Real Science 4 Kids: A Homeschool Science Curriculum Review

This Real Science 4 Kids review comes from a seasoned homeschool mom who uses this homeschool science curriculum on a daily basis. Read on for what I love and don’t love.

Welcome to Friday Favorites! Weekly posts in which I share some of my favorite things. These are things that help me as I chase those moments with my family. I’m so excited to share them with you!

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Around the first of the year every year, I begin thinking about the next year’s homeschool curriculum. I have found that I have time to shop around and can find and take advantage of the best deals if I start early. For the last few years, I have managed to have almost all of my curriculum purchased and lined up for the next school year by the end of March.

I don’t know about you, but I get so excited about new school books! Maybe I’m just a nerd, but opening up and flipping through new books fills me with anticipation, hope, and ideas for the upcoming year. Implemented or not, new schedules and fresh plans are fun for my wannabe organized self.

If anyone ever thinks homeschooling mamas have it easy, they have obviously never had to make curriculum decisions! The responsibility to give my kids a well-rounded, solid education weighs heavily on me every day. My kids need to be challenged without drudgery, engaged but not babied. Their studies need to be inspiring and interesting so they will want to learn and be willing to work hard on the difficult days.

I am always tweaking things here and there based off of each child’s needs for the coming school year. One of the beauties of homeschooling is its ability to be uniquely tailored to each child’s individual learning strengths/weaknesses and interests. It feels like I am always researching new curriculum to find the best fits each year.

What is Real Science 4 Kids?

One homeschool science curriculum I discovered early on in my search for something to fit all these specifications is Real Science 4 Kids. Although many of our subjects have changed year to year, this one has not. We have been loving Real Science 4 Kids since day one.

What makes this science curriculum different from others is the idea of introducing kids to “real science” from the get go. First graders learn about chemistry, physics, biology, geology, and astronomy. Proper terms such as atoms, matter, energy, force, etc. are used and defined in appropriate grade-level terms. With these subjects and terminologies familiar and understood from an early age, advanced science is not intimidating and is very comprehensible.

I grew up using a big named Christian curriculum for science in school. (I will not say the name because the purpose of this post is not to bash other curriculums but to review Real Science 4 Kids.) It focused a lot on apologetics and origin ideologies. I could spout out why evolution was the wrong belief concerning the world’s origin with the best of them.

But when I got to college, I discovered my factual science education had been lacking. I struggled to understand “real” science like physics and chemistry. I also knew someone who used the same curriculum I had used and had always wanted to go into a science-based career field. Upon entering college, they realized that they couldn’t handle the advanced science concepts necessary because they just weren’t there as a foundation.

Enter Real Science 4 Kids. The author – Rebecca (Keller) Woodbury, a Christian herself – encountered the same issue when she began homeschooling her children. She could not find a curriculum that focused on teaching kids “real” science from kindergarten on up. So, being a science educator, she decided to address this issue by writing her own. As a worldview neutral science curriculum, Real Science 4 Kids does not touch on origin at all. It focuses primarily on the practical aspects of science while leaving ample room for families to teach their own beliefs regarding Earth’s origin.

Real Science 4 Kids has two programs for teaching science. There is the Focus On track and the Building Blocks Track.

Focus On Series

In the Focus On series, each of the five main branches of science are studied individually in semester-long unit studies. With an elementary level and middle school level, groups and large families can learn together even with different grades represented.

Many families love to study with all ages together. It helps things run more smoothly and is less chaotic for mom and dad. You can direct different grade levels to go into different depths with the experiments. And, it only means one experiment per week rather than several. I like that!

Also, if you are teaching in a co-op setting, the Focus On Series of Real Science 4 Kids is perfect. It is designed to be done in a group. Kids can work together and learn from one another.

I have not personally used this series with my kids. While doing some subjects with all of my children together is easier and preferable, I have found that I like science to be done individually. I can go as in-depth as I need to with each child on his or her own level and pace. I feel like the younger ones learn more when the older ones are not spouting out all the answers for them.

Building Blocks Series

The Building Blocks program is more grade specific, with each “block” of science studied in the same book throughout the course of a school year. Each grade level builds and expands upon what was learned the previous year.

This program is the one that my family uses. For the younger grades, I read the textbook aloud one day and we do the experiment together another day. For the older grades, the kids read the chapters themselves and do the experiments themselves as well. The experiments are simple enough for the older kids to do alone with just some guidance and supply gathering from me.

I have found that the Building Blocks series goes more in depth with each subject because it is written in an individual, grade-specific way. Each section introduces the particular “block” of science and gives a history of that field of study. It talks about historical scientists and the progress they made in that field.

*Edit*

In the comments below I state to a reader that I have not used the extra note booking pages Real Science 4 Kids has available for download. That statement is no longer true. I now have used them for every grade level and consider them a rich addition to a week’s study of science. Grades 1-3 have full-color pages that are interactive and fun. Grades 5-7 have black and white pages that also include fun additions and more critical thinking. We use the note booking pages each week after completing the experiment to round out our understanding of the concepts.

A week’s schedule looks something like this:

Day 1 – Read the chapter

Days 2-4(ish) – Do the experiment (It may take more or less. We often only spend one day on the experiment.)

Day 5 – Do the note booking pages.

Pros

• Both tracks of this homeschool science curriculum are set up with a simple experiment to help illustrate and expand upon what was covered in each chapter. The experiments use regular household items almost completely and are easy to set up and perform.
• I have been so pleased with the level of science education my kids receive from Real Science 4 Kids. I love how this particular homeschool science curriculum teaches “real” science. My kids know scientific terminology. They are constantly performing their own experiments in play based off what they have learned. And they ask deep questions about the world.

• The chapters are written in an easy to understand way, using kid-friendly font, language, and examples. The pictures are bright, colorful, and often funny. My younger kids don’t want me to turn the page until they have thoroughly looked through the pictures and read the comics (yes, I said comics!).
• My kids love science. That is good enough to have it’s own point! They get excited about experiment day and enjoy the chapters in the textbook.
• Also, I appreciate the fact that it is written in a worldview-neutral way. It does not push any particular religious or political viewpoint but, rather, leaves ample room for parents to incorporate their own family’s beliefs into their study of science.

I have found that so many homeschool science curriculums spend more time instructing kids in Christian apologetics than actually teaching the facts of science. While I do want my kids to have a biblical perspective on the world, I also want their education to be the best that it can be. If they want to enter a scientific field as adults, they need to have a strong science background. I like that Real Science 4 Kids provides that strong scientific education and trusts me as the parent to incorporate our family’s beliefs into their study.

Cons

There aren’t many cons to this homeschool science curriculum, but I would be remiss not include the few that there are.

• While most of the experiments are simple and use common household items, some do require special supplies and/or equipment. I have found, though, that most of these experiments can easily be substituted for others teaching the same principle.

See my post about an easy homemade rocket for kids for such an illustration. Also, Real Science 4 Kids sells a Super Simple Science Experiments book for each category of science separately from the curriculum if you need alternate ideas or your kids crave more experiment fun.

• Some of the experiments take a good bit of time. Maybe it’s just me being lazy, but sometimes I don’t feel like doing a big science experiment that week. We will get behind a little in the book because we need to finish the lesson with the experiment but Mama doesn’t want to do it this week because of the time it will take. See I told you it was me being lazy! I’m sure none of you will have this problem.
• It only goes through 7th grade. I know, I know. Not a huge deal. But I’m going to have to find another homeschool science curriculum when my kids get to high school! It will be hard to find one that meets the standards I’m used to with Real Science 4 Kids.

Conclusion

Each of my children have loved science so far and get excited for their experiments each week. That kind of excitement about educational things speaks for itself! And is why am excited to share about this homeschool science curriculum with you as part of my Friday Favorites!

To check out Real Science 4 Kids for yourself follow this link to their homepage. I have reviewed my favorite language arts curriculum as well! Click here to see my honest opinion of Logic of English. And my review of The Good and the Beautiful as well as several chapter books. You can find them all over on the Reviews page.

Amazon has some science supplies for kids that go great with the curriculum, like this microscope! I love that it has a hard carrying case to keep everything safe and organized. Quite a few of the experiments require a microscope. Click on the image to go straight to this awesome one! If you’re not an Amazon Prime member, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial here and get free shipping!

Did you enjoy science growing up? Do your kids love science? What are some ways you have used to inspire a love for the next generation of scientists in your family? Hit me up in the comments or by email! I’d love to hear from you!

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