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Before I became The HomeScholar (and before I began homeschooling) I was a nurse. I loved being a nurse. I loved biology and chemistry. I'm a homescho...

Do not shy away from the creation-evolution debate. While not critical to teach to younger children, high school students need to have some understanding on both sides of the debate.  Although we didn't shy away from the debate in our homeschool, I wish I had covered the topic even more. Students need to become informed so they can provide reasoned arguments  for their beliefs. Without understanding the issues, they can't reasonably form their own belief system. They need...

Science classes don't have to be restricted to biology, chemistry, and physics. Does your child have a fascination with the creatures of the sea? Why not let them study Marine Biology in your homeschool? This post contains affiliate links. If you click and buy I may make a few pennies, but not enough for a latte. Science is definitely important in high school. Let me teach you the 9 other critical courses to study before graduation in...

This post contains affiliate links. If you click and buy I make a few pennies, but not enough for a latte. Your child has already taken biology and chemistry classes in your homeschool. What kind of science options outside the box can you come up with next? Unless your child has excelled in math, physics may not be a good option. High school physics is very math-based, and unless your child has completed pre-calculus, I don't recommend...

Are Apologia science textbooks rigorous enough for college-bound students?  Sure, they are popular with homeschoolers, but how GOOD are they as science books? Are Apologia science textbooks fairly rigorous, for college-bound students?  I've heard a few conflicting reports...~Jill in SeattleApologia is a very rigorous college prep series.  I don't usually recommend specific curriculum, because I know it's all about "fit" more than a textbook.  When it comes to science, though, I had such success with the...

Fun resources for kids who are interested in becoming engineers. High School Classes at MITCollege Level Classes at MIT (My son Kevin said "I would recommend this for bright homeschoolers")Stanford Engineering EverywhereTryengineering.orgTryengineering.org is a resource for students, their parents, their teachers and their school counselors. This is a portal about engineering and engineering careersIntel International Science and Engineering Fair Intel has an international pre-college science competition for students in grades 9–12.Design SquadAlthough it looks a little...

Homeschoolers tend to think that there are actually 13 commandments, and that biology, chemistry, and physics are the extra three.  It’s not true! You can branch out when you teach science!  There is astronomy, geology, botany, robotics, astronomy, ornithology… you name it!  Now probably colleges would like to see at least one of the standard sciences. If your child wants to go into a scientific profession then biology, chemistry, and physics might be important.  But for...

Apologia Science is Great College Preparation This post contains affiliate links. If you click and buy I may make a few pennies, but not enough for a latte.img class="aligncenter wp-image-14863" alt="Apologia Science" src="https://hhhblogs.s3.amazonaws.com/2012/08/apologia.png" width="553" height="414" Apologia Science is a very rigorous college preparation series. I don't usually recommend specific curriculum because I know it's more about how it fits your child than the textbook or curriculum itself. When it comes to science, though, we had such...

What do you do if your student needs to take a class that is way out of your comfort zone. We all have that subject, don't we? This video shares how I "taught" physics.Whether you teach the classes or not, learn how to translate all those great homeschool high school classes into the words and numbers that colleges will understand.  Get the Total Transcript Solution.

Colleges want to see three sciences and at least one science lab, but you still have a lot of freedom within those requirements.My daughter has expressed interest in studying Botany for this year (she's a freshman) instead of studying a traditional Biology course.  I have found a great course for her as well as additional supplemental materials.  I want to make sure before I purchase the materials that our course will be accepted by colleges/universities as...

Strategies for teaching your geeky homeschool student. Subscribe to my YouTube channel. You will be notified when I create new videos on homeschool high school topics!

The Road to Independent Learning: Homeschool Science Independent learning is a process, and being able to work independently on biology usually comes along early in that process. I've seen children successfully learn biology on their own, my own two sons included. I am happy to share how we did it - just remember that every child and family is unique.We used Apologia Biology. I had a list of assignments that told my children what pages to read...

Do the kids have to have Physics or could they take Advanced Chemistry instead? My daughter doesn't have any desire at all to take  Physics and would rather take Advanced Chemistry instead. She is planning on going to college for Pre-Law so I didn't see any problem with that, but wasn't sure what colleges expect. Should I call her top 4 choices for school before getting her book to get her going on it?~ Anita in...

Homeschool parents of budding engineers, listen up! Engineering is a LOT of fun, but a future in engineering requires some math and science.My 14 year old will be participating in the First Lego League in which he will 1) Build and program a small robot to accomplish challenges and 2) investigate a research topic then prepare a presentation. Both activities culminate in a competition with other teams at a regional tournament. This is to build science,...

Why would anyone skip Biology Lab? What could possibly be more fun than dissecting critters and peeping through a microscope, and what is a lab science anyway?Biology lab can be a lot of fun, but it's also fairly expensive, which is something I discuss in my Special Report, 7 Secrets to Homeschooling Though a Financial Storm. Holly read the report and had a follow up question.Dear Lee,I just read your special report and think it was...