Albuquerque Families: Hands-On Life Science for Grades 3–7 at Home
Albuquerque Families: Hands-On Life Science for Grades 3–7 at Home
If your child in Grades 3–7 needs science practice at home in Albuquerque, the Elementary Life Science Bundle hands you eight ready units: birds, frogs, the skeleton, a forest ecosystem, meadows and pollination, and a cress growing kit. You print a unit, read the pages together and do the activities at the kitchen table, with no science background needed on your part to get started.
View the life science unitsFor $79.99, the Elementary Life Science Bundle gives you eight resources for Grades 3–7: a forest ecosystem unit, meadows and pollination, the skeleton in motion, three bird units, frogs and their life cycle, and a cress growing kit with experiments. It works for after-school practice or as the science strand in a home school. It is a set of life science units, not a full science program, and it is not written for New Mexico.
The resources
Elementary Life Science Bundle, Grades 3–7
8 resources in one download: $79.99 instead of $134.65 bought separately.
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Elementary Life Science Bundle | Ecosystems, Pollination, Skeleton, Birds, Frogs & Plants | Grades 3–7
Elementary Science Curriculum | Life, Earth & Physical Science | 11 Units | Grades 3–5
Elementary Physical Science Bundle | Circuits, Forces, Light, Levers & Pulleys | Grades 3–7
Environmental Science Units Bundle | Climate Change, Climate Data, Ecosystems, Resources & Climate Ethics | 5 Units | Grades 8–12
The real problem
Planning science at home around the APS calendar
Most Albuquerque families deal with Albuquerque Public Schools, and in April 2026 the APS Board of Education approved an early-start calendar for 2027–28. That year begins August 6, 2027 and ends May 25, 2028, after most community survey respondents favored the early start. If you are planning ahead, summer 2027 will be shorter than some families are used to, and any home science you want to fit in before school starts again has less room. During the year, APS keeps phones off and out of sight during the school day, so home is often where children pick up a screen again. Science practice that sits on paper and asks children to look at a feather, a frog picture or a sprouting seed gives you a reason to keep the screen off for another half hour. The other challenge is simply knowing what to do. Many parents are comfortable reading with a child but stall at science because they do not know which topic comes next or how to explain it. Units that already include the reading, the questions and an activity take that decision off your plate. If you home school, check New Mexico's current home school rules with the state before relying on any one product.
Why it fits
What the eight units give you at home
No unit depends on another, which means your child's curiosity this week can decide where you begin.
- Explore a Forest Ecosystem gives a ready topic for weekends or after a walk outside.
- Meadows, Flowers & Pollination connects flowers and insects with pages you can work through together.
- The Skeleton in Motion lets children study bones and movement using their own bodies as the model.
- Three bird units cover traits, feathers and beaks, nests and migration, and protecting habitats.
- Frogs in the Ecosystem walks through the frog life cycle, a topic many younger children ask about.
- Cress in the Classroom adds growing experiments; you buy the seeds and soil yourself.
Getting started
A simple home routine for one unit
A suggestion for a week, not a fixed schedule. Short sessions after school usually work better than one long block.
- Let your child choose the first topicShow the eight unit titles and let your child pick. Interest carries a lot of the work at home, and the units do not need to be done in order.
- Print only that unitPrint the pages for the chosen unit and keep them in a folder. There is no need to print all eight at once or plan the whole year on day one.
- Read and talk for twenty minutesRead the text together, then work through the questions. Ask your child to explain an answer back to you in their own words before moving on.
- Do the hands-on part on the weekendSave the activity or experiment, such as planting cress, for a day with more time. You gather any materials, like seeds, soil or a cup.
- Keep the finished pagesFile completed work in the folder. If you home school, a simple record of topics and work is useful to have, even where the state does not require it.
What to buy
Life science, physical science or a full year
The Elementary Life Science Bundle at $79.99 suits a child drawn to animals and plants; the eight parts bought separately cost $134.65. For Grades 3–5 children who need a broader year of science, the Elementary Science Curriculum ($109.99) has eleven units across life, earth and physical science, including the water cycle and weather. If your child prefers building and testing, the Elementary Physical Science Bundle ($64.99) covers circuits, forces, light and levers. Older students in Grades 8–12 are better served by the Environmental Science Units Bundle ($69.99) on climate data and ecosystems.
Honest limits
Before you buy
Nothing in these units was written with New Mexico in mind, and you will find no state standards codes, so compare the topics with what your child's school or your own home school plan expects. It covers life science only, not earth or physical science. You provide paper, printing and anything the experiments need, such as seeds and soil. The licence is for your own family or class. Should it turn out wrong for your child, exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value, which is credit and not cash.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Does this match New Mexico science standards or what APS teaches?
Not by design. These units carry no alignment to, endorsement from or approval by New Mexico or Albuquerque Public Schools, and nothing in them is state-specific. If you want home practice to support what your child does in class, ask the teacher which science topics are coming up and match the units to those.
Can a home schooling family use this as its science?
It can serve as part of your science, especially for life science topics. It is eight units, not a complete science program for every year. Check New Mexico's current home school requirements with the state or a homeschool legal resource, and plan other areas of science alongside it.
My child is in Grade 3. Is Grade 7 content going to be too hard?
The range runs from Grade 3 to Grade 7, so some pages will be easier than others. Start with a unit like birds or frogs, read alongside your child, and skip anything that feels too advanced for now. You can come back to it later.
Do I need science supplies?
Most of the work is reading, questions and activities on paper, which needs only a pencil. The cress unit includes growing experiments, and for those you supply seeds, soil and a small container from home. No lab kit, seeds or other supplies are included with the download, so plan a quick shopping trip before that unit.
How much time does a unit take at home?
No time is fixed in the product. Many families spread one unit over a week or two, with short sessions after school and a longer activity on the weekend. Go at your child's pace, and stop while they are still interested rather than pushing through every page in one sitting.
How soon can we start after ordering?
Within minutes. The order confirmation email carries the download link, and the files are stored in your customer account under Orders as well, so the first unit can be printed that evening. If the bundle proves wrong for your child, there is a 7-day window to exchange it for store credit.
Start with one unit this week
See the full list of eight life science units on the product page and choose the one your child will want to open first.
View the life science units