REAL Science Odyssey for Teens: A Curriculum Review

Looking for a solid science textbook curriculum for homeschooling that’s ALSO secular? This might be that needle in the haystack.

In the world of homeschool textbooks, finding secular programs is a bit of a needle in a haystack. There are secular science textbooks used in traditional schools. And there are secular science curricula that aren’t textbook-based.

Traditional school textbooks are great — but the labs may not be easy to do at home & good luck finding the correct teacher’s editions. And if you can find a teacher’s edition, they — rightfully so! — assume you have a strong science background.  Secular science programs based on videos or living books usually solve those problems. But many families want that textbook.

R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey from Pandia Press fills this void.

My youngest kiddo has always been my most independent learner. Come middle school, he craved even more. He’s also a big astronomy buff – a combination that finally led us to use REAL Science Odyssey.

But first, what IS secular science?

When it comes to homeschool science, the line between secular and neutral might seem like a minor detail—but it’s more significant than it appears. If the facts are accurate but some key scientific concepts are left out, is that enough?

That’s exactly what neutral science curricula do: they present factual information but sidestep subjects that could be seen as controversial. This isn’t to disparage neutral science curriculum — we’ve used it, in fact! But with knowledge & awareness comes power — whatever the topic.

And a quick reminder: Secular science isn’t anti-religion. For instance, Young Earth Creationism isn’t and hasn’t been the “norm” throughout history. As a Christian family who homeschools with secular curricula, we absolutely bring our faith into our homeschool, but we do it through the lens of our beliefs rather than someone else’s interpretation.

(If you’re curious, some examples of neutral science curricula include Elemental Science and Mr. Q’s. We used both during elementary school and found them to be excellent—but they don’t fully meet the secular criteria.)

The Basics

REAL Science Odyssey is a fairly standard science program in that it emphasizes scientific inquiry, uses hands-on activities to engage students, teaches students to complete lab experiments and lab reports, etc.

• Level 2 is for grades 6-10
• RSO Level 2 courses: Biology, Astronomy, Earth & Environment
• Textbook + workbook + teacher’s guide

The REAL in its name is the basic framework for the student’s week. Read, Explore, Absorb, Learn.

Read the chapter in the student textbook. Explore through a lab and/or an activity. Absorb additional information through researching related scientists, discoveries, major events, etc. Show what you’ve learned through chapter questions in the workbook.

While each chapter is set up the same way, there is still variety from week to week. One week in biology might have your student dissecting a chicken wing, while another week, they’re designing a clay impression from plants. Additional resources they suggest might have your student reading a novel one week and watching a series of videos the next.

A Look Inside

Student textbook

The student textbooks have a very clean layout. Each chapter, one week’s reading, averages 5-7 pages long. It’s long enough to get a good foundation of the topic. Occasionally, we’ve chosen to add to the week through videos for a “beefier” understanding.

Labs + Activities (student workbook)

Each chapter in the student workbook includes 1-2 labs and/or activities. Since this is a student-led program, all the directions are written to the student.

One thing I wish it did a better job of is clearly indicating any prep work and time commitments. Since this is aimed at middle school students, sorting through all of the information to figure those parts out is a skill they still need to develop. (Heck, how many of us moms haven’t read a recipe clearly to know we should’ve started dinner an hour earlier?!)

FAMOUS SCIENCE SERIES (student workbook)

Teaching kids to research well is a critical skill at this age. In addition to diving into a related topic (like a famous scientist or scientific event), research skills are the focus of this section. These activities are a great time to work on information literacy skills with your kiddo.

If you are short on time one week, skip the Famous Science Series section.

Show what you know (student workbook)

My rule for this section of questions was that my kiddo needed to first try to answer every question from his memory. But I didn’t want him just guessing at any question he didn’t know. In addition to not wanting to risk him storing the wrong answer in his memory, I also wanted him to practice the skill of scanning through text to find the correct answer. With so much of our reading being on screens now, it’s a different kind of skill scanning through a physical text for answers.

unit tests (student workbook)

While there aren’t chapter tests, a unit test is included every 3-5 chapters. Like the Show What You Know sections, the unit tests incorporate a variety of question types.

Teacher’s Guide

I hate buying teacher guides. Hate it. Or, more accurately, I find most teacher guides not to be worth the money. That isn’t the case with Real Science Odyssey.

One of my favorite features of the guides is that they include a section on any math in that week’s chapter. Even as a reasonably confident math person, it’s so helpful to have a quick review/explanation.

You’ll also find a weekly schedule, additional resources, a summary of the lesson, and an answer key.

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What drew me in…

1. Emphasis on the scientific method is important to me since we didn’t do structured science in the elementary grades.
2. Hands-on activities are one of my nemesis. The materials list & clear directions help.
3. Most labs use (truly) household items that are either in your home already or are easy to grab at the local big-box or grocery store.
4. It’s a serious science program that is written to the student.

A few notes…

1. We’ve only used their level 2 programs. Level 1 looks like it would create a strong foundation for your elementary-aged kiddos, but I don’t have first-hand experience.
2. I’ve had good luck purchasing one or more parts of Real Science Odyssey from our local used homeschool curriculum store. They ship nationwide if you want to check what they have on hand.
3. Skip shopping for all the lab supplies by purchasing a kit from Home Science Tools. (Note: a few items on the supply list may not be in their kit, so compare their list & the supply list carefully.)

It may be a good fit for…

• a middle schooler who’s ready for more independence
• an older teen when combined with additional resources
• an early high school kiddo who needs a strong program but isn’t STEM-bound
• a student who likes structure without it feeling like the same thing every week
• small group use where the group gathers weekly to do at least the lab together

It may NOT be a good fit for…

Even the “best” curriculum isn’t “best” for everyone. For example, there’s probably a better one out there if…

• your high schooler is STEM-bound, and you do NOT want to add anything
• you don’t want to be the grader
• your kiddo learns best from videos/lectures

F.A.Q.

Is this really high school level? It looks easy.

There’s a lot of debate as to whether RSO Level 2 should be a high school-level program. My son took it as an 8th grader and had little difficulty with the material. While he’s a serious astronomy buff, Astronomy Level 2 was his 7th-grade science course and, again, was completed with little difficulty.

As it’s written, my opinion is that this is a really strong middle school program. If I were going to count any of them as a high school science credit, I would add more to the program. You can purchase a ‘bump up’ syllabus that rounds out Biology 2 & Astronomy 2 for a solid high school level course.

Do I really need to buy the student text, the student workbook, and the teacher guide?

As a general rule, I avoid buying teacher guides. But for Real Science Odyssey, I do think it’s important. If you’ll be grading this course, then it’s a necessity if you want the answers.

If you’re looking to save money, I’ve purchased a digital version of the teacher’s guide. I keep it on my iPad so I can easily reference it when I’m working with my student or grading their work.

How much work time is there each day?

This one is tough. The guideline is 4-5 hours of work per chapter. In reality, some weeks, my kiddo only spent a couple of hours and other weeks, he spent closer to six or seven hours. Certainly, the weeks that include a unit exam are more time-intensive. And some labs, such as the dissection lab in RSO biology, took more time.

If you set aside five hours weekly, though, you’ll be set most weeks.

Does Pandia Press ever run sales?

Absolutely!

I scrolled their Facebook to find their 2024 sales. They had a spring sale in April (25% off), a Memorial Day weekend sale (30% off), a back-to-school sale in August (25% off) and a Black Friday sale (25% off).

Of course, there are no guarantees if those are the same dates and discounts in other years!

Are there samples of the curriculum?

The Try Before You Buy samples include several lessons from throughout the book. Samples of the teacher’s guides are also available.

You can also check out their free unit studies to complete with your kiddos. These are an easy way to add something different to your homeschool while also seeing if it’ll be a good fit.

tl;dr

• It’s a complete one-year science curriculum.
• Each week, your student will read a chapter, complete an activity and/or a lab, research a related science event, and answer questions about what they read.
• Lab kits are available from Home Science Tools.
• Weekly schedules are included in the teacher’s guide (which is worth purchasing).
• Ideal for a middle school student or, possibly, an early high school kiddo.

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