A Catholic homeschool science curriculum · Grades 1–5
Eight courses, from the animal kingdom to the elements themselves. Science taught as the study of what God made — with the Church’s own scientists, saints, and history inside the lesson rather than appended to it.
Course 1AnimalsCreatures of the Wild 
Course 2PlantsWonders of Nature 
Course 3EarthExploring Our Home 
Course 4OceansMysteries of the Deep 
Course 5SpaceA Tour of the Cosmos 
Course 6Ecosystems & SpeciesThe Web of Nature 
Course 7Cells & SystemsLiving Machines 
Course 8Chemistry & PhysicsElements and Forces of the World“All the efforts of the human mind cannot exhaust the essence of a single fly.”
Plan your sequenceTAN Books/Homeschool/Series/Foundations of Science
Start here
Every course is sold the same way: a complete set, or the textbook, workbook, video and audiobook separately. A family teaching one child needs less than a co-op; a family with two grade bands needs more. Pick the track that matches your house.
The set bundles the print and media pieces at one price.
Pick this if
You are starting the series, or teaching more than one child from the same course.
It is the only option that covers reading, listening, and watching in a single purchase, and it costs less than assembling the same pieces individually.
The minimum for a family that teaches in person.
Pick this if
You are teaching the course yourself and do not need video or audio.
Buy a workbook for each child and one textbook per household. Add the video later if a lesson stalls.
For the car, the co-op, or a family already using another science spine.
Pick this if
You want enrichment without changing curriculum.
Both work as supplements to another program. They are not a substitute for the workbook if you want written work.
The collection
The order below moves from the visible world inward — animals and plants, then the planet, then beyond it, then the systems that make life work, then the elements underneath everything. Each course stands alone, but the sequence builds.
Course 1 · Creatures of the Wild
Classification, habitats, migration, hibernation, communication, and hunting across mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects. St. Francis of Assisi, St. Brendan, and St. Modomnoc anchor the Catholic thread. Twelve lessons.
Course 2 · Wonders of Nature
How plants grow, reproduce, and defend themselves — from seed structure and photosynthesis to the strange strategies of carnivorous and parasitic plants. The parables of the sower and the mustard seed sit alongside the botany. Twelve lessons.
Course 3 · Exploring Our Home
Mountains, caves, oceans, weather, climate, tectonic plates, the atmosphere, and the seasons. St. Damian of Molokai and St. Kateri Tekakwitha carry the stewardship theme. Twelve lessons.
Course 4 · Mysteries of the Deep
The physics and biology of the sea: currents, tides, salinity, zones of light and pressure, and the creatures built for each depth. Twelve lessons.
Course 5 · A Tour of the Cosmos
The solar system, planets, moons, stars, and galaxies — with the order and scale of creation as the organising idea rather than an afterthought. Twelve lessons.
Course 6 · The Web of Nature
Ecology proper: populations, communities, food webs, biomes, adaptation, and biodiversity. Gregor Mendel, the Augustinian friar who founded genetics, belongs to this volume. Twelve lessons.
Course 7 · Living Machines
The cell as the unit of life — membranes, organelles, division, and the systems they build into. The smallest scale in the series, and the one that most provokes wonder. Twelve lessons.
Course 8 · Elements and Forces of the World
Matter, elements, the periodic table, motion, energy, magnetism, and light — the laws that hold the rest of the series together. Twelve lessons.
Component comparison
The same five components exist for all eight courses, so a family can move from one course to the next without changing how the subject is taught.
| Component | Format | Written for | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complete Set | Textbook, workbook, audiobook, and streaming video in one order | All ages | All four print and media pieces |
| Textbook | Softcover · 12 lessons | Grades 1–5 | The core narrative, written to be read aloud or assigned |
| Workbook | Softcover · consumable | Grades 1–5 | Review, exercises, and activities for every lesson |
| Streaming Video | Online access | Grades 1–5 | Lesson-by-lesson video teaching |
| Audiobook | MP3 download | Grades 1–5 | The full text read aloud |
The Complete Set is the only bundle. Everything else is sold on its own, for replacement copies or a second student.
Planning
Younger students take one course a year; older students can carry two. That pacing fits all eight courses into grades one through five without rushing the early years.
| Grade | Courses | Pace |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | AnimalsCreatures of the Wild | One course |
| Grade 2 | PlantsWonders of Nature | One course |
| Grade 3 | EarthExploring Our Home | One course |
| Grade 3–4 | OceansMysteries of the Deep | Second course |
| Grade 4 | SpaceA Tour of the Cosmos | One course |
| Grade 4–5 | Ecosystems & SpeciesThe Web of Nature | Second course |
| Grade 5 | Cells & SystemsLiving Machines | One course |
| Grade 5 | Chemistry & PhysicsElements and Forces of the World | Second course |
Pacing follows the publisher’s recommendation that grades 1–2 complete one course per year and grades 3–5 complete two.
Complete sets
Textbook, workbook, streaming video and audiobook bundled at one price — the set most families start with.
Course 1
Creatures of the Wild · 12 lessons
Shop this setCourse 2
Wonders of Nature · 12 lessons
Shop this setCourse 3
Exploring Our Home · 12 lessons
Shop this setCourse 4
Mysteries of the Deep · 12 lessons
Shop this setCourse 5
A Tour of the Cosmos · 12 lessons
Shop this setCourse 6
The Web of Nature · 12 lessons
Shop this setCourse 7
Living Machines · 12 lessons
Shop this setCourse 8
Elements and Forces of the World · 12 lessons
Shop this setPrinted materials
For replacement copies, a second student, or a co-op order. Both printed pieces are sold separately for every course.
Audio & video
Both are produced per course and can be bought without the print books.
Streaming video
Lesson-by-lesson teaching for each course, streamed online. Best used after the reading, as review and demonstration.
Shop video coursesMP3 download
The full text of each course read aloud. The piece families use in the car and for the child who listens better than he reads.
Shop audiobooksWhere to begin
It is the course written most deliberately for the youngest listener, and the one every other course quietly assumes. Order the complete set, or take the textbook and workbook and add the video later.
