Literature-based homeschool science curricula, compared

What this list holds

Literature-based programs teach through real books, often read aloud, with a schedule that tells you what to read each day and questions or narration to go with it.

Science curricula range from read-and-narrate books for young children to high school courses with lab work. Many elementary programs cover one topic a year, such as plants or the human body, rather than a little of everything.

This list holds programs sold for science on their own. Full curricula that teach it along with every other subject are on homeschool all-in-one curricula.

At a glance

• 2 of the 3 show a price on the publisher's site. For one child and one year of the main package they run from $255.95 to $263.
• How the child works: 3 books and workbooks.
• Grades: 2 reach pre-K or kindergarten, all reach the elementary grades, all reach middle school and 2 reach high school.

Each program in a line

• Beautiful Feet Books: A family that wants to teach history and geography through real books read aloud together, with discussion rather than worksheets, across several grades at once.
• Elemental Science: A family that wants science with real experiments, reading and notebooking, and likes the choice of a story-led or classical plan.
• Noeo Science: A family that wants open-and-go science through real books and regular experiments, with little preparation.

Before you buy

Count the books a year needs and how many you can borrow. Check how much of the day is the parent reading aloud, and whether that suits your family.

Look for what the experiments need: some programs sell a supply kit, others list household items. For high school, check whether a lab course counts toward the credits you plan to give.

Most publishers post samples and a placement test; each card links the placement test where the publisher has one.

Related lists

• Homeschool science curricula 18
• Homeschool science curricula for middle school 16
• Homeschool science curricula for pre-K and kindergarten 16
• Literature-based homeschool curricula 15
• Print homeschool science curricula 11
• Homeschool science curricula for high school 10
• Traditional homeschool science curricula 10
• Secular homeschool science curricula 9
• Faith-based literature-based homeschool curricula 7
• Literature-based homeschool all-in-one curricula 7
• Secular literature-based homeschool curricula 6
• Faith-based homeschool science curricula 4
• Every program, with a filter for any combination

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.

No affiliate links, no sponsored places, no ranking. Something wrong or out of date? Send a correction; publishers can send corrections, never money.