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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 | Sonlight Science | |
|---|---|---|
| Grades | K–12th | K–12th |
| Creation/faith | Christian, young-earth creation | Christian content |
| Approach | Single-topic textbooks with notebooking journals and experiments | Living books with a scheduled guide, weekly experiments and experiment videos |
| Who teaches | The parent teaches | The parent teaches from a scripted guide |
| Parent prep | Moderate (read aloud in elementary; gather household lab supplies) | Low (open and go guide; supplies kit available) |
| 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: discover & Do experiment videos in levels K–H |
| Cost | $84.60: Elementary course set (textbook + notebooking journal), e.g. Zoology 1, sale price | $418.89: Science D 4-day package ($340.89) plus supplies kit ($78), grades 4–7 |
| 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 love the open-and-go instructor's guide, the high-quality books, and that experiments and supplies come organized week by week, which makes it easy to teach several ages together. The main complaints are the premium price, a reading-heavy style that suits book lovers more than reluctant readers, and a mix of origins perspectives that disappoints families wanting strictly young-earth content.
Neither is better for every child. Apologia Exploring Creation Science is the stronger fit for christian, young-earth creation; textbook + labs; mostly offline. Sonlight Science is the stronger fit for christian, open to an old earth; living books (charlotte mason); video lessons a big plus.
Apologia Exploring Creation Science: christian, young-earth creation. Sonlight Science: christian content.
Apologia Exploring Creation Science: $84.60: Elementary course set (textbook + notebooking journal), e.g. Zoology 1, sale price. Sonlight Science: $418.89: Science D 4-day package ($340.89) plus supplies kit ($78), grades 4–7.
Summaries are in our own words.