Is there a big list of science topics that should be covered in elementary school somewhere out there?

[rose]

My children seem to hate anything that looks like a science textbook but of course they're like every other child and science exploration runs in their blood. I'm thinking of ditching the curriculum outright, at least for elementary school, and switch to living books from the library. Rather than just winging it I would like a list for myself to consult now and then to see where my holes are. So basically what I'm looking for is a giant list of elementary school science topics to cover.

[Dianthus]

I would search my library's online catalog for whatever topic. For example, my son just wanted books on the brain and the eye. So I just search the topics, filter by Juvenile, then do my hold requests online. I had a hard time finding eye books so called to ask the librarian and she sent me an email with a list.  In the old days, I would just go to the library and grab everything interesting in the subject section, but we don't get there as often and I don't have enough arms to carry it all. I should get a cart or wagon for our library trips.

Also, just browse through the books from Sonlight/Bookshark, or others and get those from your library. In general, good science and history encyclopedias are from Usborne, Kingfisher and DK. There are also many good single subject books from Usborne and DK. National Geographic Kids also are popular with my kids.

What curriculum are you using? I'm also not thrilled with our MP science. It's good information to know, but doesn't feel like science to me. So, I am also keeping the library basket full of science books.

[peppermint-kiss]

A long time ago, I stole a scope & sequence from a science program and used it to craft my own curriculum plans.  Now I can't for the life of me find the original source, and I've modified it a bit to suit our needs, but you're welcome to steal it from me! 😄  Let me know if you want more details on this

Kindergarten - My Body, Plants & Animals, Measurement (size, temperature, etc.), Matter (states), Our Earth, Seasons, Motion (push & pull), Astronomy (sun, moon, & stars)

First Grade - Matter (properties, mixtures & solutions), Weather (clouds, water cycle), Animal Classification & Adaptation, Habitats, Oceans, Plants, Human Body (major systems), Light (how it travels, reflections)

Second Grade - Measurement (metric system), Force (simple machines, etc.), Magnetism, Sound, Human Body (cells & digestive system), Geology, Life Cycles, Weather (air pressure, forecasting), Engineering

Third Grade - Vertebrates, Ecosystems, Matter (phase changes, atoms), Energy, Light (spectrum, how the eye works), Astronomy (solar system, stars, galaxies)

Fourth Grade - Interdependence of Life (food webs etc.), Animal & Plant Interactions, Invertebrates, Chemistry (distillation, evaporation, pH), Forces & Fluids, Human Body (nervous system, endocrine system), Electricity & Magnetism, Rocks & Minerals, Fossil Record

Fifth Grade - Water Resources, Oceans (currents, tides, waves, marine biology), Atmosphere, Forces of Motion, Chemistry (structure of atoms, periodic table), Cells & Cell Processes, Taxonomy of Plants & Animals (including microorganisms), Animal Physiology (e.g. circulatory, respiratory etc.)

[regentrude]

As a scientists, I see my goals during the elementary years in not squashing the child's natural curiosity, training the observation, and instilling the habit of asking questions and seeking explanations.

I have not seen any textbooks that I would have liked for my kids. Most are dull, with busy work, and somehow there seems to be a ridiculous focus on vocabulary memorization which is not, actually, science. IMO, there is nothing wrong with touching on whatever topics come up, going as deep as the child wants, possibly focusing strongly on certain areas of interest. At this age, I would not worry about comprehensive coverage at all, but just read widely and use all opportunities for field trips, nature walks, science centers, planetariums etc.

[Miss Tick]

I used the Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding books to get a logical, interconnected approach to science from kindergarten through about 6th grade. They are advertised as k-8, but it just didn't take that long, even with plenty of experiment days and deep dives added in.

I don't usually recommend the series, because although I made it into exactly what I needed, it took a lot of enjoyable prep work on my part. Most people actually want open & go and this is not that. I think there is a website now. On there you could probably find different people's order of lessons and if nothing else you could use that to give you a road map to covering all the basic topics without needing the book.

[Alte Veste Academy]

The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) has standards. You can find them here. Click on each subject to see them broken down. Standards themselves are written in bureaucratic technical language, but the topics themselves are helpful. 

Books I used when my kids were younger:

The Really Useful Science Book: A Framework of Knowledge for Primary Teachers This book provides background knowledge of elementary science topics for the teacher and is detailed enough to help you plan topics, unit studies, etc. 

Science Scope An oldie but a goodie. You can see a good preview of it on Google Books. 

[Lori D.]

I used the table of contents from several children's science encyclopedias, plus online table of contents for several science programs to create a sort of "master list" of the kind you are looking for that you could dig into topics from time to time to supplement your children's science explorations.
 

Life Sciences
- anatomy (human body) (systems, 5 senses, germs, tooth care, nutrition, health...)
- zoology (animal kingdom) (mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, insects, fish...)
- botany (plant kingdom) (kinds of plants, seeds, leaves, seeds, flowers, stems, roots, photosynthesis...)
- marine biology (sea kingdom) (food web, levels of ocean/types of creatures...)
- ecology (life cycle, water cycle, food web, protecting the environment / pollution, biomes...)
- gardening, horticulture, hydroponics, rot, fungus, composting, earthwords...
- forestry, drying flowers, leaf collection...
- life cycles, habitats, food chain, the zoo, the farm...
- marine biology

Earth Sciences
- geology (rocks, formations, earth layers, tectonics, volcanoes, earthquakes...)
- erosion, glaciers, soil and soil layers
- geography (physical aspects of Earth, landforms, measuring & mapping, latitude/longitude...)
- biomes ("climate zones": desert, arctic, jungle, tundra/prairie, forest, mountain, pond, seashore, river...)
- meteorology (weather -- wind (air), sun (heat), water, weather station & forecasting...)
- types of weather: tornado, hurricane, snow, rain, water cycle, rainbow...
- astronomy (earth, sun, moon, solar system, comets, stars, space exploration...)
- oceanography (tides, currents, waves, geology of sea floor, plate tectonics...)

Chemistry
- matter (states of matter, mass, density, elements, atoms & molecules, periodic table, compounds...)
- reactions (thermodynamics, equilibrium, catalysts...)
- solutions/mixtures (water, solubility, suspensions, acid & base, pH...)
- plant chemistry (photosynthesis, how people use plants, organic chemistry overview...)
- biochemistry (people chemistry) (food for energy, metabolism, cycles, DNA, proteins, enzymes...)
- kitchen chemistry (edible reactions, solutions, mixtures, thermodynamics, etc.)

Physics
- light/sound
- energy/forces/motion
- air (pressure) and water (adhesion & cohesion, floating & sinking, density, surface tension)
- electricity/magnetism
- electronics/computers
- nuclear energy/forces
- simple machines ((gears, pulleys, levers, wheels, screws...)
- rocketry/flight
- building structures/engineering

other topics
- the scientific method / Science Fair project
- 4-H: join an animal, plant, or rocketry project
- First Aid & CPR class and certification
- biographies of famous scientists or inventors
- paleontology, dinosaurs, fossils
- specific animal units (horses, bats...)
- use of microscope
- safety and emergencies, and how to respond

Edited November 19, 2021 by Lori D.

[daijobu]

I agree with @SusanC that BFSU has a nice flow chart of topics that you can use as a spine.  If you don't want to use textbooks and want flexibility in sequence, it might be perfect for you.  He has demos, discussion questions, and a bibliography of terrific books for each topic.  

We used BFSU through middle school, and dd was well prepared to take AP chemistry her freshman year of high school.  

Edited November 18, 2021 by daijobu

[wathe]

10 hours ago, regentrude said:

As a scientists, I see my goals during the elementary years in not squashing the child's natural curiosity, training the observation, and instilling the habit of asking questions and seeking explanations.

I have not seen any textbooks that I would have liked for my kids. Most are dull, with busy work, and somehow there seems to be a ridiculous focus on vocabulary memorization which is not, actually, science. IMO, there is nothing wrong with touching on whatever topics come up, going as deep as the child wants, possibly focusing strongly on certain areas of interest. At this age, I would not worry about comprehensive coverage at all, but just read widely and use all opportunities for field trips, nature walks, science centers, planetariums etc.

This has been my strategy for both elementary and middle school.  We have not followed any scope/sequence or list of topics.  Just touching on topics as they come up and following the rabbit trails.  So far, so good.  Both kids are scientifically literate.  High school starts next year for eldest.  I think he will be fine.

I think that educators tend to view science as a content subject, when really we should be treating it as a skill subject.  The ideas and methods (the grammar) of science are more important than the collection of facts (the vocabulary) that often passes for science education.

I introduced them to quite a few podcasts (Brains On! is by far the favourite).  We encourage tinkering.  We make good use of opportunities for field trips and museums. Ask questions, come up ideas (hypotheses), and then brainstorm ways to find out (how could you test your idea?).

I have loads of books on science topics in the house.  They read them when they feel like it.  They are particularly into Randall Munroe right now (How To, and What If, and Thing Explainer)

Though I think it's relatively easy for us since both DH and I have science backgrounds - science is in the air in our household.  The kids are passively steeped in it.

ETA: This is not to say that a less science-y family can't do this.  I think it just helps me trust the process.

 

Edited November 18, 2021 by wathe

[Lori D.]

I appreciate the encouragementfrom above posters to use the informal exploration approach -- I used that approach myself.

However, I think several people accidentally missed the detail of what OPer was looking for -- she is NOT looking for a textbook, as she plans to continue their informal approach and use living books. OPer just wants a list of science topics that she can use as a resource for ideas for topics they can choose from for exploring. At least, that's how I'm reading her post. 😉 

Sometimes, when DC aren't actively exploring a topic of interest, it's nice to have a list for suggestions and ideas of new topics to explore.

Edited November 19, 2021 by Lori D.

[Clarita]

Usually curriculums will post their scope and sequence as a sample. So you can see if the one you are currently using does that and then that can be your big list of what to cover every year.

[daijobu]

2 hours ago, Lori D. said:

However, I think several people accidentally missed the detail of what OPer was looking for -- she is NOT looking for a textbook, as she plans to continue their informal approach and use living books. OPer just wants a list of science topics that she can use as a resource for ideas for topics they can choose from for exploring. At least, that's how I'm reading her post. 😉 

I guess I don't think of BFSU as a textbook.  It has a list of topics in the first few pages and bibiliography of books you can use to study those topics.  I'm realizing now I don't know what a living book actually is, but if it's a non-fiction science book for children, then BFSU is a good resource to find them.  BFSU is also terrific for suggesting ways to lead a conversation on various science topics and includes some demonstrations for those science topics.

But BFSU isn't a textbook that a student would read and study.  

[rose]

Thanks everyone for your feedback. Someone asked what I've tried. My favorite so far has been Science in the Beginning by Wile. My children just couldn't handle the textbook component. My next thought was to just do the demonstrations and follow the outline, summarizing the written component in my own words. The next set-back we ran into was that we're transitioning to living full time in Haiti as missionaries. All of sudden finding a balloon or jello powder has become impossible. I do have library books via the internet though so I've been thinking of trying to cover various topics with living books. Unschooling fails flat on it's face if you don't have engaging material for children to stumble upon. I just want to make sure that I provide those resources if I'm going to go that route.

[rose]

11 hours ago, Lori D. said:

I used the table of contents from several children's science encyclopedias, plus online table of contents for several science programs to create a sort of "master list" of the kind you are looking for that you could dig into topics from time to time to supplement your children's science explorations.
 

Life Sciences
- anatomy (human body) (systems, 5 senses, germs, tooth care, nutrition, health...)
- zoology (animal kingdom) (mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, insects, fish...)
- botany (plant kingdom) (kinds of plants, seeds, leaves, seeds, flowers, stems, roots, photosynthesis...)
- marine biology (sea kingdom) (food web, levels of ocean/types of creatures...)
- ecology (life cycle, water cycle, food web, protecting the environment / pollution, biomes...)
- gardening, horticulture, hydroponics, rot, fungus, composting, earthwords...
- forestry, drying flowers, leaf collection...
- life cycles; the zoo; habitats; food chain...

Earth Sciences
- geology (rocks, formations, earth layers, tectonics, volcanoes, earthquakes...)
- erosion, glaciers, soil and soil layers
- geography (physical aspects of Earth, landforms, measuring & mapping, latitude/longitude...)
- biomes ("climate zones": desert, arctic, jungle, tundra/prairie, forest, mountain, pond, seashore, river...)
- meteorology (weather -- wind (air), sun (heat), water, weather station & forecasting...)
- types of weather: tornado, hurricane, snow, rain, water cycle, rainbow...
- astronomy (earth, sun, moon, solar system, comets, stars, space exploration...)
- oceanography (tides, currents, waves, geology of sea floor, plate tectonics...)

Chemistry
- matter (states of matter, mass, density, elements, atoms & molecules, periodic table, compounds...)
- reactions (thermodynamics, equilibrium, catalysts...)
- solutions/mixtures (water, solubility, suspensions, acid & base, pH...)
- plant chemistry (photosynthesis, how people use plants, organic chemistry overview...)
- biochemistry (people chemistry) (food for energy, metabolism, cycles, DNA, proteins, enzymes...)
- kitchen chemistry (edible reactions, solutions, mixtures, thermodynamics, etc.)

Physics
- light/sound
- energy/forces/motion
- air (pressure) and water (adhesion & cohesion, floating & sinking, density, surface tension)
- electricity/magnetism
- electronics/computers
- nuclear energy/forces
- simple machines ((gears, pulleys, levers, wheels, screws...)
- rocketry/flight
- building structures/engineering

other topics
- astronomy
- marine biology
- oceanography
- the scientific method / Science Fair project
- 4-H: join an animal, plant, or rocketry project
- First Aid & CPR class and certification
- biographies of famous scientists or inventors
- paleontology and fossils
- specific animal units (horses, bats...)
- use of microscope
- safety and emergencies, and how to respond

This was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks 🙂

[PeterPan]

On 11/18/2021 at 5:55 AM, regentrude said:

At this age, I would not worry about comprehensive coverage at all, but just read widely and use all opportunities for field trips, nature walks, science centers, planetariums etc.

Yes!!

On 11/18/2021 at 5:55 AM, regentrude said:

somehow there seems to be a ridiculous focus on vocabulary memorization which is not, actually, science.

Total aside, but I find myself doing a workbook series with ds this year specifically for the vocabulary. His visualization and science thinking skills are impressive, but they're of little use if you can't actually *talk* about what you know. He has ASD2, so we might get out all kinds of generalities like "that thing" instead of actual terms. A little bit goes a long way with him and I'm hoping will open more doors. But I'm with you that in general it can be overkill for most kids. It's just interesting to teach a totally different child and realize I have to meet him right where he is. 

20 hours ago, rose said:

I do have library books via the internet

Ooo, marvelous!!! I used the table of contents for a science catalog (Tobin's Lab, does that date me?) years ago with my dd to guide our topic choices. Have you thought about snagging some old BJU elementary science books and just throwing them out to read? Might create some daily structure which you bridge with weekly topical studies/narrations. I just find the older I get, the more structure I want, lol. I get less idealistic and more realistic, sigh. So maybe split the middle to keep yourself sane and keep your guilt down. 

https://www.creativeteaching.com/collections/digital-learning-ebooks?constraint=science  I'm using a whole bunch of science workbooks from the Power Practice series at Creative Teaching Press. They hit, over the levels, all the major topics, with some overlap. Since I'm trying to bring his ability to read and talk about the science up to speed, I'm literally using them all (gr 3-4, gr 5-8 workbooks). I collated the topics so he'll work on say biomes and work from lower up to high grade levels then repeat with chemistry, etc. It might give you some *structure* and topics which you could then have them rabbit for weekly narrations using those online library books. 

https://www.teachercreatedmaterials.com/p/180-days-of-science-for-fourth-grade/51410/  I've also used and like this 180 Days of Science series. Since it has grade leveled workbooks, it would be handy for being able to assign more tightly to each student's level. Again, you could flesh out with weekly or biweekly narrations using the online library books, periodicals, whatever. 

https://www.evan-moor.com/daily-science-grade-3-teachers-edition-e-book  Evan Moor also has a daily science we've used and liked *quite a bit*. We found it made for great conversations. And there's enough parallel you could keep people possibly on the same topics or use it as your structure for fleshing out. 

When I get books by topic, I tend to use the lexile hub finder. That would just take a lot of energy for me to do that all the time as my main thing. If you enjoy that, go for it. 

[PeterPan]

Not to be too obvious, but have you printed out a list of Magic School Bus and Let's Read and Find Out books to see what of those you can get online? You wouldn't even need topic lists for the youngest if you just encourage them to read through those series.

[Clarita]

Also try Core Knowledge, CK-Sequence-Grades-K-8-WEB.pdf (coreknowledge.org). They give out entire scope and sequences of what they think children should know. 

[rose]

18 hours ago, PeterPan said:

Yes!!

Total aside, but I find myself doing a workbook series with ds this year specifically for the vocabulary. His visualization and science thinking skills are impressive, but they're of little use if you can't actually *talk* about what you know. He has ASD2, so we might get out all kinds of generalities like "that thing" instead of actual terms. A little bit goes a long way with him and I'm hoping will open more doors. But I'm with you that in general it can be overkill for most kids. It's just interesting to teach a totally different child and realize I have to meet him right where he is. 

Ooo, marvelous!!! I used the table of contents for a science catalog (Tobin's Lab, does that date me?) years ago with my dd to guide our topic choices. Have you thought about snagging some old BJU elementary science books and just throwing them out to read? Might create some daily structure which you bridge with weekly topical studies/narrations. I just find the older I get, the more structure I want, lol. I get less idealistic and more realistic, sigh. So maybe split the middle to keep yourself sane and keep your guilt down. 

https://www.creativeteaching.com/collections/digital-learning-ebooks?constraint=science  I'm using a whole bunch of science workbooks from the Power Practice series at Creative Teaching Press. They hit, over the levels, all the major topics, with some overlap. Since I'm trying to bring his ability to read and talk about the science up to speed, I'm literally using them all (gr 3-4, gr 5-8 workbooks). I collated the topics so he'll work on say biomes and work from lower up to high grade levels then repeat with chemistry, etc. It might give you some *structure* and topics which you could then have them rabbit for weekly narrations using those online library books. 

https://www.teachercreatedmaterials.com/p/180-days-of-science-for-fourth-grade/51410/  I've also used and like this 180 Days of Science series. Since it has grade leveled workbooks, it would be handy for being able to assign more tightly to each student's level. Again, you could flesh out with weekly or biweekly narrations using the online library books, periodicals, whatever. 

https://www.evan-moor.com/daily-science-grade-3-teachers-edition-e-book  Evan Moor also has a daily science we've used and liked *quite a bit*. We found it made for great conversations. And there's enough parallel you could keep people possibly on the same topics or use it as your structure for fleshing out. 

When I get books by topic, I tend to use the lexile hub finder. That would just take a lot of energy for me to do that all the time as my main thing. If you enjoy that, go for it. 

 

18 hours ago, PeterPan said:

Not to be too obvious, but have you printed out a list of Magic School Bus and Let's Read and Find Out books to see what of those you can get online? You wouldn't even need topic lists for the youngest if you just encourage them to read through those series.

Thanks for these suggestions. I'm going to look into each one.

[rose]

13 hours ago, Clarita said:

Also try Core Knowledge, CK-Sequence-Grades-K-8-WEB.pdf (coreknowledge.org). They give out entire scope and sequences of what they think children should know. 

This is great! Bonus points for covering the other subjects too. 🙂

[Ellie]

On 11/18/2021 at 8:46 PM, daijobu said:

I'm realizing now I don't know what a living book actually is, but if it's a non-fiction science book for children, then BFSU is a good resource to find them.

And that's the reason I don't like to use that term, because many people don't know what it means.

[Dianthus]

5 hours ago, Ellie said:

And that's the reason I don't like to use that term, because many people don't know what it means.

What does it mean? I now feel my interpretation of the phrase is incorrect.

Edited November 21, 2021 by Spirea

[8filltheheart]

On 11/17/2021 at 10:58 PM, rose said:

My children seem to hate anything that looks like a science textbook but of course they're like every other child and science exploration runs in their blood. I'm thinking of ditching the curriculum outright, at least for elementary school, and switch to living books from the library. Rather than just winging it I would like a list for myself to consult now and then to see where my holes are. So basically what I'm looking for is a giant list of elementary school science topics to cover.

I'm going to offer a slightly different perspective.  There isn't any such thing as a necessary list of science topics for elementary school.  I wouldn't worry about holes.  The main purpose of elementary and early middle school science should be exposure to science topics and inspiring curiosity.  All high school science starts at an introductory level (as does all college level science albeit at a much faster pace.)   If your kids read across a range of topics that make them love science and wanting to learn more, consider their science education a success.

FWIW, I have never attempted to control what my kids have studied.  Science is reading from trade books on topics that they are interested in and want to learn more about.  Over yrs of reading books, they are exposed to a multitude of topics and at a depth/breadth not covered in textbooks.  

My concern, however, would be that based on your other post that your access to trade books is going to be limited in Haiti. If that isn't an issue, then just reading through any science books at the library in any order they opt even if they fixate on certain topics for months at a time is perfectly fine.  It's all science and it is all good. 

Edited November 21, 2021 by 8filltheheart

[mathmarm]

On 11/17/2021 at 11:58 PM, rose said:

So basically what I'm looking for is a giant list of elementary school science topics to cover.

Core Knowledge has their Science scope viewable on their 2-page At A Glance Document.

 

[ieta_cassiopeia]

One possible list is here, adapted from this British national curriculum list. I'd tick off anything you've already taught or you think your children already know, then start from wherever appears to make the most sense, adapting to what's available wherever you happen to be. Bear in mind that most of this list doesn't have pre-requisites: just teach/re-teach anything that appears to be in the way of understanding what's in front of the children at the point of need. Also, you can ignore the notes: they're designed for schools. Also note that these overlap - you can easily swap topics from one category to another in most cases. I've further separated the scientific processes from the topics since the age ranges for those are wider than for the topics

Scientific process as simplified for 3rd grade and below:

Ask questions -> consider what sort of answer would make sense -> do simple tests with available materials -> observe closely -> write down what happens -> use the data to answer the questions

2nd grade and below:

- Plants, animals and the human body (mostly identifying, describing and comparing)
- Materials (describe and compare common materials)
- Seasons (including weather in each season - if you travel across climate boundaries, it's worth doing it again for each location)

Grades 2-3:

- Life and habitats (living/dead/never-alive distinctions, describing habitats, what lives where and why, food chains, possibly introduce evolution)
- Plants (life cycles, what plants need to grow)

- Animals and humans (how animals/humans change across the lifespan, what animals/humans need to live, nutrition, exercise and hygiene)
- Materials (what different materials can be used for, how to change certain materials)

Scientific process as simplified for 4th-6th grade:

Ask relevant questions to the matter the student is considering -> consider what tests might help answer the questions -> make the test fair and possible to do with available resources -> observe closely -> measure accurately using common units (think centimetres and inches, not "finger widths") -> recording findings using simple scientific terms familiar to the students -> link results to knowledge about theory students already have -> presenting the results in multiple ways (including charts, tables, drawings, written and spoken words - these don't all need to be done for the same experiment, however) -> use scientific evidence to answer the questions -> suggest improvements and further questions

Grades 3-4:

- Plants (what different plant parts do, differences in requirements between plants, how water moves through plants, pollination, seed formation/dispersal)
- Animals and humans (nutrition, construction and purpose of bones and muscles)
- Rocks (compare rocks, fossil formation, soil)
- Light (link to sight, reflections, don't look into the sun, shadows and how they change)
- Forces and magnets (movement on different surfaces, magnetism acts at distance but friction does not, attraction/repulsion, magnetic poles)

Grades 4-5:

- Life and habitats (classification, changing environments including changes humans can do)
- Animals and humans (describing the digestive system, tooth types, food chain interpretation)
- States of matter (solid, liquid, gas, plasma, effect of temperature, water cycle)
- Sound (how sound is made, vibrations needing a medium to move, effect of volume on vibrations, effect of distance on sound, effects of objects on pitch)
- Electricity (items that use it, series circuits, troubleshooting series circuits, effect of a switch, conductors/insulators)

Grades 5-6:

- Life and habitats (differences between different animal species' life cycles, reproduction, changes associated with ageing)
- Materials (different ways to compare materials, dissolution, separating mixtures, reasons why materials are used in certain ways, reversing dissolving/mixing/state changes, irreversibility of creating most new materials, burning and acids)
- Earth and space (solar system movement, Moon's movement around Earth, moons/planets/stars are spherical, how day and night happen)
- Forces (gravity and falling objects, effects of: air resistance, water resistance, friction, simple machines)

Beyond this, you're heading into middle school topics.

[Clarita]

On 11/20/2021 at 11:33 AM, rose said:

This is great! Bonus points for covering the other subjects too. 🙂

Don't worry about it if you don't cover all of their science topics. You will not have gaps in your elementary/middle school kids science as long as you are teaching them to ask questions, observe the world around them and older elementary/middle school give some application for the math beyond arithmetic. They don't have the math knowledge to really "do" a lot of the scientific part of the science so science will start from the begining in highschool whether they are homeschooled or go to a brick and mortar high school.