Is science getting the short end of the educational stick in your household? You’re not alone. It seems that science and art are the two most requested for help. While these tips can be applied for art, I’ll be focusing on science.

Science is meant to be experienced in a hands-on manner. Sometimes moms don’t feel adequate to break out the science lab equipment for these experiences. The easiest fix for this dilemma is to do science through a co-op. But, what if a science co-op doesn’t exist in your area?

Start your own co-op!

Does the sound of that have you fearful? Don’t be!

Here’s to do. If you have young kids, find a group of 2-3 families. Older kids can have a greater number.

Choose a home to meet in or plan on a schedule to rotate houses.

Make a schedule. Plan your meetings every week for approximately 1 ½ – 2 hours at a time for younger kids and middle schoolers. For high schoolers plan on 2 hours at a time once a week.

Within your group of families, choose a curriculum. There are many to choose from. We have enjoyed Apologia and Dr. Wile’s Elementary series with the younger crowd. Apologia offers theme-based instruction with hands-on activities. Dr. Wile’s series is based on a historical timeline starting with Creation and has an experiment for each lesson.

For middle schoolers, I recommend General Science and Physical Science from Apologia. Dr. Wile also has a brand new book for middle school.

For high school, if you want to go the traditional route, go for Biology, Chemistry and Physics. If you feel eclectic, try Astronomy from Master Books or any other science (Physical Science, Anatomy, Geology, Marine Biology) that attracts your child’s interests.

The High school co-op can be parent-run or instructor lead. I’ve found that Physical Science and Biology were able to be parent-run while Chemistry and Physics may need an experienced parent/teacher at the wheel.

Once you’ve decided on the curriculum and where to meet, it’s time to consider the actual labs. You have one of two choices. Either do a sign-up sheet for needed items between families OR save yourself time and purchase a pre-made kit.

A week or so before your co-op officially begins, have your child read the chapter, or in the case of younger children, read to them and work through any journaling questions and activities.

If you are using the Apologia curriculum, one option to consider is using their science notebooks for journaling, drawing, review, copywork (for the younger crowd) and lab sheets in conjunction with the text. These aren’t necessary, but are a nice addition and makes a very nice portfolio for those families that do an end of the school year evaluations.

When you come together as a group for the labs, appoint one Mom to take the lead each week. Spend a few minutes orally reviewing the chapter before jumping into the activities or experiments. Play games, laugh, and have fun!

Making your own science co-op is a great way to ensure you don’t skip those experiments, loose track, and focus in your homeschool. As a bonus, it’s just plain FUN!

Check out more homeschooling resources at Rainbow Resource Center!