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Two homeschool science programs, compared on what actually decides the fit: creation and faith content, teaching style, and how much you'll teach.
Updated September 2026 · based on parent reviews and publisher information
Still torn? Answer a few questions and see how both rank for your child, side by side.
Compare for my child| Apologia Exploring Creation Science | Science Shepherd | |
|---|---|---|
| Grades | K–12th | 1st–12th |
| Creation/faith | Christian, young-earth creation | Christian, young-earth creation |
| Approach | Single-topic textbooks with notebooking journals and experiments | Video lessons with workbooks; textbooks and tests at upper levels |
| Who teaches | The parent teaches | The program does the teaching |
| Parent prep | Moderate (read aloud in elementary; gather household lab supplies) | Low (press play; parent checks answers and supervises labs) |
| Screen time | Mostly offline (books and paper) | A mix of screen and paper |
| Video lessons | Available: video and self-paced online options sold for upper-level courses | Included: video lessons are the core teaching in every course |
| Cost | $84.60: Elementary course set (textbook + notebooking journal), e.g. Zoology 1, sale price | $66.50: Introductory Science bundle starting price (lifetime video + workbook + answer key), grades 1–5 |
| Parents love |
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| Common complaints |
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Parents like the warm, conversational writing, the depth of each single-topic year, and the plentiful kitchen-table experiments, and many credit the upper-level courses with good college prep. The common complaints are that the books are text-heavy with long reading sections that can drag for wiggly or reluctant readers, and that the creation viewpoint is woven through everything, so it cannot be used as a secular course.
Parents like that kids can work on their own with the short, packed videos, and that the upper courses are notably rigorous, with Biology often called more demanding than other Christian options. The main criticisms are dense, small-print textbooks that suit strong readers and focused students best, and, for elementary, no built-in progress tracking.
Neither is better for every child. Apologia Exploring Creation Science is the stronger fit for living books (charlotte mason); mostly offline; plenty. Science Shepherd is the stronger fit for video-led; independent workbooks; video lessons a big plus.
Apologia Exploring Creation Science: christian, young-earth creation. Science Shepherd: christian, young-earth creation.
Apologia Exploring Creation Science: $84.60: Elementary course set (textbook + notebooking journal), e.g. Zoology 1, sale price. Science Shepherd: $66.50: Introductory Science bundle starting price (lifetime video + workbook + answer key), grades 1–5.
Summaries are in our own words.