Lansing Area Homeschool Academy Science Courses

Science K-4 Course Description, 5 - 6 Course Description

Using Apologia curriculum, which fosters a student's love of learning, all LAHA students in grades K-6 explore, study, and learn the same science subject each year. This allows for "family style"  learning, wherein our homeschool families can go through the materials, activities, and experiments each week together! Science topics for K-6 include:

• Astronomy

• Botany

• Zoology: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day

• Zoology: Land Animals of the Sixth Day

• Zoology: Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day

The creators of Apologia's Exploring Creation Young Explorer's series believe that a child's curiosity is the best pre-requisite for learning. As such, this science curriculum was designed with young learners in mind utilizing practical concepts and hands-on activities to reinforce new ideas and topics. Because each topic is taught over the course of an entire year, these courses do not need to be taken in any particular order. LAHA rotates through each topic every year, repeating in an every five-year cycle. This means students joining LAHA as kindergarteners will have the opportunity to re-explore the same topic they learned their first year of school to really hone in on that knowledge!

A small sample of what each topic includes, from  Apologia's website, below:

ASTRONOMY

Co-authored by Jeanine Fulbright and NASA engineer Damian Ludwiczak, Exploring Creation with Astronomy  explores the far reaches of the universe and points students to the God that created it.  Full of hands-on activities, your young scientist will retain what they learn about our solar system, the stars, and beyond. From dwarf planets, asteroid belts, the Kuiper belt galaxies, nebulae, and even black holes, young learners will marvel at the might of our magnificent Creator!

BOTANY

As your student works through an overview of botany and dives deeper into plant anatomy and classification, they'll walk away with a foundational and working knowledge of plants. Each lesson is written in a conversational tone, and created using vivid graphics, engaging lessons and hands-on projects that will make learning about botany fun! Lessons also include nature journaling and ample opportunities to get outside with your young scientist!

ZOOLOGY: FLYING ANIMALS

Students will soar to new heights as they learn about the dynamics of flight and the uniqueness of birds, the value and misconceptions of bats, and the anatomy of insects (they’ll even get to collect and study some for a project!). After students complete this study of zoology, they will never view or interact with nature in the same way again.

ZOOLOGY: LAND ANIMALS

Zoology involves much more than just animals! Which is why in Apologia’s Zoology 3: Land Animals course, your student will be taken on an adventure around the Earth’s biomes to explore and understand land animals and the environments they live in. They’ll explore jungles, deserts, forests, and farms, and even venture into their own backyard to investigate and enjoy the creatures God has created. 

ZOOLOGY: SWIMMING ANIMALS

In this course, your student will adventure through the waters of the Earth as they learn about aquatic animals and their environments. They’ll dive deeper into zoology as they investigate elements of marine life, aqua mobility, filter feeders, currents, fresh water, salt water, the Continental Shelf, and abyssal animals. They’ll also gain a deep understanding of whales, seals and sea cows, aquatic herps, reptiles and amphibians, primeval reptiles, fish anatomy and their stages of life, sharks and rays, crustaceans, trilobites, mollusks, sponges, sea squirts, leeches, flatworms, and much more! 

The creatures your student studies will come to life as they create their own “Ocean Box” (a miniature hand-crafted aquarium) with replicas of the sea creatures they study. When your student completes this study of zoology, they will never view the ocean in the same way again.

Science 7 - 8 Course Description

Exploring Creation with General Science introduces and explores the scientific method through the study of Earth science, including 

astronomy, geology, paleontology, meteorology,  oceanography, and environmental science.  It also covers general biology, chemistry, 

and physics.  Contributions from multiple modern-day scientists are included and focuses on science and creation.  It contains 

personal messages to students to encourage them to keep a lifelong passion for exploring God’s creation.

Exploring Creation with Physical Science is designed to transition your student from middle school to high school; teaching your student how to study independently and take thorough notes while mastering in-depth knowledge of contemporary scientific concepts. Physical Science covers Chemistry, Physics, and Earth science. The final section focuses on scientific research and walks students through the process involved in conducting and presenting research findings.