Homeschool Biology Class with College Prep Science: Product Review
We are just finishing up a homeschool biology class from College Prep Science and it’s been the perfect class to end our formal school year. Finding affordable, thorough online classes for homeschooling can be tricky. We have tried our fair share of online homeschool classes. While we have found some that we love, most are lacking personal touch and deemed “boring” by our girls.
However, we recently discovered Greg Landry and College Prep Science and were able to experience the Young Scientist Chemistry course. I knew then that we would be sticking with College Prep Science for our homeschool science courses all the way through high school after a wonderful experience.
After loving the content and design of the Young Scientist Chemistry course, we were thrilled to get our hands on the Young Scientist Biology class. As we head into summer, we have lots of plans for hands-on activities and self-direct learning. Young Scientist Biology has given us such a great foundation to expand on this summer.
I received enrollment in Young Scientist Biology from College Prep Science at no charge. I was compensated for my time in writing this honest review. The views and opinions are completely my own.
An Overview of Young Scientist Biology
The Young Scientist Biology class is designed for grades 4 through 7. It’s set up as a self-paced online course with pre-recorded video lessons with Greg Landry. To accompany the video lessons are the most amazing study guides that I’ve ever seen for an online course. (I shared why I love these study guides in my review of Young Scientist Chemistry!)
Our website contains affiliate links. This means when you click on a link & make a purchase, we may make a small commission. This is at no extra cost to you! Learn more on our disclosures page!
Young Scientist Biology topics include:
- Note-Taking, Studying, & Test Taking (introduction)
- Metric System, Temperature, Precision & Accuracy
- Scientific Method & Lab Reports (fantastic for teaching kids how to write lab reports!)
- The Cell & Organelles
- Diffusion & Osmosis
- Photosynthesis & Cellular Respiration
- Mitosis, Buddying & Binary Fission
- Creation & Evolution
- Classification of Living Organisms
- Kingdom Plantae
- Kingdom Animalia
- Microbiology
- Human Biology
Class Format
At the beginning of each lesson, Greg Landry starts with a prayer. He then jumps right into the topic for that day. At first, I thought the lessons may be a bit wordy for the grade level. I soon realized they are extremely thorough and give fantastic analogies to help students better understand each concept.
Lessons are taught in a very conversational manner. Greg’s passion for teaching science to homeschoolers really shows in every single video.
Greg guides the student through the study guide in each video. The study guides can be printed out as PDFs or you can utilize a note-taking app on a tablet or iPad. One of the things I was searching for in a homeschool biology class was easy-to-follow notes or handouts and we LOVE the study guide!
Why We Love Young Scientist Biology
Watch the Top 10 Reasons We Love Young Scientist Biology
Challenging Yet Great For Independent Learners
We find so many extension activities and additional resources that would tie into a great homeschool biology class. But we were never able to find one that was grade-level appropriate for upper elementary school for Amelia. Everything we had come across until now was either very basic for early elementary learners or too advanced, like high school biology classes.
Young Scientist Biology is challenging and gives plenty of opportunities for students to expand on the lessons. We found that many of the topics piqued Amelia’s interest so much that she asked for additional reading after the lessons.
Easy to Use Format
We love that the class is housed on Canvas. This platform is extremely easy to use. Canvas also offers a mobile app so it’s easily accessible on tablets or iPad. With easy access, we found that students are able to log in, watch lessons and complete their work on their own or with little assistance.
This has been one of the best parts about College Prep Science self-paced courses – I can assign a lesson and Amelia can work independently. This has really helped boost her confidence. She’s also learned many study and note-taking skills that will be especially important as she moves to upper-level classes.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are ‘affiliate links’. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I may receive an affiliate commission.
If you haven’t visited College Prep Science, I urge you to check out their course offerings. Allowing Greg to “take over” science class for me definitely the best choice and I’m so excited for the classes to come!
There are even lots of amazing free resources and a FREE test drive of the virtual, interactive science lab! Be sure to check those out!
