Pennsylvania Homeschool Science for Grades 3–5: 11 Hands-On Units
Pennsylvania lists science as a required subject for home education, and the Elementary Science Curriculum ($109.99) is one way to teach it to children in Grades 3–5. It has 11 units across life, earth and physical science, from the water cycle and weather to circuits, forces and birds. It is a science resource for your plan, not a complete answer to the home education law.
View the 11 science unitsFor a Pennsylvania home education program with a child in Grades 3–5, the Elementary Science Curriculum ($109.99) gives you 11 science units: water and 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 a digital download you print at home. It does not satisfy any legal requirement on its own; you decide how it fits your objectives.
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
What Pennsylvania asks of a home education program
As of the 2026–27 school year, a Pennsylvania home education program runs under section 1327.1 of the School Code, added by Act 169 of 1988. The supervising parent files a notarized affidavit or unsworn declaration with the superintendent of the home school district, due before the program starts in the first year and by August 1 after that. The affidavit includes an outline of educational objectives. Required elementary subjects include English, arithmetic, science, geography, history of the United States and Pennsylvania, civics, safety education, health, physical education, music and art. Elementary instruction runs 180 days or 900 hours. Through the year you keep a portfolio with work samples and a log of reading materials, and children take standardized tests in grades 3, 5 and 8. A qualified evaluator interviews the child, reviews the portfolio and writes an evaluation that goes to the superintendent by June 30. Science is the subject many parents find hardest to document. A reading log is easy; showing that a nine-year-old observed, predicted and explained something takes planned activities and finished pages. Check current law with the state or a homeschool legal resource, since this summary is not legal advice.
Why it fits
How the science units support your objectives and portfolio
The units give your outline something concrete to name and give the evaluator real work to look at.
- Eleven named units let you list specific science objectives in your outline instead of general goals.
- Water cycle, weather and forest ecosystem units cover earth and life science topics in one set.
- Simple circuits, forces and motion, and light and shadow add physical science for a balanced year.
- Three bird units suit families who like to watch and record wildlife through the seasons.
- Completed worksheets and hands-on tasks give clear work samples for the end-of-year portfolio review.
- The Grades 3–5 range lets one set serve siblings a year or two apart at the same table.
Getting started
One way to use the units across a home school year
A pacing suggestion only. Adjust it to your calendar, your child and your own objectives.
- Name the units in your objectivesWhen you write the outline of educational objectives, list the science topics you plan to teach, such as the water cycle, simple circuits and the skeleton. A specific list is easier to show progress against later.
- Start with water and weather in fallWater & the Water Cycle and Observing & Understanding Weather work well early in the year, when daily weather changes give children something real to record and compare from one week to the next.
- Teach physical science indoors in winterSimple circuits, forces and motion, and light and shadow suit colder months at home. Keep hands-on work simple; any materials beyond the printed pages are yours to gather.
- Take life science outside in springForest ecosystems, meadows and pollination, and the three bird units fit spring, when plants flower and birds nest. A local park or backyard gives children real examples to compare with the worksheets.
- File work for the evaluatorKeep one or two finished pages from each unit in the portfolio, with dates. At the end of the year the evaluator can see what your child actually did in science, beyond what was planned.
What to buy
Science set alone, or with arts or a multi-subject pack
Buy the Elementary Science Curriculum ($109.99, or $228.62 for the 11 parts bought separately) if science is the subject you most want planned. Music and art are also on Pennsylvania's elementary subject list; the Elementary Art & Music Units Bundle ($74.99 instead of $124.95) adds rhythm, singing, instruments, color mixing and printing for Grades 3–5. If you want one pack across several subjects, the Complete Learning Books Bundle ($99.90) has 10 units on grammar, math, science, history, ESL, art and music for Grades 3–6. An older sibling in Grades 8–12 may suit the Environmental Science Units Bundle ($69.99).
Honest limits
Limits to know before you buy
This curriculum was written for Grades 3–5 in general, not for Pennsylvania. It is not aligned to the state's STEELS Standards and does not cover every subject the home education law lists. Whether it fits your objectives is your decision, together with your evaluator, and you should confirm current rules with the state or a homeschool legal resource. Lab supplies, outdoor gear and household materials are yours to provide. If it does not suit your family, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value, not cash.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Does this curriculum satisfy Pennsylvania's homeschool science requirement?
No product can promise that, and this one is not approved, endorsed or aligned by the state or any school district. Pennsylvania lists science among the required elementary subjects, and the units give you material to teach it, but whether your program meets the law depends on your affidavit, portfolio and evaluation. Check current requirements with the state or a homeschool legal resource; this is not legal advice.
Will the units help with the portfolio?
They can. The portfolio holds samples of your child's work, and completed worksheets and project pages from each unit are easy to date and file. One option is to keep an early and a late sample per unit so progress is visible. The evaluator decides what counts, so ask what kind of science evidence they like to see.
We use the private tutor option instead. Does that change anything?
Under the private tutor option, a Pennsylvania-certified teacher provides instruction and the parent gives the superintendent written assurance; there is no affidavit or annual evaluation. The science units work the same way in either setting, as printed lessons for Grades 3–5. Confirm which option you are under and what it requires with the state or a homeschool legal resource.
My child is in third grade. Is this too hard?
The set is written for Grades 3–5, so a third grader is at the start of its range. Read the material together at first, talk through each task, and let your child answer partly by drawing or labeling. By fourth or fifth grade more of the work can be done independently, and the same units can be revisited in more depth.
Can my child take science at the local public school instead?
Under Act 55 of 2022, districts must let home-educated students take part in cocurricular activities, academic courses and career and technical education programs, starting with the 2023–24 school year. Some families combine home science with a school course in later grades. Ask your district how participation works there; the units here are separate and do not depend on it.
How do I get the files after buying?
The curriculum is a digital download. The link arrives by email right after purchase and also sits in your customer account under Orders. Print the pages at home or use them on a screen. The license covers teaching your own children; sharing the files with a co-op or posting them online is not allowed without asking Teach Lessons first.
Put science on your plan for this year
Open the product page to see the 11 unit titles, then match them to the objectives in your affidavit outline.
View the 11 science units