Arizona ESA Families: A Hands-On Science Curriculum for Grades 3–5
Arizona ESA Families: A Hands-On Science Curriculum for Grades 3–5
Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account lists homeschool curriculum as an approved expense, so a full elementary science program is the kind of purchase families often consider. The Elementary Science Curriculum covers Grades 3–5 with 11 units in life, earth and physical science. Teach Lessons is not an approved ESA vendor, so check your program's current rules and vendor options before you order.
See the 11 science unitsThe Arizona ESA treats homeschool curriculum as an approved expense, but whether a particular store and purchase method works for your account is something to confirm with the program first. The Elementary Science Curriculum ($109.99) is a Grades 3–5 set of 11 units: the water cycle, forest ecosystems, simple circuits, weather, pollination, forces and motion, the skeleton, light and shadow, and three units on birds. It is a digital download.
The resources
Elementary Science Curriculum, Grades 3–5
11 resources in one download: $109.99 instead of $228.62 bought separately.
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Elementary Science Curriculum | Life, Earth & Physical Science | 11 Units | Grades 3–5
Elementary Art & Music Units Bundle | Rhythm, Singing, Instruments, Color Mixing & Printing | 5 Units | Grades 3–5
Complete Learning Books Bundle | 10 Units: Grammar, Math, Science, History, ESL, Art & Music | Grades 3–6
Environmental Science Units Bundle | Climate Change, Climate Data, Ecosystems, Resources & Climate Ethics | 5 Units | Grades 8–12
The real problem
Planning a year of science with ESA money
Since 2022 the Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account has been open to every K–12 resident, and homeschooling families are among those who use it. Curriculum is listed as an approved expense, which sounds simple until you are the one choosing it. Science is often the subject parents feel least sure about. Reading and math have obvious next steps; science asks you to explain why a bulb lights up or how a bird survives winter, and to do it with some kind of activity rather than a page of facts. Families with children in Grades 3, 4 and 5 also want one program they can stretch across siblings instead of buying three. Then there is the paperwork. The program has its own rules about which vendors and purchase routes it accepts, and as of July 2026 some supplemental materials need an attestation instead of a receipt upload. Parents have to work out which category a purchase falls into before they spend, not after. A science curriculum that is clearly a curriculum, covers several strands and arrives as one download is easier to plan around, though the program's rules still decide what it will pay for.
Why it fits
How the science units fit an ESA home or microschool
The 11 units come as one bundle, with each part also sold on its own and linked from the bundle page.
- Life science comes through forest ecosystems, meadows and pollination, the skeleton and three bird units.
- Earth science is covered by the water cycle unit and Observing & Understanding Weather.
- Physical science includes simple electric circuits, forces and motion, and light, shadow and penumbra.
- One download serves siblings in Grades 3, 4 and 5 who can study the same topic together.
- Worksheets, activities, slides and answer keys let a parent check work without a science background.
- Units can be taught in any order, so you can follow the seasons or your child's questions.
Getting started
Steps from ESA account to first science lesson
This order keeps the rules check ahead of the purchase. The pacing ideas are only suggestions.
- Read your ESA handbook firstLook up how the program treats curriculum, which vendors or marketplaces it uses, and whether this purchase needs a receipt upload or an attestation under the July 2026 change. Ask the program if anything is unclear.
- Look through the 11 unit titlesOpen the bundle page and read each unit's description. Decide which ones your children will use this year and whether the full bundle or a few single units makes more sense.
- Buy, download and keep the receiptThe download link arrives by email right after purchase and stays under Orders in your account. Save the order confirmation in case the program asks for documentation later.
- Gather your own materialsNothing physical ships. For hands-on units such as circuits or light and shadow, plan ahead for any household items or supplies you want to use, and buy them separately.
- Teach one unit at a timeA family might take one unit every three to four weeks, starting with weather or the water cycle and saving birds for spring when there is more to watch outside.
What to buy
Which science purchase makes sense for your family
For a child or siblings in Grades 3–5, the Elementary Science Curriculum at $109.99 is the main pick; the 11 units cost $228.62 bought one by one. If you also want arts instruction, the Elementary Art & Music Units Bundle ($74.99) adds rhythm, singing, instruments, color mixing and printing. The Complete Learning Books Bundle ($99.90) spreads 10 units across grammar, math, science, history, ESL, art and music for Grades 3–6, useful if you want a sampler across subjects. An older sibling in Grades 8–12 could use the Environmental Science Units Bundle ($69.99).
Honest limits
Limits worth knowing before you spend ESA funds
Teach Lessons does not claim to be an approved vendor of the Arizona ESA, and this curriculum is not written for Arizona. It contains no Arizona science standards codes, so compare it with the state standards yourself if that matters to you. Check your ESA rules, vendor list and documentation requirements before buying; the program decides what it reimburses or pays for. No lab kits, batteries, bulbs or other supplies are included. The licence is for your own family's or classroom's use; a microschool with several teachers should message Teach Lessons first. Within 7 days you can exchange an unsuitable purchase for store credit, not cash.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is this curriculum approved for the Arizona ESA?
Teach Lessons is not an approved vendor of the Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account and makes no claim that this purchase qualifies. The curriculum is also not aligned with or endorsed by Arizona's science standards. Curriculum is listed as an approved ESA expense in general, but you need to confirm with the program which vendors and payment routes it accepts before buying.
What does the July 2026 attestation change mean for me?
From July 2026, some supplemental materials need an attestation rather than a receipt upload. Whether a science curriculum like this one falls under that change depends on how the program classifies it. Read the current ESA handbook or contact the program; this page cannot tell you which category your purchase belongs to.
I am not confident teaching science. Will this work?
The units come with worksheets, activities, slides and answer keys, so you can read the slides with your child, work the activity together and check answers afterward. Starting with a topic you already find interesting, such as birds or weather, makes the first weeks easier for both of you.
Can I use it with a third grader and a fifth grader at the same time?
Yes, that is a common way to use a Grades 3–5 set. Both children can work on the same unit, for example forces and motion, while you expect more detailed answers from the older child. The answer keys help you check both sets of work.
Does it include experiment supplies?
No. The curriculum is a digital download with no physical items. Units like Explore Simple Electric Circuits or Light, Shadow & Penumbra are teaching material only. If you want to build a circuit or test shadows, you supply the items yourself, and whether those count as ESA expenses is a separate question for the program.
How quickly can we start?
Right after purchase you get a download link by email, and the files stay in your account under Orders. You can print the first unit the same day. If the curriculum does not suit your family, you have 7 days to exchange it for store credit of equal value.
Check your ESA rules, then plan the science year
Eleven units in life, earth and physical science for Grades 3–5. Read every unit description on the bundle page before you decide.
See the 11 science units