Hi friends! Today Iām sharing my thoughts on The Rainbow Science curriculum by Beginnings Publishing. The Rainbow Science is a two year curriculum covering physics, chemistry and biology and is intended for use with 8th (year one) and 9th grade (year two). Last year we completed year one with physics and chemistry, and this year weāre going through biology.
We do two lessons and one lab each week and it seems to be a great fit for us so far. We are really enjoying this curriculum and I definitely plan to use it with my younger girls when they get to 8th and 9th grade.
Watch my video review of The Rainbow Science here:
What you will need:
You will want to get the student text book, teacherās manual (which includes answers to text questions and labs), the student lab workbook, and the science kit for whichever year youāre working on. If youāve started year one and want to continue with year two you just need to get a new lab notebook and the supply kit (durable and renewable kit) for year two.Ā You will continue to use some items from the Year 1 kit, so make sure you don’t get rid of those!
You do not need to purchase a new teachers manual or student reading text.
I suggest ordering at least one student text book, you could always share if you have multiple students, but I find it easier if each of my kids has their own copy. Youāll also want to order one lab workbook for each of your students and one kit. We share our kit when doing experiments, but I suppose you could order one kit per student. I prefer to share since the science kit is always the most expensive part of any science curriculum. And like I mention in the video weāve found it very useful to have the kit as it makes science a no-prep curriculum for me. I donāt have to plan anything ahead of time, we just open our book and get started.
Suggested Grade Levels:
This course can be used as a Jr.Ā High course or can be taken for two High School credits. You can receive one credit for Physical Science (Yr 1) and one credit for Biology (Yr 2).
Where to get The Rainbow Science:
You can order your curriculum from Beginnings Publishing. If you have any questions that I didnāt address in the video youāre welcome to contact them, theyāre very helpful!
You can find more information on quizzes and using this course for high school credits here:
What edition are the 2 in 1 Rainbow science books you featured in your video? First or second? Thanks!
Hi Erica!
I was wondering, do you or did you require your kids to answer the questions in each science lesson in written form or did you use them in oral discussion?
Hi Tammy, we did most of them verbally and did the lab experiments together as well.
Your thyroid looks really inflamed. Have you had it looked at lately? I love your blog and all you share with us. I’m not trying to be rude or put you on the spot, but watching you speak I can see that your thyroid is in fact swollen. Thank you for your hard work and inspiration.
With a move from one coast to another, I moved my 3 Jr. High kiddos into an online program. I hated it… They hated it!!! We gave it our all last year, but finished so discouraged.
This year hasn’t been easy either. I finally decided I was done with being in the back seat. I needed to be in charge of my kids day and thier lives, at least what they’re learning.
They are going into 9th grade next year, but barely passing 8th. Iwould love any and all prayer, advice and support during this time.
Hi Jennifer,
we all have hard years, and if online isn’t working for you then I would definitely suggest going back to something you’re more in control over. I have curriculum suggests for all grades on my blog and I have lesson plans for grades prek-8th currently avail in my store. 9-12 are coming soon š Will pray for your decisions!
Thank you for this review! I was wondering if you guys are still using the Rainbow science and if you continued to like it/how was the rest of year 1 and year 2. Still doing my research on a science curriculum for next year!
We did year 1 & 2 of it and I did like it. We’ve moved on to BJU Press Science for high school this year.
Hi! Iām looking for a good science curriculum for my 8th grader and this one seems to be great but my question is, is the laboratory work book and supplie kit necessary? Iām not interested in doing labs but I would like to know if they are needed to fully understand the information in this curriculum. Please email me if you could help me out with this question!
Hi, you do kind of need to do the lab with it. I suppose you could skip it, though it’s definitely not as engaging that way, and I’m sure they recommend that you do the labs along with the curriculum. You might want to send them an email to see what they say.
Hi Analeigh, I do suggest doing the labs with your kids, they’re a great way to make it more fun and also labs encourage creativity, experimentation, and also help solidify concepts visually.
Is there another place to order this from?
Yes, it is linked in the post.
Hi, thank you so much for the great review! Did you get a lab kit for each child or are they able to share the resources? We have twins and would like to keep costs down if possible yet still want each of them to have the hands on experience. What do you recommend purchasing per child and which resources can they share? Thanks!
We shared our resources and did our labs together as a group. Lab kits are pricey and so I try to share whenever possible!
Thank you! This has been so helpful, I watched your video as well – there aren’t many reviews of this curriculum, not really sure why! I really like how this is laid out and how the text seems to be very student friendly – do you think this is good preparation for high school level science courses? Since you’re also familiar with BJU, do you have any thoughts as to how this compares to BJU science in terms of content and rigor? That’s another science option I’m considering for middle school. I’d prefer something less textbook heavy but content that can still effectively convey what students need to know/understand.
Hi Emily,
I think it’s okay, but I do think the BJU Press DOL courses are a bit more college prep level. We enjoyed Rainbow Science for 8th-9th grade though.
What science will you use for high school? Would this one be sufficient? Thank you!
We are using BJU Press Distance Online learning for high school science and history.
Would you mind posting some scope and sequence info? Photos of the table of contents would be great. Unfortunately, Rainbow Science does not have this info on their website and my state requires it to get an exemption letter. š I will also talk to Rainbow Science ASAP, but thought it would be nice to have it here too. Thanks! š
Hi,
I’m sorry I don’t have this curriculum anymore, you’ll want to email them and see if they can give that to you.