Apologia Science vs REAL Science Odyssey
The main differences
Both teach elementary science one subject at a time, two days a week, with experiments. Apologia's elementary courses are one textbook written to the child for the whole kindergarten to 6th grade range, with an optional notebooking journal; the botany set was $84.60 on sale. REAL Science Odyssey's Level 1 courses are one consumable book holding readings, labs, supply lists and parent pages for 36 weeks, $87.99 in print or $52.99 as a PDF. Apologia continues through 12th grade; REAL Science Odyssey stops at 10th.
| Apologia Science | REAL Science Odyssey | |
|---|---|---|
| Subjects | Science | Science |
| Grades | Preschool to 12th grade; each elementary course is for K to 6th grade, General Science for 7th to 8th, Physical Science for 8th to 9th | Kindergarten to 10th grade: Level 1 for K to 6th, Level 2 for 6th to 10th |
| Method | Charlotte Mason, Traditional | Traditional |
| Format | Books and workbooks | Books and workbooks |
| Faith label | Faith-based | Secular |
| Cost a year | $84.60. Elementary Botany set (textbook and notebooking journal), used for K to 6th grade: $94.00 list, $84.60 on sale today. Audiobook $18 extra. | $87.99. Level 1 Chemistry (2nd to 5th grade, one consumable book for a full year): $87.99 in print or $52.99 as a PDF. |
| Placement | Recommended course sequence ↗ | Course map by grade ↗ |
| Parent time | Not stated by the publisher | Not stated by the publisher |
| It fits | A family teaching several children who wants one science topic at a time, read together from a textbook with hands-on activities, and then a structured textbook course for each teen. | A family that wants one science subject a year, read aloud and done together, with hands-on labs already planned out. |
| It doesn't fit | A family that wants a separate book for each grade in elementary science, or a course taught mostly on screen. | A family that wants science taught on video or on screen, or one series that runs through 12th grade. |
Apologia Science
Apologia sells separate science courses from preschool to 12th grade. Each elementary course (astronomy, botany, three zoology titles, earth science, anatomy, or chemistry and physics) is one textbook written to the child for the whole K to 6th grade range, with a notebooking journal that sets a schedule of two days a week; middle and high school courses add module tests, lab reports and a four-day weekly schedule. You buy a textbook and a notebook for each course; audiobooks, video lessons, self-paced online courses and live classes are sold separately.
Does well: One elementary textbook covers every child from kindergarten to 6th grade, so siblings can study the same topic and do the experiments together.
Watch for: In the elementary sets only the textbook is required; the notebooking journal, audiobook and activity videos are separate purchases.
REAL Science Odyssey
REAL Science Odyssey is a series of science courses, each on one subject. Level 1 courses for kindergarten to 6th grade (life, biology, astronomy, earth and environment, chemistry, physics) are each one consumable book with readings meant to be read aloud, hands-on labs, weekly supply lists and parent instructions, planned as 36 weeks at two days a week. Level 2 courses for 6th to 10th grade split into student books and a teacher guide and add independent research and unit assessments. Books come in print or as a PDF.
Does well: Each Level 1 course is a single book holding the readings, labs, weekly supply lists and parent pages, so there is little to assemble.
Watch for: The series stops at 10th grade, so 11th and 12th grade science will need another publisher.
Lists with both
- Homeschool science curricula 8
- Traditional homeschool curricula 24
- Homeschool curricula for pre-K and kindergarten 48
- Homeschool curricula for middle school 51
- Homeschool curricula for high school 38
- Print homeschool curricula 44
- Homeschool curricula under $100 a year 17
- Homeschool science curricula for middle school 7
How we label
Every fact on a card was read on the publisher's own website on the date shown, and the page it came from is linked. A fact we could not confirm there is left out. Costs are for one child and one year of the main package, as the publisher's page showed them that day; prices and sales change. Method and format are the publisher's own description where it gives one. The only thing we say about religion is one label, secular or faith-based, given by the rule above; where the publisher's pages don't settle it, the card has no label.
Something wrong or out of date? Send a correction; publishers can send corrections, never money. Every program compared