I was having such a hard time finding a good homeschool health curriculum that it was actually on my to-do list to either write or piece together my own this year.
I’m so glad Apologia beat me to it! I’m pretty sure my teenager is, too.
I was ecstatic to discover Apologia’s new health course, Exploring Creation with Health and Nutrition. Megan and I agreed that not only did it look like it’d meet our needs for high school health credit, but it also seemed interesting.
Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Health and Nutrition is not only teen-approved, but it’s also my teen’s favorite subject. And, not just this year. It’s her all-time favorite in her entire homeschooled existence. It isn’t the lesser of the evils. She enjoys it! That probably tells you all you need to know and I could end my review right there.
But I won’t. Because, you know, I like to gush about the curriculum we love. Let the gushing begin.
What Is Apologia’s Homeschool Health Course?
Exploring Creation with Health and Nutrition is complete one- to two-semester high school level health course written from a Christian worldview. A beautifully-illustrated (except for the frostbitten toe – that’s kind of gross) hardback book and spiral-bound student notebook guide students through the course.
It’s made up of 15 modules with a suggested schedule of three days each week for a total of 34 weeks.
Topics covered include:
- Genetics and temperament (This one fascinated both of us!)
- Physical influences on thoughts and feeling
- Mental health
- Interpersonal relationships
- Nutrition and hydration
- Diet and exercise
- How the body fights infection
- Sexual reproduction
I love the topics covered in this course! It focuses not just on physical health, but also on emotional, mental, and spiritual health.
Due to several mental health issues we face in our family, I am passionate about removing the stigma associated with mental illness so that people treat them with the same dignity and respect afforded physical illnesses. Apologia’s health course tackles mental health issues openly, honestly, and respectfully.
If you’re a little hesitant about covering the topic of sexual reproduction, don’t worry. Apologia saved it for last. That allows you to skip it if you don’t feel that your student is mature enough for it, or work up your personal fortitude to cover the topic.
I’ll just butt in here and say that they’re learning it somewhere. It might as well be from you with accurate information. They always know more than we think they know. My son may or may not have had to educate a male friend or two on the female menstrual cycle because with two sisters who have no filter he knows way more than he ever wanted to on the subject. {ahem}
Moving along.
What’s So Great About the Homeschool Health and Nutrition Student Notebook?
I’m not sure who loves the student notebook more – Megan or I. Why would I, the parent, care about the student notebook, you ask. Three words: suggested daily schedule.
Yes, the entire schedule for the year is written out for me.
No guessing. No counting pages. Just, “Hey, Megan, it’s Week 4. Pick three days this week to work on the Week 4 activities.” Boom. Lesson planning is complete.
As if the schedule weren’t enough, there is a section for grading that includes:
- A grading rubric for projects
- Samples for figuring grades
- A chart for recording grades (including suggested weights for each grade)
- A spot to figure and record the student’s final grade
Then, there is the rest of the notebook, which is just for students. The section for each module includes:
- Space for taking notes
- The On Your Own questions with room for students to record their answers
- Student projects
- Study guide for the module assessment
Apologia includes the module exams in the back of the student workbook. The answer key for the student workbook is available online, along with other course extras, with the details for accessing located in the textbook.
You can visit Homeschooling 101 to download a free health activity book that contains samples from Health and Nutrition if you want to check it out and get a feel for what the course is like.
Would We Recommend Exploring Creation with Health and Nutrition?
Without a doubt. Well, unless you’re a secular family. If you are, this course probably isn’t for you, but if you’re a Christian family with students in 8th-12th grades, Megan and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this homeschool health course.
Megan says it’s interesting and fun. She said the questions in the student notebook are great for making sure that you read and comprehended the material without being so rigorous that they make you feel stupid.
The projects are thorough and engaging without being time intensive and mentally exhausting. They encourage students to get to know themselves through activities such as food and sleep logs, learning to set boundaries, and beginning an exercise routine. They even encourage teens to do something they’ve never done before such as minor car maintenance or learning to play an instrument.
I like Exploring Creation with Health and Nutrition because it meets our needs for a high school level health class and I didn’t have to write it myself. I love Exploring Creation with Health and Nutrition because Megan loves it. She is engaged and excited. What more could you ask for from homeschool curriculum?
If you’ve got high school students, I encourage you to add this high school health course to your curriculum this year. You can purchase it from Apologia’s website or other homeschool curriculum vendors who carry Apologia products.
Win Apologia’s Health and Nutrition Course
You can also enter to be one of two winners who will receive the Exploring Creation with Health and Nutrition basic set. Follow the directions on the RaffleCopter widget below to enter. This giveaway is administered by Apologia and hosted on multiple blogs.
{Sigh} Well, this is a year too late for us, but the Apologia course sounds like it’s exactly what I was looking for a year ago. I ended up combining two other health programs because I could find one that covered everything I wanted and in the manner I wanted. Oh, well! : )
We almost missed it, too. My youngest is in 11th grade this year. {sigh}