Save on a full year science curriculum or order a single kit for a month’s worth of learning.

What’s Included?

Everything you need to unlock wonder, spark curiosity, build scientific thinking and investigation skills, and cultivate a love of learning science.


All Necessary Hands-on Materials


Full-Color Student Workbook


Step-by-Step Teacher Guide


Single Page Starter Guide

Real Science

High-quality inquiry-based science curriculum designed to meet national science standards

Engaging hands-on investigation to facilitate exploration of the natural world

Year-long learning progressions developed by homeschool science experts for homeschool families

Made Easy

Everything you need in one box

A year’s worth of science, delivered to your doorstep

Year-long quality science instruction at an affordable price

For Parents and Children. For All Ages and Abilities.

Science Unlocked strips away the hours-long lesson planning and intimidation by combining a comprehensive, ongoing program with lessons, supplies, and excitement for all ages and abilities delivered right to your door.

Reviews from Homeschool Families

    • “We did Newton’s Notions. I felt like the reading was very meaty and good; it didn’t talk down to my child. It was written for his level. The way [the curriculum] was laid out was very clear and consistent for both my child and me.”

      — Danielle E.

    • “This was definitely age-appropriate for my daughter who is advanced in both math and science. I appreciated the planning page in the Teacher’s Guide where it laid out the time and the flow for the curriculum. Being able to see the full picture was very helpful for me.”

      — Amy S.

    • “Yes! This is what I was looking for! This has been a lot of fun at home, but I also see it as even more fun for our STEM club or our co-op.”

      — Cindy W.

    We've spoken with countless homeschool parents who've told us that “science just isn’t their thing” or they “don’t have the confidence to do hands-on science.” Even those that have been successful with homeschool science say they need help with hands-on activities and often lack the time and energy to do it well. We pondered this feedback and thought that there must be a key to unlocking the awesome world of science for homeschool families. After a lot of work developing this new product line, we came to realize there was no better name than Science Unlocked as it captures what we hope to do for you!

    We love science. That’s no secret! We hope you do too, but we recognize that for some families, science might not yet be the favorite subject of the week. At the same time, we know from education research and experience that science and the skills developed during scientific exploration are crucial to a student’s future — even if they do not pursue a STEM career. So, we wanted to create a product that helped homeschool families of all walks of life unlock the joy, wonder, and growth that come with scientific discovery.

    After over 25 years in business, we’ve touched the lives of over 1.5 million students. We hope that’s just the beginning and we’re excited for Science Unlocked to make a positive difference for you, your students, and their futures!

    A Science Unlocked kit includse everything that you need for an entire month of science learning and discovery. Simply pick your kit and go!

    A Science Unlocked bundle is a full-year science curriculum made up of multiple kits. It's the best way to learn science alongside your student all year!

    Kids are naturally curious. As they grow, however, their ability to discover, understand and learn about the world around them changes. We created three distinct levels of Science Unlocked to represent the stages of child development (called Piaget stages) and to signify the progression of this natural curiosity that you see in your children every day.

    The youngest children (Grades K-2) love to wonder — they love to ask questions and they are curious about everything. Our Wonder level products are designed perfectly to meet these kids at their level.

    As your child grows (Grades 3-7) they begin to see the world in new, concrete ways. It is at this level that their learning really begins to accelerate. Our Accelerate level products drive this growth and development towards high-level learning.

    Finally, older children (Grades 8 – 12) develop logical and formal modes of thinking and reasoning. Our Launch level products are designed with this in mind and are intended to launch these children into the next phase of their life with challenging yet engaging hands-on science learning.

    We are homeschoolers, too! We know that not all homeschooling happens inside a box. Grades are one of those boxes that homeschoolers tend to think outside of. Some students excel at certain topics and have difficulty grasping others. Learning truly happens at the pace of your student, and you know your child better than anyone else. We've created three distinct levels of Science Unlocked — Wonder, Accelerate and Launch — to give you a guide as well as the freedom and flexibility to choose what is best for you and your child!

    Wonder level is appropriate for most students in grades K-2, or ages 5-8. The learning experiences in Wonder level are geared toward children in Piaget’s pre-operational stage. Their abilities to perform several science skills are still developing, such as sorting and classifying, sustaining their attention for long periods, using deductive or inductive reasoning, and applying a concept to more general situations. Wonder level focuses on students’ natural curiosity and exploring the natural world.

    Accelerate level is designed for most students in grades 3-7, or ages 8-12. The learning experiences are intended for students in Piaget’s concrete operational stage. They include more reading and writing than they do at the Wonder level, but care has been taken not to overwhelm students with content as they develop important science skills. Accelerate level activities and text emphasize personal connections to natural phenomena and ways they apply to everyday life.

    Launch level is intended for most students in grades 8-12, or ages 12 and up. The learning experiences are designed for students in Piaget’s formal operational stage, so they often ask students to grasp abstract concepts, use advanced reasoning, and do more reading and writing than at the Accelerate level. Launch level activities are still engaging, with significant hands-on content, so that students can experience science for themselves while maintaining a high level of rigor.

    Each kit includes everything you need to get your students engaged in hands-on science — except maybe a glass of water, a box of crayons, or a sunny window sill. We’ve specifically worked very hard to include everything you need in each box. This means we include all the hands-on materials (except very common household items or appliances), an engaging Student Workbook, and a comprehensive Teacher Guide. Plus, each kit includes a single page starter guide to help you get started quickly and easily — it's your roadmap to scientific success!

    We’ve designed each box to provide one full month of hands-on science per level. That means at the Wonder level, your kids will be engaged in about 30 minutes of science every few days. At the Launch level, your student will typically be doing science up to 60 minutes every other day. However, you have the flexibility to work through these kits at your own pace and adjust the timing as much as you need. Some homeschool families say they use the product over the course of just a few weeks, while others use it for several months. We provide our guidance and recommendations, but you choose what works best for you and your students.

    Science Unlocked is a neutral curriculum that allows students to focus on observation, vocabulary, and data to describe, model, and explain natural phenomena. Science Unlocked was designed to align with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and does not engage students in philosophical, religious, or worldview conversations.

    Begin with determining what level(s) might be a fit for you and your student. From there, browse our site to choose the products that meet your needs. Each product offers 1 month of hands-on home science education. For students in the Accelerate and Launch level, choose up to 9 products to use per year. If your child is in the Wonder level, we recommend using 6 kits per year.

    Not ready to commit to a full year — that’s totally fine! Give the first product a try, then continue as your child's interest and homeschooling method dictates.

    Looking to build a full curriculum based on a rigorous Scope & Sequence? Check out the “How Can I Plan My Curriculum?” FAQ below.

    It’s easy! First, determine what level your student is at. From there, review Science Unlocked products with our easy-to-use level filter on our site or check out the Science Unlocked Scope and Sequence. Choose up to 9 products to use per year for Launch or 6 products per year for Wonder and Accelerate level. Remember, each product offers 1 month of hands-on home science education.

    Do you love choices? Perfect! Science Unlocked gives you the flexibility to move around among, and even between, levels to create a program that works for you. If you want to do a chemistry course, choose chemistry kits only. If you want to do a general science course, choose among chemistry, biology, physics, Earth and Space. Or, get your student involved and have them choose products based on interest. Then, build an interest-based science curriculum for the year using our Scope and Sequence to determine areas where your student may want to go in the future, to round out their education.

    Not ready to go fully custom and want some guidance on where to start? Follow one our recommended paths:

    Follow the Science Unlocked Scope and Sequence.

    As your child grows, progress to the next level based on our grade guide. You’ll see your child learning, growing, and becoming developing a deeper understanding of the materials.

    Flexibility is a pillar of the Science Unlocked program, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to have to figure it out on your own. The unique three-level approach of Science Unlocked guides you to a perfect starting point. From there, you can choose to follow any path you’d like, or we can guide you through one of our recommended paths.

    The program fits in a complete K-12 science scope and sequence. If you need more help, our team is always here for you.

    What if everything you wanted in comprehensive homeschool science included less? That’s right ... less. Less hours of planning, less time reading a textbook, less time gathering materials and less time answering boring fill-in-the-blank questions. Science Unlocked is just that ... less. It’s everything you need to engage your kids in real, hands-on science in minutes after opening the box. Everything you need to support your students can be found in a comprehensive, included teacher guide. Everything you need to create an exceptional one month of homeschool science. It's all in there — except the parts you don’t need.

    The science content and curriculum were built by a team of scientists, engineers, and homeschoolers at Home Science Tools who together have multiple decades of experience in science and science education. Looking for credentials? Members of our product team have Masters Degrees in Science or Science Education in addition to home and traditional classroom teaching experience.

    Science Unlocked is on a totally different level. It is a comprehensive K-12 module-based, hands-on curriculum that enables you to mix and match within a formal Scope and Sequence. With Science Unlocked you won’t need that subscription box or a textbook. Everything you need (except for a few household items) is in the box!

    We’ve designed Science Unlocked to uniquely meet the needs of children at the Wonder, Accelerate and Launch levels. Children at similar ages are encouraged to work together in the kits. If your kids are at very different levels, we've included a number of “Multiple Ages and Abilities” guidelines in our Teacher Guides to help you get as many of your children involved as possible.

    Science Unlocked features student-centered, inquiry-based learning experiences. Research has shown that students gain more skills and remember more concepts when they take an active role in their learning. Plus, our phenomenon-focused approach takes advantage of students’ natural curiosity to gain and keep their interest. Engaged students result in more effective learning in both the short-term and the long-term.

    Are you tired of crafts that call themselves science? We are, too. How about so-called “hands-on science” that is just a series of steps to follow and boxes to check? Yeah, we don’t like that, either.

    Science Unlocked is different. As soon as you pop open the box, your student will be presented with an engaging phenomenon. Immediately, they’ll be asking questions: How does that work? What else does things like that? Where can I go to learn more? They are already “doing science.” Throughout the rest of the kit, students will use experiments and activities to discover the details of the science behind the phenomenon. They’ll design their own experiments, develop physical models and practice procedures that give them further insights into what’s happening behind the scenes. Through a series of instructional content and assessments, your student will build and test their knowledge of the subject.

    Don’t worry, Science Unlocked was developed just for you. Each kit includes a comprehensive Teacher Guide that supplements the Student Workbook. This guide can be used as much or as little as you’d like. If your student works independently, they can simply refer to the Teacher Guide for solutions to assessment questions. If you work directly with your child, you can use the convenient numbered tabs to identify where the Student Workbook and Teacher Guide align.

    Here’s just a taste of how the Teacher Guide can help you do science at home:

    1. Frustrated with preparing lessons? Before each activity, you’ll find all the details needed for you to prepare hands-on activities for your child. Don’t worry, we’ve limited upfront prep time as much as possible.
    2. Not sure how to help your student when they’re stuck on a question? We provide suggested scripts and actions for guiding your student’s understanding and correcting their misconceptions.
    3. Not sure how much science to do every day? We provide a suggested schedule to break the kit up into manageable sessions over the course of one month.
    4. Need sample answers to compare to your student’s response? Each assessment exercise has full answers provided, including sample responses for written, diagram, or other more complex assessments.
    5. Have younger or older students involved? The Teacher Guide provides opportunities for you to accelerate or decelerate the content to meet the students where they are. Plus, we provide opportunities to engage multiple students in hands-on activities. Some kits even include coloring pages to get the youngest in your home involved.
    6. Excited about learning more yourself? We’ve provided additional engaging content that will have you hooked on science just like your child!

    If you or your state requires progress to be aligned with Next Generation Science Standards or state standards, Science Unlocked is a perfect fit. The program is designed to provide the flexibility to meet the unique needs of homeschool families while also being compatible with NGSS. Each kit is aligned with 2 -4 performance standards, including additional standards developed in house by the Home Science Tools curriculum team.

    Absolutely! In fact, Science Unlocked makes a great gift for homeschool families, students interested in science, and much more. Just be careful ... you might ignite a love for science that never burns out.

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