A Christian Perspective on High School Health with Apologia

This is my full review of the Apologia Exploring Creation with Health and Nutrition Curriculum for High School. I did receive free product as well as compensation for this review, but all opinions expressed are my own.


What do you think of when you think of a health class? Do you think nutrition? Or maybe exercise? Or maybe even sex-ed?

There are a lot of ideas about what belongs in a health course, and for Christian parents, a lot of ideas about what doesn't.

Then you have others like me, other Christians who also think science is important. You see, I am also trained as a veterinarian, so science is very important to me.  I believe God created science and all its laws and gave us a brain capable of comprehending it. So if a curriculum doesn't have a solid science foundation it is out!

So where do you find a good, scientifically based health course that also has a Biblical worldview? This has honestly been a concern for me recently despite my oldest being only 11.

Then up pops a Homeschool Health Course from Apologia! We are already using their Exploring Creation series for elementary science, so this seemed like a great fit.

With so much information out there that is not supported by scientific studies regarding health, nutrition, mental illness, vaccination, etc, I was worried what Apologia would present as fact.

I am here to tell you, I was braced for the worst when I received it, but I was so, so pleasantly surprised.

Being familiar with their elementary series, I shouldn't have been so surprised, but for some reason, the topic of health just put me on edge. But Apologia surpassed my expectations. They kept science as the main focus of the curriculum and added Biblical support; just what I wanted!

Topics and Stances in Apologia Health and Nutrition

Being a health curriculum there is naturally a lot of information on the body and how it works, so that was not surprising at all.

If anything, I was astonished with all the information they squeezed in there. Some chapters are more on physiology then just simple health. This is really great though since understanding your body and how it works is key to health.

There were a few more specific topics (and stances on those topics) I was looking for though. I was more then pleased to see these addressed and how they were addressed.

• Feelings and relating to others. This is not overly controversial, but is one thing I was wanting for my oldest as she struggles to express herself and to relate to others at times.
• Mental illness. My family has a long history of dealing with various mental illness, and I hope my kids will miss out, but even if they do, I want them to know how it affects other people. This provides a good introduction.
• Gender decided by God. Genetics!
• Sex should be reserved for marriage between a man and a woman. It even covers a little bit of how sex outside of a committed relationship can cause psychological harm.
• No food fads included. This was a big one for me because I seem to constantly be surrounded by people's unfounded (and frequently incorrect) ideas on nutrition. 
• Vaccinations. This book doesn't take a strict stance on vaccinations. It does discuss the diseases we vaccinate for and how many are nearly eradicated due to vaccinations. It even goes as far to warn students about the sensitivity of the subject and to approach it with a Christian attitude when others disagree with you.
• Sabbath. This one was super surprising to me. We are seventh day Sabbath keepers, and though the book doesn't specify one day over another, I was excited that the Sabbath was approached as a beneficial health practice.

Of course, the fact that the curriculum is written with Biblical support throughout is always a plus. These are meant for support and are not the main topic of the curriculum.

Apologia High School Health Curriculum is Easy to Use 

This high school health program consists of a textbook and a student notebook, and you will need both. If you have more than one student, you will need a student notebook for each student.

Since Apologia wrote this homeschool curriculum for an older age group, it is mostly self directed with the parent taking on the job of administering and grading projects and tests. There is also a grading chart in the student notebook for you to use.

To make planning easier, the student notebook includes a suggested daily schedule. It is all laid out for you, so there is no guess work.

The student would read the text, answer the questions posed in the textbook (called "on your own questions"), and complete any projects given in the textbook.

For each chapter in the textbook, the student notebook includes spots for note taking while reading, areas to answer "on your own questions", an area for the student's own reflections, and study guides for them to fill out as they prepare for the tests.

The tests are also in the student handbook, but they are in a separate section, and the answers are not given. You can go online to access the answers.

So while you do need the textbook and the student notebook, for the most part that is it other than a pencil.

Final Thoughts on Apologia Health and Nutrition

I intended to use Apologia's Health and Nutrition Homeschool Curriculum with my oldest daughter (11); after reviewing it, I determined she was not yet mature enough for the entire curriculum. So while we are not using it this year, it is definitely coming out in a couple years!

Apologia has produced a very solid, homeschool health curriculum, and I think it would be perfect for an 8th or 9th grade health curriculum. Older students (and many adults) can definitely benefit from the wealth of information in it as well!

Overall, I have to say this is the most complete homeschool health and nutrition curriculum I have seen especially with a Biblical worldview, and it will certainly have a place in our homeschool as we move toward high school.

Still curious about Apologia Health and Nutrition? Grab your free Whole Health Activity e-book for a little taste.