When the girls were younger we used mostly The Good and the Beautiful science units. We’ve done Meteorology, Marine Biology, Energy, Chemistry, Water in Our World, and several others. Some were better than others (Meteorology is still my favorite!), but as our oldest got older, I started wanting something with more substance.
Enter Berean Builders!
I had actually had a couple Berean Builders textbooks for several years, but the text heavy insides turned me off (spoiler – don’t let it do the same to you!). But, then I went to my first homeschool convention and listened to Jay Wile speak and I was immediately a fan. He is a fellow homeschool parent and his passion for homeschooling, science, and God shines through in his presentations so much that you can’t help but just love him. One of his talks was about the importance of learning science in chronological order. So, you learn what the ancient natural philosophers were learning, what they got wrong, and what they got right. I decided to dust off Science in the Ancient World and give it a try and I am so glad I did! If you’ve never heard of Berean Builders, let me introduce you to this wonderful homeschool science curriculum!
What is Berean Builders?
Berean Builders is a comprehensive homeschool science curriculum from a biblical worldview. Their textbooks cover science for kindergarten through high school. No more shopping for science every year! The textbooks are open and go aside from gathering a few supplies, most of which you’ll have around your house. Topics covered in the elementary series vary widely, but include topics like human body systems, optics, physics, chemistry, astronomy, and animal classification, just to name a few. Berean Builders isn’t like most science curriculums on the market because you aren’t going to spend a month talking about the digestive system and then move onto something else. The books cover science topics chronologically through history. So, you and your kids will study and make scientific discoveries in the order the actual natural philosophers did in history. Not only are your kids learning science, but they get to learn about the scientists that discovered so much of what we know today!
What We Love About It
There are so many things I love about using Berean Builders in our homeschool. There is only one textbook (and an optional answer book) to buy each year. That’s right, a high quality science curriculum without breaking the bank! Let’s talk about a few more things that I think you’ll love about this homeschool science curriculum.
Experiments with Every Lesson
It seems like homeschool moms either love science experiments or they hate them. I happen to love them, but even if you don’t – don’t worry! I won’t even call them experiments. Let’s call them activities. Each lesson includes a short activity. These activities are meant to illustrate whatever the scientific discovery is in the lesson or show why the ancient scientists thought the incorrect things they did. Now, these activities are usually very straightforward. In fact, if you have a somewhat independent older elementary student they could probably do most of the experiments without your help. I usually do the activity with my kids, but that’s just because we enjoy it. One kid is usually the “reader” and the other two are the “do-ers”. Sometimes I read, but usually I just help as needed. It’s a great confidence builder for the kids to be able to successfully complete the experiments on their own.
Experiments that are Easy for Younger Kids
As I mentioned before, most of the activities in Berean Builders were written with the elementary age group in mind. The directions are simple. (The last one is always “clean up your mess and put everything away.” Thanks, Jay!) The activities are short and straightforward. And they work!
Age Range Specific Questions
This isn’t a science curriculum where your younger kids are just along for the ride as observers. There are three levels of questions for each lesson! The review questions are broken down into younger, older, and oldest questions. There are usually two questions for the younger kids and they are meant to be answered orally. They tend to be general key terms from the main idea of the lesson.
The older and oldest students are expected to have a science notebook. We use single subject notebooks that I get from the grocery store during their back to school sale for twenty-five cents. Again with the comprehensive science education without breaking the bank! The oldest students complete the “older questions” as well as an extra question that only they do. Often the kids are asked to draw a picture or diagram of the experiment and explain what happened and why. I think this really starts to prepare students for high school when they will be doing lab reports, but in a gentle way that is appropriate for their age.
Goes Along with Our History
We love history in our house. I had actually been looking at how to work in some of the famous ancient scientists into our history curriculum, but just couldn’t find the right way to do it. Berean Builders has done it for me! We’ve talked about Thales, Galileo, Aristotle, Copernicus, and more. We’ve talked about people I had never even heard of before, but it turns out they are responsible for some famous discoveries. I love that Berean Builders takes students on a journey through history as they are learning all of this science material. I mentioned before that it took me so long to try Berean Builders because of the text heavy pages, but I was so wrong. Yes, there is a lot of text, but Dr. Wile has written it in such an easy to read and understand, conversational tone that the reading so very enjoyable.
Mostly Common Materials Used
Every homeschool mom knows the dreaded feeling of looking for some obscure science material only to find that, while you only need one tablespoon, it is only available in 32 ounce bottles for thirty bucks! Well, that won’t happen with this elementary science curriculum! The materials needed are usually things you already have around your house – cardboard, scissors, string, tape, marbles, jars, water, vinegar, food coloring, etc. I think we’ve had to buy tennis balls and maybe one or two other things…in almost two years. Not bad!
Great Materials List in beginning of book
If you are the type who likes to plan ahead, there is a complete list at the beginning of each book of all the supplies you will need for each lesson. I try to look at it one unit at a time (each book has 4 units) and see if there is anything I need to make sure I have for the upcoming lessons.
Large Variety of Topics
As I mentioned before, we have done several science units from The Good and the Beautiful before switching to Berean Builders. Each of those units was all about one topic. Twelve lessons about marine biology or reptiles, amphibians, and fish or water, etc. But, since Jay Wile has written his science curriculum to go chronologically, you jump around from topic to topic. Nobody will get bored or tired of talking about the same thing over and over. Now, you might have a couple lessons about astronomy in a row, for example, when you are studying Nicolaus Copernicus because there are several different things he discovered. But, then you move onto something else. Often, since future scientists built off of the work of past scientists you will revisit a topic later and update what was known about it as more was discovered. My kids love this part of the curriculum. We get to see what they knew when and how the technology available at the time led them to believe certain things that we know today not to be true.
Answer Book
If you are not a confident homeschool parent when it comes to science Berean Builders has got you covered. Each book has a “Helps & Hints” book available with all the answers to the review questions.
Berean Builders for Elementary Science
This elementary science curriculum covers scientific discoveries from the dawn of creation up to the early 1900s. That’s a lot of material! The material is broken down into five books, which are meant to last up to 5th or 6th grade. If you are starting with a younger child you can easily take your time and make a book last longer than one school year. Then, as your child(ren) grow and you do science more often, move to completing a book each year. Each book contains 90 lessons. There are some “read” challenge lessons, which Dr. Wile says are not essential, but more enrichment and can easily be skipped if you are pressed for time in your school year.
Science in the Beginning
This book uses the days of creation to introduce scientific topics such as light, energy, air and water, zoology, botany, our solar system, and more.
Science in the Ancient World
Covering natural philosophers from 600 BC to AD 1500s, this second book in the elementary science series covers scientific discoveries of the time period as well as a few incorrect scientific assumptions and ideas of the time. Some of the topics covered include human anatomy, music, combustion, density, water flow, erosion, and more!
Science in the Scientific Revolution
Continuing the series in chronological order, Science in the Scientific Revolution covers the work of scientists from 1543 to the end of the 1600s. We are using this book while we study early modern history, so that some of the dates coincide with our history events. We can see what was happening in science when Jamestown was being settled, etc.
Science in the Age of Reason
Covering scientific contributions from the 1600s to the early 1800s, Science in the Age of Reason covers topics such as astronomy, geology, human physiology, electricity, and more. This would also be a good book to use during early modern history.
Science in the Industrial Age
This is the last book in the elementary series and covers science discoveries from the early 1800s to the early 1900s. Evolution, chemistry, geology, sound waves, and radioactivity are just a few of the topics covered in this book.
Berean Builders for Middle School Science
The homeschool textbooks for middle schoolers from Berean Builders continue to cover a wide variety of topics, but in a more in-depth way with a concentration on how topics relate to each other. The middle school science series is designed for students to be able to complete the work independently. There are still lots of science activities to demonstrate the concepts being learned, but not every lesson has an activity. There are still several activities per chapter.
Atomic Age
This book starts with atoms, cells, and DNA, then moves to how these cells form organisms that come together to form ecosystems and biomes. God’s design in nature are highlighted throughout the book and students also get exposed to the Creation vs. Evolution debate.
Discovering Design with Earth Science
Discovering Design with Earth Science is meant to be an eighth or ninth grade science course. If your child plans to pursue a scientific or technical career path, then completing it in eighth grade is recommended. This book is set up similar to Science in the Atomic Age with several experiments in each chapter, but not one every chapter. Topics covered include, but are not limited to, plate tectonics, geology, seismic waves, the hydrosphere, and the atmosphere.
Berean Builders for High School Science
When students move to high school level classes with Berean Builders there is an option to purchase recorded classes to go along with the book. There are two recordings per chapter. Some students may find it helpful to have this support as they work through the book independently.
Discovering Design with Biology
This is a laboratory-based high school level biology class that would be worth one science credit on a student’s homeschool transcript. Students cover how biologists classify life, the structures of RNA and DNA, plant and animal cells, and experience discussion of how life processes keep a ecosystems viable. The course continuously shows that life is the result of design and problems with evolutionary theories are discussed. To earn a high school lab credit, students must complete all of the household labs and either the dissection OR microscope labs. To earn an honors credit, all the labs must be completed. Berean Builders sells lab kits to complete the microscope and dissection labs.
Discovering Design with Chemistry
Discovering Design with Chemistry requires students to have already completed algebra 1. The recorded videos that are available for this course are taught by Dr. Jay Wile himself! He is such a delight! With this course, students will cover thermodynamics, reduction/oxidation reactions, chemical equilibrium, thermochemistry, and more. Students learn chemistry concepts as well as their mathematical applications and learn to think like a chemist along the way. This course contains 46 experiments.
Discovering Design with Physics
This comprehensive high school physics course covers the concepts of a physics from a biblical world view. This course requires geometry as well as knowledge of sine, cosine, and tangent. Students will cover Newton’s Laws, work, energy, sound and light, circuits, magnetism, and more. The course consists of 180 hours of instruction, with 35 hours being hands-on lab work.
Senior Year: Supplement
Berean Builders does not have a specific senior year science course. If your student is pursing a non-technical track, he or she can take Discovering Design in Earth Science in 8th grade and finish 12th grade with the physics course. If your child finishes the physics course in 11th grade, they can take an advanced course of their choosing or something else that interests them such as environmental science, etc.
Who Would Benefit from this Curriculum
Berean Builders science curriculum is so well suited for homeschooling families for so many reasons! The fact that it is written in way that a family with large age ranges can do it together is fabulous. Everyone has age appropriate questions at the end of each lesson. Then, by the time kids are in high school they are comfortable with the format and can confidently complete the high school courses largely independently. A family who has kids that love experiments would be a good fit for this, but also if the parent doesn’t love or feel confident doing science experiment this is still a good fit because so many of the activities are so easy and the kids can largely do them on their own with you just there to help as needed.
I also love the price! So many science curriculums are expensive! But, you can get one textbook for all your kids 7th grade and below, which is a great money saver.
Final Notes
If you are looking for a science curriculum that offers a biblical world view, with fun experiments that don’t require crazy materials and actually work, then Berean Builders might be a great fit! If you have any questions or just want to say what you love about Berean Builders, please let me know below!
My co-worker Cato has one of these. He says it looks sopping.
My co-worker Kazuo has one of these. He says it looks transparent.