Homeschool Chemistry Curriculum

My children are sad to be done with your Introductory Science course. So am I! It made science so easy this year!

Mrs. L.

It is absolutely no wonder to me that you received this award. I have found your high school biology amazing.

Sami W. and Children

Just wanted to drop a quick note and say how much we are enjoying the Life Science curriculum. Hands down, it is the best program out there.

Ellen K.

Key Features

Complete homeschool chemistry curriculum for middle school or introductory high school.
Encourages independent study.
On-demand video lessons available.
Workbook to guide students through each video lesson.
Full-color Textbook with chapter review questions.
Answer Key & Parent Companion with chapter summaries and key teaching points.
Test Booklet with 5 tests.
Hands-on activity/lab book available.
Recommended 34-week schedule provided.
Ready for homeschool co-ops and traditional schools.
Fully developed by a homeschool family.

Fundamentals of Chemistry Curriculum Overview

Science Shepherd's Fundamentals of Chemistry is a high school preparatory curriculum designed to be straightforward and easy to understand. Written by Science Shepherd author Dr. Scott Hardin, the comprehensive homeschool chemistry curriculum integrates the class textbook, lesson videos and activities/labs to prepare students for more advanced study. Fundamentals of Chemistry is parent-friendly and allows for independent study.

The Fundamentals of Chemistry Textbook presents concepts in a clear and concise manner. Focus is given to key tenets in the areas of data collection and standardization, atoms, bonding, organic chemistry and more, as well clearly defining how the observations of chemistry support biblical creation. The Fundamentals of Chemistry Test Booklet contains 5 tests for thorough review of course concepts, and the Answer Key & Parent Companion helps homeschool parents support their student's learning without needing a background in chemistry themselves.

The available Fundamentals of Chemistry Video Course is an optional supplement with over 80 lessons and 9 hours of content. In each video lesson, Dr. Hardin presents a comprehensive, section-by-section teaching from the Fundamentals of Chemistry Textbook to further aid students in understanding the course material. The student Workbook is available as an additional, optional aid to guide students through the Video Course, and the Fundamentals of Chemistry Lab Manual is available as the course activity/lab book for hands-on learning.

Fundamentals of Chemistry Video Course: 80+ lessons, 9+ hours, 6:30 average lesson time.

Age/Grade Recommendations

Recommended for middle school grades 7-8 (ages 12-14) or for 9th grade as an introductory high school course (ages 14+).
May also be used as a "non-college prep" high school course.

Grade/age recommendations are flexible and meant only as guidelines. The free course preview and curriculum samples can help you determine if Fundamentals of Chemistry is right for your students (see below).

Lab Supplies

The labs and activities included in the Fundamentals of Chemistry Lab Manual require mostly household items, but a few specialty items are needed, which can be easily acquired from a local science/educational supply store or an online retailer. A full list of needed supplies is available here.

Award-Winning Homeschool Curriculum

Science Shepherd for middle school is one of Cathy Duffy's 103 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum, is a 2022-2025 Homeschool.com Educational Website Awards Winner, and receives rave reviews from families. You can be confident that our homeschool chemistry curriculum will provide an excellent educational experience to your student.

Cathy Duffy's 103 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum 2022 badge Homeschool.com Educational Websites for Kids Awards Winner 2025 seal How to Homeschool Best Products and Curriculum for 2023-24 award seal

Fundamentals of Chemistry Free Preview

Watch a sample lesson video below, or enroll in a free preview of our homeschool chemistry curriculum through our student learning portal. The preview includes 4 complete lessons, a corresponding section of the Fundamentals of Chemistry Textbook and Workbook, and a full chapter of online review questions.

Ready to explore chemistry? Save 10% with our complete homeschool chemistry bundle.

Additional Information

: The short answer is that the materials included with the video series can stand alone (especially when using the optional Workbook), but the optimal learning experience will not be attained without the textbook; however, there are nuances to that answer that deserve explaining. I have no doubt that if the video alone is utilized, your student will receive a most excellent learning experience, equal to/better than that of the other video-only based middle school chemistry programs out there. The nuance in the answer is that it depends upon what you and your student’s goal is for learning chemistry. If the goal is to ensure a solid experience for someone who struggles with science and isn’t going to pursue too much further learning in the biological or physical sciences, then the video only approach will absolutely achieve that goal. On the other hand, if the student is highly interested in biological/physical science and/or wants to pursue it further after this class, then, while the video itself is “complete” in that all of the material in the text is presented in the video, the video alone will not provide adequate ability for the student or teacher to assess the completeness of understanding of the material. I think the ideal way to learn this material is to both read and hear it (students who are challenged with text-based learning often do quite well with the text after watching the information first presented visually), with the text ultimately serving as a ready reference should a question arise (in which case trying to find the relevant material on one of more than 80 video clips amassed over more than 7 hours of video will be quite challenging). In addition, the end of chapter questions in the book are designed to test complete mastery of the subject matter (and they are ideally set up for both text-based learners and auditory learners) since they are true-false and short answer questions. This is, by far, the most thorough way to assess your student’s understanding of the material (as opposed to multiple choice or fill in the blank). If the video series is used alone, this valuable knowledge testing resource will be lost. Now, it is true that I have developed multiple choice questions that are integrated into the video series and learning platform but, again, they are really designed as a supplement for, rather than a substitute of, the questions in the text itself.
: Since these are science courses that were written by a Christian, probably the most common question I am asked is, “What about evolution and creation?” The answer really starts and ends with the Bible. It is the unerring Word of God and, as such, provides the framework upon which everything is understandable, including science. As such, all Science Shepherd material is presented from a literal understanding of Genesis, teaching that God created the universe and everything in it in 6 literal, 24-hour days, about 6,000 years ago. Now, why evolution in Christian-based courses? It is important to cover evolution and some basic principles because our children will be constantly bombarded with it throughout their lives.

Additional FAQs . . .

What Comes Next?

Looking to plan a few years in advance and have your next topic selected? Fundamentals of Physics is a natural follow-up to Fundamentals of Chemistry. You can also read our "Recommended Course Progression" blog post for a broad overview of utilizing Science Shepherd curriculum in your homeschool.