This post on Apologia Anatomy and Physiology was written three years ago after I went through the course with my oldest and you know what? I’m getting ready to do it again with my next two kids. I’m excited about it because I really enjoyed it the first time through.

Science experiments?  Check!

Fun activities?  Check!

Little prep time for Mom?  Check!

Flexible?  Check!

I never thought I’d enjoy science as much as I do now (I’m more of a history/geography girl).  Something must have been missing when I was in school- like the fun part. 

It is difficult to choose a science curriculum.  This past year we worked through Apologia Anatomy.  I thought I’d write a review for those of you who are considering it and let you know what did and did not work for us.

What Level is Exploring Creation with Anatomy and Physiology?

Of course, the first question we ask when looking at science curriculum is what level is it?  All kids are different and as homeschoolers we do not emphasize age or grade so I will share with you how it worked for us.

Aplogia Anatomy and Physiology was the perfect amount of information for my 10 year old.  The text was at his reading level and he was able to work through the activities with little assistance from me.  My 6 year old had fun with the experiments and did learn from them, but overall the text was too hard for him.

What I Like About Apologia Anatomy and Physiology

While this course might not be perfect for everyone, I’d like to share with you what we liked about it including:

• Interactive notebooks
• A well designed textbook
• A reasonable schedule
• Fun experiements
• Everything points back to the Creator

Notebooks

I highly recommend the notebooks created to go with the text book.  There are questions to answer for each chapter along with crossword puzzles, lap books, diagrams to color/label, verses to copy, and a human body that you put together system by system.  Suggestions for further study and reports are also listed.  Again, it was at the perfect level for my 10 year old.

The Jr notebook contains activities, verses to copy, and pictures to color.  It was too hard for my first grader (who just colored the pictures) but will be good for him in a year or two.

I must confess that my kids do not love these notebooks, but I make them use them anyway as I feel it reinforces the concepts learned.  

 

The Textbook

The textbook itself is divided into chapters based on systems.  Colorful photos and illustrations are on every page along with fun facts and little stories (one was about a red blood cell named Zoe and her life).  Being a science book, it is full of facts and unfamiliar words, but it is not dry and boring.

My younger son enjoyed looking at the diagrams while my oldest was learning quite a bit from the text.  

Schedule

We trade off Social Studies one month and Science the next so we did 4 months of anatomy and we did not finish in one school year.  We are going to work on it this summer in order to complete it before next year. 

I do not think it is too long for a normal school year, but it is too long for the schedule that I created.  In order to complete it in one school year, I’d have to devote at least 3 days a week to it.

Experiments

The experiments are simple, entertaining, and enlightening.  I did have to buy supplies such as iodine, epsom salt, and a variety of candy (for a cell creation) so looking ahead is probably a good idea.  Did I always look ahead?  No lol

I imagine most Science books boast fun experiments so I thought I’d share a few of our favorites to give you an idea of why we considered them fun.

• mumified apple pieces
• strengthened our finger muscles and recorded the progress (this took a month)
• jogged around the house with an egg in a container of water to show why we need fluid around our brain
• Put tape around our chests in order to see it stretch as our diaphragm expanded

Everything Points Back to God as Creator: My Favorite Aspect of Apologia Anatomy and Physiology

Apologia does a wonderful job of reminding students that the incredible systems and designs of our bodies are the handiwork of an almighty God and creator.  When introducing the circulatory system, the blood was first discussed in context with scripture.  The spiritual application of “the life is in the blood” was first explained and then the physical details.  I was pleased with the way it was presented.

You may also be interested in reading “My Favorite Science Curriculum” where I write about the textbook we used last year.  We thoroughly enjoyed that one as well.

One of the main reasons I use Apologia is because I appreciate the way they connect God with science.  I believe we can learn so much about God from the world around us!  See “20 Ideas for Teaching Our Kids about Connecting with God Through Nature”.

To sum it all up, if you are looking for a God centered science curriculum to teach the human body to upper elementary aged children then Apologia Anatomy and Physiology might be what you are hoping to find.

Other homeschool posts you might find helpful.

Easy Homeschool Language Arts Curriculum

How I am Growing Strong Readers