Colorado Homeschool Science for Grades 3–5: An 11-Unit Year to Consider
Science is one of the subjects Colorado's home-based education statute names, and for children in Grades 3–5 the Elementary Science Curriculum is one way to fill it: eleven hands-on units across life, earth and physical science for $109.99. It gives you lessons and worksheets you can teach at the kitchen table. It does not handle your notice, attendance or testing; those remain yours.
See the 11 science unitsThe Elementary Science Curriculum ($109.99) is a set of 11 units for Grades 3–5: the water cycle, forest ecosystems, simple circuits, weather, meadows and pollination, forces and motion, the skeleton, light and shadow, and three units on birds. It is written for teachers and homeschool families who want a full year of hands-on science covering life, earth and physical science. It is a digital download; no lab kit or materials are included, and nothing in it is specific to Colorado.
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
Colorado's three routes, and where science sits in them
Colorado families have three ways to homeschool. Under the home-based education option, C.R.S. 22-33-104.5, parents file a notice of intent with any Colorado school district at least 14 days before starting, and again each year. They provide 172 days of instruction, averaging four hours per day, and keep attendance records, test or evaluation results and immunization records. In Grades 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11, the child takes a nationally standardized achievement test or is evaluated by a qualified person, with results going to the notified district or to a Colorado independent or parochial school. The statute names the subjects: the United States Constitution, reading, writing, speaking, math, history, civics, literature and science. The second route is enrolling in a Colorado independent school that supervises home instruction. The third is instruction by a holder of a valid Colorado teaching certificate, which carries no notice or assessment requirement. Science is often the subject families feel least sure about. Reading and math have obvious workbooks; science needs explanations, experiments and something to show for the day. With Grade 3 and Grade 5 being testing years, parents also want steady work across the year. This is a general summary; check current law with the state or a homeschool legal resource.
Why it fits
How the units work in a Colorado home school
The curriculum supplies science lessons. These are the points where it matters most for a family schooling at home.
- Eleven units give a science thread through most of the 172-day year at a relaxed pace.
- Weather and the water cycle connect to what children see outside every season.
- Explore Simple Electric Circuits and Forces & Motion bring physical science to the kitchen table.
- Three bird units can run through the year: traits, nests and migration, then conservation.
- A forest ecosystem unit and a meadows unit suit outdoor walks and nature journals.
- Finished worksheets show your evaluator or umbrella school what science work looked like.
Getting started
One way to spread the units over a year
This order follows the seasons. Move units around to match your family's calendar and your child's interests.
- Early fall: water and weatherBegin with Water & the Water Cycle and Observing & Understanding Weather. Children can keep a simple weather log at home and compare it with what the units explain.
- Late fall: forests and the bodyTeach Explore a Forest Ecosystem while leaves are changing, then The Skeleton in Motion. The second unit works well indoors once days get shorter and colder.
- Winter: physical scienceUse the winter months for Explore Simple Electric Circuits, Exploring Forces & Motion and Light, Shadow & Penumbra. Gather your own batteries, wires and flashlights, since no materials are included.
- Winter into spring: birdsStart What Is a Bird? in late winter, then Birds Through the Year with nests and migration as spring arrives. Finish with Protecting Birds: Habitats, Conservation & Watching.
- Late spring: meadowsEnd with Meadows, Flowers & Pollination when plants are blooming. Save a few finished pages from each unit as evidence of the year's science work.
What to buy
Choosing between the science set and the alternatives
For a Grades 3–5 child, the Elementary Science Curriculum at $109.99 is the main recommendation; the same 11 units cost $228.62 separately. If you also want art and music lessons for the same ages, the Elementary Art & Music Units Bundle ($74.99, parts $124.95) 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, a broader but thinner option. Older siblings in Grades 8–12 may fit the Environmental Science Units Bundle ($69.99, parts $124.95).
Honest limits
Limits a Colorado family should know
This curriculum is not written for Colorado. It contains no Colorado content, carries no Colorado Academic Standards codes, and does not prepare for any particular standardized test or evaluation. Compare it with the expectations of your evaluator or umbrella school. You supply all materials for experiments, along with printing, attendance records and the other statutory subjects. The licence is for your own family; co-op or group use needs a short message to Teach Lessons first. If it does not suit your child, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value, not a cash refund.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Does this count as Colorado's required science instruction?
No product can decide that for you, and this one makes no such claim. It is not written for, approved under or aligned to Colorado's homeschool law or the Colorado Academic Standards for science, which were revised in August 2025. How your family plans for the law is your decision; check current law with the state or a homeschool legal resource.
Will it help with the Grade 3 or Grade 5 test or evaluation?
It is not test preparation, and it is not built around any particular test. It gives your child a year of structured science lessons and worksheets, which an evaluator may want to see, but what the test or evaluation covers depends on the test or person you choose.
Do I need a science background to teach it?
The units are written for teachers and homeschool families, with lessons, worksheets and answer keys already prepared. Read each unit a few days before you start it and gather household materials for any experiments. Nothing needs to be invented on your part, and you can follow the lesson plan as written.
Are lab supplies included?
No. It is a digital download only. Units like simple circuits and light and shadow will need batteries, wires, bulbs or flashlights that you gather yourself. Look through each unit after download and make a short shopping list before the week you teach it, so a lesson never stalls for a missing part.
We use an umbrella school. Can we still use it?
Yes, if your independent school allows outside curriculum. If it keeps its own approved list or asks for records in a set format, check with it before you buy. The curriculum works the same way whichever homeschool route you choose, and finished worksheets are easy to file in any record system.
How quickly do we get it?
Immediately after purchase. A download link comes by email, and the files stay in your customer account under Orders, so you can download them again later or on another device. You can print the worksheets at home, use them from a screen, or mix both depending on the unit.
A year of science, ready for your kitchen table
Open the product page to see all 11 unit titles and decide where your child starts.
See the 11 science units