Curriculum Name |
Grades |
Subjects |
How is content delivered? |
Developed By |
Hidden Fine Print |
Topic Depth |
Hands-on Experiments |
Lesson Plans |
Cost |
eScience Learning Program from Supercharged Science |
K-12 |
Physical Science, Chemistry. (Biology and Life Science scheduled for Winter 2011.) |
Over 650 instructional online videos, dozens of live tele-classes, textbook downloads, hundreds of hands-on science experiments, lesson plans, and more. |
University professors, scientists, engineers, and teachers. All lessons taught by Aurora. |
Kids spend most of time building projects and explaining how it works back to you. Minimal computer screen time. |
Deep. |
Over 600 |
Downloadable, and includes quizzes, text, vocabulary, highlights, activities, objectives. |
$37 per month per family for K-8 access, $57 per month per family for K-12 access.30-day money-back guarantee. No monthly agreement. |
Time 4 Learning |
K-8 |
Math, Language, Social Studies. Science was tacked on as a bonus, but not as a core subject. |
No videos or live interaction. Just text and animations on a screen. |
Content leased from Compass Learning Odyssey, which was developed by researchers and sales teams and intended for charter and public schools (not homeschools). |
No videos. Cartoon-like computer animations. Child spends most of the time staring at the computer. |
Shallow. Very few experiments for science.A lot of reading and writing from the computer screen, experiments are too easy for grade levels. |
No real experiments, only computer animations that show the experiments being done for you on the computer screen. No experiments for 7-8th in science. |
Yes. |
$20 per month per child ($5 off each additional child). 14-day money-back guarantee. |
Curriculum Name |
Grades |
Subjects |
How is content delivered? |
Developed By |
Hidden Fine Print |
Topic Depth |
Hands-on Experiments |
Lesson Plans |
Cost |
FOSSweb |
K-8 |
Science. |
No videos or live interaction. Just text on a screen, some computer animations. |
Research team. |
You don’t get answers to your questions when submitted to the “Ask a Scientist” link. |
Shallow. |
None. You watch a computer simulation of a couple of experiments. |
None. |
Free. |
Aha!Science |
3-8 |
Earth, Space, Physical, Life Science. |
No videos or live interaction. Just text and computer simulations on a screen. |
Researchers with PhDs. Made for public school teachers. |
Looks like a video game for science.Created for public and charter schools. |
Low-Moderate. |
None. You watch a simulation on the computer screen. |
No. |
Must get a price quote. No prices listed online. |
Curriculum Name |
Grades |
Subjects |
How is content delivered? |
Developed By |
Hidden Fine Print |
Topic Depth |
Hands-on Experiments |
Lesson Plans |
Cost |
Greg Landry’s Homeschool Science Academy |
6-12 |
Biology, Chemistry. |
Live weekly teleclasses (no video). |
Homeschool parent, university instructor, 6-12 grade teacher. |
You need to be online to get the most out of it. |
Deep. |
Some. |
Text and materials provided with course fee. |
$545 -$1,200 per semester per child. |
Jubilee Academy |
K-12 |
All subjects. |
No videos or live interaction. Just text and computer simulations on a screen. |
Learning by Grace, developed by a team of researchers. |
100 videos per course, mostly computer simulations.Child spends most of the time staring at a computer. |
Moderate. |
Experiments in science only in grades 9-12. |
No. All done from computer screen. |
$895 per year per child, 30-day money-back guarantee. |
Curriculum Name |
Grades |
Subjects |
How is content delivered? |
Developed By |
Hidden Fine Print |
Topic Depth |
Hands-on Experiments |
Lesson Plans |
Cost |
K12.com |
K-8 |
Math. Language, Physical Science, Earth Science, Life Science, History, Art, Music. |
No videos or live interaction. Just text and computer animations on a screen. |
Initially developed by instructional educational designers, field experts, and some teachers. |
No teacher support for K-8 students.Send you textbooks, workbooks, novels. Lots of reading. Materials shipped to you once a year. |
Moderate. |
Course only for K-8. 9-12 students enroll in international school for additional cost. |
Printable and also on the screen. |
$800-$1,500 per student per year, 30-day money-back guarantee.If using state funding, your time and what you complete is regulated by the state. |
eTutor |
K-12 |
Language, Math, Science, Social Studies |
No videos or live interaction. Just text on a screen. |
Individual contracted writers from all over the country to write content for curriculum. |
Not a lot of experiments, and the few are virtual experiments.Most ‘experiments’ are links to other websites. |
Low-moderate. |
Few. Kids spend most of the time reading from a computer screen. |
No. |
$99-$140 per month per subject per child, plus additional $100-$150 per month per child for teacher support. |
Curriculum Name |
Grades |
Subjects |
How is content delivered? |
Developed By |
Hidden Fine Print |
Topic Depth |
Hands-on Experiments |
Lesson Plans |
Cost |
Apologia Online |
9-12 |
Only Physical Science. |
No videos. Just real-time instruction online via chat. |
PhD researchers with science field expertise.Brand-new program, not yet tested with homeschoolers. |
Started this year. Lots of writing required to turn in. |
Unknown. Just began this year. no curriculum preview available. |
Only for 9-12th grade. |
Yes. |
$450 per child per year.Materials, textbooks, and tests are additional cost. |
Merlin Science |
8-12 |
Only offers three courses: Chemistry, Astronomy, and Genetics. |
No videos or live interaction. Just text on a screen. |
Dr. Love, PhD in biology, teacher. |
No teacher support. Quizzes online. |
Low. |
Minimal. |
No. |
$40 per course. |
Curriculum Name |
Grades |
Subjects |
How is content delivered? |
Developed By |
Hidden Fine Print |
Topic Depth |
Hands-on Experiments |
Lesson Plans |
Cost |
Calvert School |
K-8 |
All. |
Box of books for entire year arrive at your door (90% of content). Supplemental material (10%) is online. |
Education specialists created printed material.Online instruction leased from BrainPOP! and Aha!Math. |
Lots of hoops to return curriculum. Must be in pristine, resell-able condition, and you are obligated to pay for entire year if they judge it not returnable. |
Moderate. The eScience program dovetails very well with this program. Good teacher support. |
Minimal. Experiments tacked on as afterthought. Online material are only computer simulations and screenfuls of text. No instructional videos. |
Yes. |
$850 per child per year.Mandatory tests are additional $350.Enrollment fees additional. |
Alpha Omega |
3-12 |
All. |
Screenfuls of text. No videos or audios. |
In-house. Brand-new program, not yet tested with homeschoolers. |
“Media-rich” content means your kids spend a lot of time staring at computer screen animations and screenfuls of text. |
Unknown. No preview available, no trial period, no curriculum outline available. |
On-screen animations only. If you want to do the experiments yourself, you must purchase materials and do on your own. |
No. All on screen. |
$419 per child for 18 months. Non-refundable. |
Curriculum Name |
Grades |
Subjects |
How is content delivered? |
Developed By |
Hidden Fine Print |
Topic Depth |
Hands-on Experiments |
Lesson Plans |
Cost |
Apologia Science |
K-12 |
K-6: Astronomy, Botany, Zoology7-12: Physics, Biology, Chemistry |
Textbooks cover content for entire year arrive, optional audio CDs available.Labs and experiments are optional, materials purchased separately. |
PhD researchers with science field expertise. |
All of content is in the text reading, good for kids that love to read. CD option good for audio learners.Must be in unopened to return. CDs not returnable. |
Reading material is moderately deep (good resource book). Too few experiments in books to bring concepts alive.The eScience program dovetails excellently with this program. |
Minimal. Experiments tacked on as afterthought.No instructional videos on how to do experiments. |
No. |
Up to $250 per child per year for text, solutions, CDs, and experiment materials. |
Bob Jones |
K-12 |
Life Science, Earth Science, Space Science, Physics, Biology, Chemistry |
Textbooks cover content for entire year. Experiments are optional, and equipment is purchased separately. |
PhD researchers with science field expertise. |
All content is in text reading, great for kids that love to read.Great illustrations in text, high school texts are well laid out. |
Text is well written and comprehensive (good resource book). Experiments not challenging enough.eScience is an excellent complement to this curriculum. |
K-8 lab books have lots of worksheets as ‘experiments’ with minimal hands-on experiments.Not enough quality science experiments to bring concepts to life. No video instructions. |
No. |
$90 per student per year, $79 additional for teacher guides.$22-312 additional for lab equipment. |