Choosing the right science curriculum for your homeschool can feel overwhelming, especially when searching for resources that align with a secular perspective. Believe me, this is WHY I created Secular Homeschooler in the first place.
You’re either teaching elementary basics, diving into middle school experiments, or exploring advanced high school or early college concepts. Whichever the case, a well-rounded secular science curriculum is essential in your homeschool. In this ultimate guide, we’ll explore the best options for homeschoolers seeking science resources that are engaging, evidence-based, and free from religious bias.
Our Top Three Secular Favorites
There’s a good handful of secular science resources we recommend, but these are our TOP three favorites. If you skip everything else…check these ones out.
Table of Contents
REAL Science Odyssey by Pandia Press
R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey (RSO) is a fantastic secular science curriculum for homeschoolers, combining engaging written lessons with hands-on labs and activities. Through courses like Life and Biology, students explore topics such as the human body, the plant kingdom, and the animal kingdom while developing critical thinking skills by observing, hypothesizing, experimenting, and concluding.
A major perk of RSO is the ability to test it out before purchasing. I’ve purchased so many programs that I didn’t end up using or totally vibing with. I’ve even purchased curriculum that I thought was fantastic, but my kids didn’t want to work with it. So the Try Before You Buy feature is great for ensuring it fits your family’s homeschool needs without the risk of wasted investment.
Secular Topics Covered: Chemistry, Astronomy, Earth & Environment, Physics, Biology, & Life Science
MEL Science Kits
MEL Science offers an innovative, hands-on science curriculum ideal for homeschoolers seeking an interactive and engaging learning experience. Their subscription-based kits provide everything needed for exciting experiments in chemistry, physics, and beyond, complete with detailed instructions and online lessons.
Designed for learners aged 5 to 16+, MEL Science combines practical activities with virtual reality simulations to deepen understanding of complex scientific concepts. With a focus on evidence-based, secular content, this program is perfect for fostering curiosity and a love of discovery while meeting the needs of diverse homeschool learning styles.
Outschool Live Science Courses
Outschool offers a wide range of live, secular courses designed to make science engaging and fun for homeschoolers. Taught by experienced educators, these interactive classes cover everything from biology and chemistry to astronomy and environmental science. With flexible scheduling and small group sizes, Outschool makes it easy to find courses that fit your child’s interests and learning needs.
Best of all, their secular approach ensures that the content is rooted in evidence-based science, perfect for homeschool families seeking high-quality education without religious influence.
Moving Beyond the Page
Moving Beyond the Page offers a comprehensive, secular homeschool science curriculum designed to engage students through hands-on activities and interdisciplinary learning. Their program covers key scientific disciplines—biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science—using a spiraling approach that revisits topics with increasing complexity across different age levels.
This method ensures a deep understanding of concepts over time. The curriculum emphasizes experiential learning, encouraging students to explore scientific principles through experiments and projects that connect science to real-world contexts. Additionally, Moving Beyond the Page integrates science with language arts and social studies, providing a holistic educational experience that fosters critical thinking and a love for discovery.
Mystery Science
Mystery Science is a secular science curriculum offering engaging, hands-on lessons for elementary students. Aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), it provides open-and-go lessons that encourage students to think like scientists through storytelling, discussions, and explorations.
Each lesson includes captivating videos and simple hands-on activities using common household items, making it accessible and easy to implement for homeschool families. Mystery Science is designed to be flexible and user-friendly, requiring minimal preparation time, which is ideal for homeschooling parents.
Its secular approach ensures that the content is evidence-based and free from religious bias, making it a valuable resource for those seeking a comprehensive science curriculum.
Next Level Homeschool
"Every lesson begins with a Mystery that hooks your students. I then narrate an unforgettable story told with stunning images and videos and punctuated with opportunities for discussion. Every lesson concludes with simple hands-on activities designed to use supplies you already have (or are easy to get)."
Next Level Homeschool offers a diverse array of secular science courses tailored for homeschoolers aged 9 to 17. Their curriculum spans subjects such as marine zoology, biology, astronomy, earth science, and chemistry, emphasizing rigorous academics combined with hands-on projects to foster a deep understanding of scientific concepts.
Unique offerings include specialized classes like “Shark Month” and “Harry Potter Genetics,” providing engaging and innovative learning experiences. Students have the flexibility to work at their own pace with support from experienced educators, making it an excellent choice for families seeking comprehensive and secular science education.
CK12.org, Robust Secular Evolution Lessons
CK-12 Foundation offers a comprehensive suite of free, customizable, and secular science resources suitable for homeschoolers. Their FlexBooks® 2.0 platform provides interactive digital textbooks covering a wide range of scientific topics, including evolution.
These resources are aligned with educational standards and feature engaging content such as videos, simulations, and adaptive practice exercises to enhance understanding. For example, the “Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection” lesson in the CK-12 Biology
FlexBook® 2.0 delves into the principles of evolution, supported by interactive elements to facilitate learning. Additionally, CK-12’s materials are accessible across various devices, ensuring flexibility for diverse homeschooling environments.
Oak Meadow High School Science
Oak Meadow provides a secular high school science curriculum encompassing courses such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Environmental Science.
Their programs are designed to encourage critical thinking and analysis, focusing on scientific and observational approaches to phenomena. For instance, the high school biology course covers topics like natural selection and evolution, aligning with mainstream scientific theories.
This approach ensures that students receive a comprehensive science education free from religious bias, making Oak Meadow a suitable choice for those seeking secular homeschooling options.
Everything You Need to Know...(Secular) Science Edition!
“Everything You Need to Ace Science in One Big Fat Notebook” is a comprehensive study guide designed for middle school students, covering topics from scientific investigation and the engineering design process to the Periodic Table, forces and motion, forms of energy, outer space, earth sciences, biology, body systems, and ecology.
The book presents key concepts in an accessible format, featuring highlighted definitions, illustrative doodles, mnemonic devices, and quizzes to reinforce learning.
While the publisher, Workman Publishing, doesn’t explicitly label the book as secular, its content aligns with standard middle school science curricula, focusing on evidence-based scientific principles without religious perspectives. This makes it a suitable resource for secular homeschoolers seeking a thorough and engaging science guide.
Click here to grab it from Amazon US, UK, or Canada.
Scientific Connections Through Inquiry, a New Secular Curriculum
The makers of SCI teamed up with the writer of Building Foundations for Scientific Learning (See Volume I, grades K-2, Volume II grades 3-5, and Volume III, grades 6-8) to create a really robust science program that’s totally secular. One of the programs co-authors is actually the creator of Torchlight!
Scientific Connections Through Inquiry (SCI) is a secular science curriculum designed for homeschoolers, focusing on hands-on, inquiry-based learning.
Rooted in the principles of “Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding” by Dr. Bernard Nebel, SCI encourages critical thinking through observation, questioning, and experimentation. The curriculum takes an interdisciplinary approach, connecting scientific concepts across topics like biology, physics, and earth science.
With its interactive lessons and simple materials, SCI is easy to implement and adaptable for different age levels, making it an excellent choice for families seeking a comprehensive and engaging secular science program.
Other Super Secular Science Curriculum Programs:
(See our rating system database for more information. Everything from the following list was pulled from our “Super Secular” ratings.) Updated 10/6/2020. Currently being finished.
- Big History Project (website)
- Big Fat Notebooks
- Bill Nye the Science Guy (tv)
- The Biology Coloring Book by Robert D. Griffin
- Botany Adventure
- Brains On! (podcast)
- Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding (curriculum)
- Canadian Curriculum Books (includes science workbooks)
- Carson-Dellosa Publishing Group (science workbooks)
- The Cartoon Guide Book Series (science books)
- ChemExplained (chemistry website)
- Chemistry, The Great Courses
- Chickee and Roo
- CK-12 (FREE science flex-books)
- Conceptual Chemistry by John Suchocki (curriculum)
- Conceptual Physics by Paul Hewitt (curriculum)
- CPO Science (variety of curriculum programs)
- The Crash Course (YouTube)
- Curiosity Stream (tv)
- Daily Science by GROW Publications (assessment and activities)
- Derek Owns (online)
- Developing Critical Thinking through Science by The Critical Thinking Co.™ (lessons & experiments)
- Discovery Education (videos)
- DKfindout! (series and website)
- Dr. Dave’s Teaching Manuals
- Elemental Journal by Kimberly Bredberg and Sara Evans
- eScience3000
- Exploring Nature with Children (curriculum)
- Exploringnature.org (website)
- Eyewitness Weather by Brian Cosgrove (book)
- Firefly Nature School (printables)
- Friendly Chemistry by Joey and Lisa Hajda (group study)
