You know what some of the most high-interest subjects with young kids are? Science topics. Young children want to know how and why things work. One of our favorite unit studies ever was on the human body. Little kids love learning about their bodies – space and bugs and volcanoes and…

That’s why books and shows such as The Magic School Bus and The Magic Treehouse are so popular. The “magic” is science. (And sometimes history with The Magic Schoolbus.)

How Science Becomes Boring

Then, kids get to middle school and high school level, and science becomes boring. It’s not that the magic changes. It’s that we have a tendency to suck all the fun out of it – especially at the high school level.

I’m one of those kids who actually enjoyed high school biology – and I bet I’m not alone – but many teens do not enjoy middle school and high school level science.

There are three ways that we manage to take an amazing topic like science and make it boring.

1. Switching from captivating books to dry textbooks
2. Not offering enough hands-on learning
3. Trying to squeeze teens into a college-bound box, rather than allowing interest-led exploration

There are ways to teach middle school and high school science without draining all the life out of otherwise fascinating topics.

Alternatives to Science Textbooks

Unless you are a particularly science-minded parent, it’s probably difficult to teach the subject without a textbook at all. However, that doesn’t mean you have to depend on it exclusively. Instead, use the book as your spine and:

Supplement with videos. We’ve used and enjoyed Biology 101 and Chemistry 101. We also really enjoy most of the Crash Course videos. (Parents may want to preview these.) And, of course, you can check your local library, Netflix, or Amazon Prime options.

Supplement with books. Let’s just say I wish I’d known about Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas the first time we studied genetics. Yes, it’s a book for younger kids, but don’t discount those. Juvenile books can make a great quick reference book for older kids (and adults) because they tend to strip down the information to the bare essentials making it easy to understand.

You can also add in other types of living books and field guides.

Try online classes. Online courses offer video-based, interactive lessons. If the online classes are live, students also have the opportunity to work with other homeschooled kids. Some resources for live online classes include My Fun Science, CurrClick Live, Apologia Live, and The Academy at Bright Ideas Press (both live and self-paced classes).

Last year, Megan study astronomy with the Experience Astronomy online course. It’s not a live course, but once it starts, a new video lesson comes out each week. There is a field guide with hands-on activities to do with most lessons and a weekly quiz – and I didn’t have to teach anything!

Consider dual enrollment. Yes, dual enrollment will probably bring you back around to dry textbooks, but the class options may offer more variety and be more appealing than what you’re able to provide in your homeschool.

Options for Hands-on Middle School and High School Science

Hands-on science activities can get more expensive – and dangerous – as kids reach middle school and high school age. Still, science labs and experiments are a huge part of keeping the magic of science alive. Try the following ideas for continuing hands-on learning in middle school and high school.

Purchase the right supplies. By the time your teens are in high school, gone are the days when you could complete science lab with household supplies. It’s a good idea to determine what you really need and invest in quality supplies when you can.

Home Science Tools sells a wide variety of science supplies for homeschoolers. We’ve purchased beakers and test tubes from them. They also sell lab kits for many popular science programs, such as Apologia, REAL Science Odyssey, Switched-on-School, and BJU.

Christian Book Distributors is another great resource for Apologia science kits. It’s also where we bought our microscope. You might also try a subscription service like MEL Chemistry.

Try a Co-op. Co-ops are a great option for science lab classes because they usually have all the pricey equipment (like microscopes and Bunsen burners) and can often get group discounts on other supplies.

You don’t have to do a large co-op, though. You can get together once a week with another family or two for science labs, with the students doing the other work on their own at home. That’s an excellent way to stay accountable and share the cost of supplies.

Look for options online. If you absolutely can’t do a lab yourself, there is likely a YouTube video you can watch. There are lots of virtual dissection options online, and this interactive period table is pretty cool.

Seek out local options. Check for intern, volunteer, or student programs at zoos, aquariums, farms, marine centers, veterinary offices, etc.

Alternatives to Traditional High School Science

One mistake many homeschooling parents (including me) make is trying to force teens into a traditional mold once it’s time to start considering high school credits. Not every teen – even those who are college-bound – needs to take biology, chemistry, and physics.

Consider your teen’s interests when planning their high school science courses. Then, check with potential colleges and universities to see what other science courses are acceptable for incoming freshmen.

Some alternate science courses to consider are:

• Marine Biology
• Botany
• Zoology
• Astronomy
• Forensic Science
• Animal Sciences
• Meteorology
• Horticulture
• Geology

Most colleges expect to see at least three lab sciences, but there is often room for interest-led learning within those parameters. In addition to providing a more engaging and personalized high school experience, following your teen’s interests with science credit may just help him stand out in the crowd of college applicants.

What are some of the ways you’ve kept middle school and high school science interesting?

Sometimes I discover a homeschooling resource so exciting that I start telling people about it in person long before I publish the actual review. MyFunScience.com is one of those resources. I was telling friends about it at the last homeschool convention I attended.

There are a few reasons that I’m so excited about MyFunScience.com, but one of the biggest is that it fills a need in the homeschooling community. It provides high-quality, live, online STEM courses for middle school and high school students.

What Is MyFunScience.com?

MyFunScience.com is a site offering live, online STEM classes for homeschoolers from a Christian worldview. You probably know, but in case you don’t, STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. And, when your kids hit middle school and high school age, those can be intimidating for a lot of parents.

With MyFunScience.com, your teens can take those upper-level classes in a live classroom setting and ask their questions in person (well, on screen). And you don’t have to teach them. Taught from a Christian worldview, all of the class recordings I saw started with prayer requests and opening prayer.

We weren’t able to fully experience the live classes because the second semester was already in progress and all classes were full. However, we did get to watch recorded versions of several classes.

What Are the Benefits of MyFunScience.com Online Classes?

Set class times provide accountability. Someone tell me that it isn’t just me. Self-paced courses – even those we do at home – are easy to put off or even allow to fall by the wayside. Even with the best intentions, it’s easy to get behind.

I’ve said many times that I don’t think we’d have finished our government class if we hadn’t done it as a co-op with some friends.

A live, online course provides a much greater sense of accountability knowing that class happens at a set day and time each week whether you’re there or not.

It covers difficult-to-teach subjects. MyFunScience.com offers science courses such as biology, chemistry, and physics. There are also upper-level math courses, along with engineering and technology classes and general education classes. Some of these classes are difficult for parents to teach because we found them confusing when we were students.

I’m most excited about biology (which Megan may take in the fall), the life skills class (which she will definitely take in the fall), and psychology (my favorite course from high school and one that I’d love my kids to take).

The life skills class covers some topics that I could easily teach on my own, like laundry and cooking basics. However, it also covers topics that I could stand to learn myself, like:

• Gardening and food preservation
• Plumbing basics
• Household maintenance (water heaters, furnaces, gutters)
• Electricity basics
• Car maintenance – changing the oil and fixing a flat tire

A live instructor can answer student questions. When kids take a live online course, they can ask the instructor their questions. This is particularly helpful when it’s a topic you find confusing or difficult.

And the instructor probably doesn’t even have to make the student wait while she Googles the answer. {gasp}

Live courses allow students to work independently. I mean, I guess technically they’re not working independently (as in on their own), but they don’t need you there for a whole 90 minutes. That means you can work one-on-one with another child, do some exercise, get dinner ready, or just sit on the couch eating bonbons and watching talk shows like people think we do.

The classes provide a group setting without leaving home. The kids in the classes can interact with each other and the instructor through a chat window. In the classes I observed, the kids were asking one another about their spring break and other chit chat before class. You know, socializing.

During the class, they can all participate in group discussions. That’s one of the things I’m most looking forward to when Megan takes a class or two because I’ve seen the benefits during our co-op. Group discussion provides different perspectives and unique points that you don’t get from a textbook.

Live online courses teach kids accountability to someone other than a parent. The students have reading assignments outside their online class time and homework that they’re expected to turn in to their instructor. It’s important for middle school and high school students to learn to meet the deadlines and academic requirements of an instructor other than a parent.

What Are the Features of MyFunScience.com Courses?

The courses rely on easy-to-use platforms. The courses I previewed used Adobe Connect or Blackboard Collaborate. Both are free downloads that are similar in set up. Both feature a video screen where the students can see and hear the instructor, a chat window for students, and a window where the instructor can show PowerPoint-style slides or images, or she can write or type out things for the class.

Students receive a certificate of completion. Upon successfully completing each course, students will receive a certificate of completion. This certificate comes in handy for filling out progress reports, filing with umbrella schools, backing up transcripts, having reviewed, or whatever your state homeschooling laws require.

There are breaks during the classes. Our family hasn’t used a lot of online classes, but none of the ones we did offered a break. That’s a nice feature for someone with a bladder the size of a walnut. The break gives students a chance to go to the bathroom, get a drink, or chat. It also breaks up the class making it easier to focus because, y’all, I’m an adult and I have trouble focusing for a full 90 minutes at a time.

The classes are recorded. It’s all but inevitable that students are going to miss a class at some point. I mean, it’s not like there is a Universal Homeschool Schedule after all. Because the classes are recorded, students don’t have to worry about getting behind when there are scheduling conflicts.

The features and benefits of MyFunScience.com make it an excellent resource for homeschooling families. I’m so excited about it! Maybe my kid will see some of your kids in class next fall.

What MyFunScience courses most interest you?