Skip to the content
Peabody HomeschoolEvery homeschool law, plan, record and tool, free

Mystery Science

By Mystery.org (part of Discovery Education)Checked October 29, 2026No affiliate links. Programs never pay to appear. How we label

Mystery Science is a library of online science units for kindergarten to 5th grade, written for classroom teachers and also sold to homeschool families. Each lesson starts from a question such as why some volcanoes explode: a narrated video exploration, then a hands-on activity with printable sheets and everyday supplies, then a short wrap-up. A homeschool membership gives one household the full lesson library for the school year; supply kits are sold separately.

Subjects
Science
Grades
Kindergarten to 5th grade source ↗
Method
Traditional source ↗
Format
Video lessons source ↗
Faith label
Secular
Cost a year
$199 a year. Homeschool membership for Mystery Science: $199, with full access through June 30, 2027. A bundle with Mystery Writing is $259. The site also offers new members a limited number of free trials to the same date. Read on October 29, 2026; prices change. source ↗
Placement
No placement test on the publisher’s site when we checked.

What it does well

  • Each lesson pairs a short narrated video with a hands-on activity, so the parent does not have to explain the science alone.
  • Every lesson lists its supplies and printouts ahead of time, and the publisher says lessons use common household items.
  • Units follow the standards for each grade from kindergarten to 5th grade, and written assessments are included.
  • Lesson narration comes in English and Spanish, with transcripts and a download option for slow internet.

Watch for

  • It stops at 5th grade, so you will need another program for middle and high school science.
  • Every lesson needs a screen and an internet connection for the video part.
  • Lessons and supply lists are written for a class of about 30 students, so a parent has to scale quantities down.
  • The supply packs are classroom packs, ship only in the US and are final sale with no returns.

It fits

A family with children in kindergarten to 5th grade who wants short, ready-made science lessons with a video to start and a hands-on activity to follow.

It doesn’t fit

A family that wants science without screens, or one program that runs past 5th grade.

Visit Mystery Science ↗

Compare Mystery Science

Other programs for the same subject and grades:

  • Apologia Science 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
  • Beautiful Feet Books Kindergarten to 12th grade, in grade spans such as K to 3rd, 4th to 6th and 5th to 8th
  • Blossom and Root Preschool to 6th grade (Level 6 still being finished)
  • Generation Genius Kindergarten to 8th grade, in K to 2nd, 3rd to 5th and 6th to 8th grade bands
  • The Good and the Beautiful Preschool to 12th grade; high school has language arts and biology only
  • Khan Academy Kindergarten to 12th grade, plus early college courses
  • REAL Science Odyssey Kindergarten to 10th grade: Level 1 for K to 6th, Level 2 for 6th to 10th

Lists it is on

What we read, and 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.

The publisher’s pages we read on October 29, 2026:

Something wrong or out of date? Publishers and parents can send a correction and we will fix it. Publishers can send corrections, never money. All programs compared · Find your homeschool style