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It took a few years of homeschooling before I could accept a fundamental truth about myself as a homeschooling parent. Maybe you can relate.
I stink at preparing for science.
If a curriculum requires me to gather experiment supplies beforehand, I just *cannot* stay on top of it. It isn’t because I don’t value science – on the contrary, I really, really do. It’s just that we homeschool parents have so very many balls in the air that we’re constantly juggling, and a science experiment shopping list is the ball that I consistently drop if the science supply shopping list is left up to me.
So that’s why I now refuse to use a science curriculum that doesn’t supply everything for me. And that’s why I was so excited to see Home Science Tools’ new Science Unlocked kits.
(I received this product in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.)
Each kit comes with all that you need to teach a month’s worth of curiosity-engaging science:
- A teacher guide that does all of the hard work for you with a recommended schedule, easy-to-implement plans, and an answer key
- A full-color student guide that walks students through the activities and checks learning with short answer questions
- All of the supplies you need to carry out the activities and experiments (well, minus a few very common household items (for example, we needed to have water and colored pencils on hand for the Wave Wisdom kit)
We tried out the Wave Wisdom kit, a physics-themed kit for 3rd – 7th graders.
Here’s What We Loved:
- The workbooks that come with the Science Unlocked kits do a great job of explaining the science behind the results. My beef with other science kits is that they can often be short on explanation and can treat science as a magic show. Home Science Tools has done a great job of making these truly and thoroughly educational.
- Lessons are inquiry-based, which means that hands-on activities and tailored questions are designed to spark curiosity and invite the student to arrive at the learning on their own. I don’t know about you, but fostering curiousity in students so that they can have their own learning discoveries is a huge goal for me.
- Every kit is secular and teaches real science that aligns with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) or state standards.
- Short answer questions – As an ELA teacher, I love the opportunities to respond to questions with short answers. Hey, every bit of writing practice counts!
- The activities are fun, and they felt fresh – not the same ol’, same ol’ you’ve seen on Pinterest over and over already.
Something to note: Each kit typically contains one student workbook. If you want to order additional student workbooks, you may do so by calling Home Science Tools.
Want to see more? Check out my Wave Wisdom unboxing video on Youtube.
The Language Arts Coach 
Thank you for sharing this information and review! I feel your pain when it comes to science curriculum where you have to get your own supplies. By the time I get around to it, I’m tired and and too much time has passed. Yep, the anxiety starts mounting that I’m not doing enough as a homeschool mom.
I’ll check into this option more. Sounds like fun learning.
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You get it! It seems like if I can’t throw it in the grocery pick up order, it’s going to take a few weeks, haha.
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Or like never, in my case! I sometimes try substitutes for ingredients or supplies, and then it all goes nuts. I guess that learning too. 🙂
Do you plan on using Wave Wisdom Kit for this upcoming school year?
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Yes, *never* might be a more accurate word, haha. We’re still working through Wave Wisdom right now, but since each kit is meant to take about a month to get through, we’ll need to get more kits. But, yes, I do plan on using more of the Science Unlocked kits this year.
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