that’s ok. We can’t be all things to our kids. You’re not meant to do all the things all on your own.

It’s helpful to have a few resources in your back pocket so you’ll know what to do when your homeschoolers need a little bit more science help.

How To Help Your Homeschooler With Science

Science is often one of the most exciting parts of homeschooling – especially for the younger years. And while I love a good Magic School Bus Science Kit as much as the next homeschool mom, at some point we want to get into the more advanced and serious science studies as our kids get older.

Also, sometimes our younger kids are showing aptitudes for science beyond their current curriculum and we want to keep them interested and stimulated. So how do you help your advanced homeschooler with science?

My 10 year daughter is really into chemistry right now. She wants to learn more than her curriculum is teaching her, but she’s not quite ready for high school level chemistry. We’ve tried some chemistry kits from Amazon, but most use the same approach – they take a few basic experiments and break them down into multiple smaller steps, then advertise “Hundreds of Engaging Chemistry Experiments Your Kids Will Love.” Many kits end up being over-promising, under-delivering, wastes of money.

If you’ve ever shared my frustration in wanting to go deeper with your kids’ science studies, but you don’t know how to get the science help for your homeschoolers that you really need, please read on.

Here are 4 ideas to help your budding scientist get some real science experience:

#1 Interest Directed Projects To Help Your Homeschooler With Science

One of the best things about homeschooling is following your kids natural interests. Here’s where our mom superpowers come in! Spend some time figuring out what science subjects light up your child, then use those interests to help your kiddo dive deeper. Who knows? You might be growing a career scientist! Here are a few ideas to unlock your kids’ potential:

Use Free Printables from websites that were created by real scientists: Once you know what science subjects your kids love, look into websites created by science teachers. They often have science freebies that are real science lessons instead of science themed teasers. For example, Greg Landry’s College Prep Science offers free science lessons in Ancestry, Muscles, Time Zones, & Viruses.

Host a Homeschool Science Fair: One of my all time favorite things to help my kids dig deeper into a science subject is to host our own Science Fair at home. Pair a dollar store project board with a research paper and an model component, and you can lead your kids of any age through research, discovery, related experiments, and relaying their findings – all in one big project. You can even use my free Homeschool Science Fair Project Guide to help you with this!

Homeschool Science Help

Use TPT Wisely: There are so many great resources on TeachersPayTeachers, but finding ones that legitimately open up advanced science concepts can be tricky. My best tip for using TPT for science help is to search for very specific science concepts and go from there. Instead of searching general terms like “marine biology” go with more specific terms and ideas like “marine invertebrates.”

#2 Homeschool Science Classes Online

Online classes are an essential part of getting that advanced instruction for your homeschoolers. Sites like Outschool and Udemy offer some good options, but it can be difficult to find the right classes for your student’s level. It’s also tough to find the good teachers and class structures in their sea of offerings.

College Prep Science Is Real Science Help For Homeschooling Families

College Prep Science is a great resource for online science classes. If your student is seriously interested in science, I highly recommend spending the time to go through all of Greg Landry’s classes and give your child an opportunity to take an in depth science class.

College Prep Science has live classes, and self-paced courses. Their classes span multiple subjects including:
- Biology
- Life Prep Biology
- Chemistry
- Life Prep Chemistry
- Life Prep Conceptual Physics
- Human Anatomy & Physiology
- Life Prep Geometry
- Life Prep Consumer Math
- Pre-Anatomy & Physiology
- Pre-Chemistry
- Pre-Biology
- Pre-Physics
- Marine Science
..and more!

#3 Real Homeschool Science Labs

Nothing beats real hands-on labs when your kids are learning science. However, finding great lab kits can be a challenge. While themed boxed lab kits in your local learning store can look exciting and appeal as a great birthday kit for a science minded kiddo, they often miss the mark. Need help finding a science kit for your homeschool? One of our favorite sources for all things science lab materials is Home Science Tools. If you want to finally get your hands on some real laboratory kits, definitely check out Home Science Tools.

Get help with science labs using a virtual laboratory.

If you’re looking for an alternative to buying beakers and graduated cylinders galore, try a virtual laboratory. Skip the mess and breakables all over the place and take advantage of the College Prep Science online virtual lab. Your student will follow lab procedures, complete daily assignments, experiments, and create lab reports. Learn proper procedures and critical thinking through their Biology / Anatomy, Chemistry, and Physics virtual labs.

#4 In Person, Real World Experiences

There’s nothing quite like in person learning. If you’re homeschooler is really showing an aptitude for a particular science field, finding some in person opportunities for them can literally change their lives.

Local Audobon Societies Got a bird enthusiast? Search for your local Audobon Society for some real life birding experiences.
Local Zoos & Aquariums Many zoos and aquariums have great hands on experiences for students of all ages. You might even be able to land your kid an awesome volunteer position that make a huge impact on their life.
Local College Planetariums & Observatories Local colleges often have resources that are available to the public, including observatories that are open to all. Get some time in with a larger than life telescope at a local college.
In Person Science Camps:
- Biology / Anatomy & Physiology 2 Day Lab Intensive: Learn data college, proper lab and experiment procedures and critical thinking while evaluating autopsies, forensic cases, DNA, blood types, the respiratory system, the cardiovascular system, and much more.
- Pre-Med Camp: Learn medical, anatomy, & physiology through organ dissections, forensic case simulations, simulated surgery, wound stitching and medical injections with synthetic tissue, urinalyses, use stereoscopes and microscopes, reflex experiments, vision experiments, and much more.
- Marine Science Camp: Includes a touch lab with squid dissection, building a Remotely Operated Vehicle for Sea Lab deployment, launching a drifter to study ocean currents, coastal habitat exploration, wetland marsh ecology, coastal oceanography, sea lab aquarium visit, Audobon Bird Sanctuary, and much more.

Science camps to help your homeschoolers

If you and your kiddos are itching to get into the “real” science you’ve been craving, I hope you’ll try some of these ideas. Not sure where to start? Head on over to College Prep Science and sign up for an online class, in-person lab intensive or science camp, or give their virtual online laboratory a try. A quick glance at their science freebies will help you see the quality of their classes and materials.

If you want even more help with science, give a quick read to my post, Serious Science Resources For Homeschoolers.

What have been your favorite science resources for your family? Comment below or join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.

Blessings,

Christy