NOEO Science Review: Homeschool Science Curriculum

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My family has used the Logos Press NOEO Science curriculum for the past 3 years. I originally wrote this post after using the curriculum for 2 years, but wanted to write an updated NOEO science review. We have used Biology 2, Physics 2, and Chemistry 3.

When my kids were younger, I created my own homeschool curriculum based on the typical elementary science topics, but as the kids grew older, I worried that there would be gaps in their science educations.

I knew I wanted to purchase a science curriculum that met a few criteria:

  • Secular or at least neutral. My family is religious, but I have found that not all religious science curricula line up with our beliefs. I prefer to teach religion and science separately. I wanted my science curriculum to be science-based.
  • Appropriate for multiple grade levels. One way I teach multiple children is to combine subjects whenever possible.   wanted one curriculum that I could use with both Hannah and Ben.
  • Easy to plan. I wanted a science curriculum that laid out our lesson plans in an easy-to-use format. The less prep work I need to do, the better.

Related: The Best Secular Curriculum Choices for Homeschool

The NOEO Science curriculum has always seemed fairly faith neutral, but the parent company, Logos Press, is religious. I think this is still a good curriculum for a family searching for a faith-neutral science curriculum, but there are other options if you prefer something that is fully secular.

Many people have strong feelings about using a religious, neutral, or secular science curriculum, so I wanted to be sure to include that in this NOEO science review.

NOEO Science Review with books and lab kits

NOEO Science Review: Homeschool Science Curriculum

This NOEO science review is in no way affiliated with NOEO or Logos Press. I purchased the curriculum to use with my own children and wanted to share my experience.

The NOEO Science curriculum kits include:

  • Teachers guide
  • High-quality reference books
  • Most of the items needed for experiments

NOEO Science Review – Teacher’s Guide

A good teacher’s guide is crucial to being able to successfully implement a purchased curriculum. All the fancy materials in the world won’t matter if you don’t know what to do with them.

The NOEO Science curriculum teacher’s guide contains two levels of notebooking pages and lab reports. This is perfect for teaching my third and sixth grader at the same time! I teach the same information; we complete the same experiments and watch the same videos, but the kids write notes and science reports according to their grade level.

The teacher’s guide also contains 36 weeks of lesson plans. Each week consists of 4 days’ worth of lesson plans. The daily plans include the pages to be read from the included books, experiments, internet links, and vocabulary words. A four-day-per-week schedule leaves the fifth day for co-op classes, park days, field trips, or catching up on other work.

A master supply list is included at the beginning of the teacher’s guide, but there is also a shorter weekly supply list included within each week’s lesson plans. This makes it easy to purchase any supplies not included. These are generally just common household items such as baking soda.

There is very little advanced preparation required from parents. As long as you have all of the supplies on hand, NOEO Science is pretty much open and go.

NOEO Science Review – Books

Every NOEO Science curriculum comes with a few high-quality resource books. Our NOEO Biology 2 set included an Usborne Science Encyclopedia, Usborne Complete Book of the Microscope, Usborne Mysteries and Marvels of Nature, and The Body Book.

I already owned the Science Encyclopedia, so I was able to buy the curriculum with a little bit of a discount. These books are fantastic and have a permanent spot on my homeschool bookshelf. The books that are included line up with the grade level for the chosen science curriculum. The NOEO Science curriculum offers sets for grades 1-3, 4-6, and 7-8.

  • NOEO Level 1 – Grades 1st – 3rd
  • NOEO Level 2 – Grades 4th – 6th
  • NOEO Level 3 – Grades 7th and 8th

You know your child best, though, so don’t be afraid to purchase the grade level YOU feel is right. In my opinion, this program is a little easier than I expected for the grade levels. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I just chose to supplement with extra videos that are suggested in the science encyclopedia. Ben, my youngest, started participating in the NOEO Science 4-6th grade lessons when he was in 2nd grade.

NOEO Science Review – Experiments

Each NOEO Science curriculum includes a nice set of experiment kits. These experiments are great because they include the instructions and all materials. The experiment kits are one of the reasons we used NOEO Science for a few years in a row. I am much more likely to complete an experiment if all of the materials are already in my house!  

You will want to conduct experiments in addition to the experiment kits, but there are many simple experiments suggested in the teacher’s guide and the books. I did still need to purchase other experiment supplies, but they were all common household materials such as dish soap or water.

How I Use the NOEO Science Curriculum

We typically do science 4 days a week, Monday – Thursday. This leaves Friday for fun projects, like creating an animal cell replica out of cake. The NOEO Science curriculum is designed to be used 4 days a week. Each day I read the assigned pages to the kids, and we discuss what we read. Next, the kids copy any vocabulary words and definitions into their science journals. If there are no definitions, then I try to find a craft or activity on Pinterest that relates to the lesson.

Finally, we will hop online to check out the related internet links that are scattered throughout the Usborne books. There are some amazing YouTube videos that I would never have found if it wasn’t for these internet links. Our NOEO science lessons usually take us 30 minutes or so per day.

Our science journals were very easy to assemble. I just made copies of the notebooking pages and experiment pages out of the teacher’s manual. I put the pages in a three-ring folder after I hole-punched them. Each child has their own journal. Our very first science activity each year involves decorating their science journal.

This is the BEST science curriculum. It makes planning so EASY! See what the NOEO science curriculum can do for you.

The only complaint I have, as part of this NOEO science review, is that the courses are not rigorous. This is not necessarily a problem with the curriculum, but it is why I decided not to use NOEO beyond 6th grade for my son.

By 6th grade, he was able to do the readings and experiments pretty much by himself with little support from me. This seems like a good thing on the surface, but he is naturally skilled in science. He was bored finishing his science lessons in 20-30 minutes a day. He needed a challenge. I am taking his boredom as a sign that NOEO isn’t hard enough for him at this point.

To sum up this NOEO Science review:

Positive – The kit makes it easy to open the box and start teaching. The resources included are great.

Negative – NOEO Science is not terribly rigorous, which can be boring for science-minded children.

Frequently Asked Questions About NOEO

How Much Does NOEO Cost?

Full packages of NOEO Science levels cost between $214 and $274. However, there are purchasing options for most of the items individually. This lets you save money if you are able to find some of the components used.

Is NOEO A Christian Science Curriculum?

The NOEO company is a Christian company, but the curriculum itself is neutral and does not contain any religious references.

Can I Use NOEO Science for High School?

NOEO does not have a high school level. The curriculum is intended for grades 1 – 8.

I hope this NOEO Science review helped you decide whether this curriculum is a good fit for your family.

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Welcome! My name is Jennifer. I am a teacher at heart. Before my children were born I was a public school teacher. Now, I am a homeschooling mom of two.