Chemistry, physics, biology…have your eyes glazed over yet? Many traditional school students find High School science boring, but you homeschoolers have one major advantage over them: you can put your High School science into action!

Science isn’t boring. It’s one of the few subjects you can actually put into practice as you learn it! Think how difficult it would be to turn Babylonian philosophy into an experiment you can perform in your kitchen sink. Hard, right? How about a home-based experiment where you show the impact of bad verb conjugations …excited yet?

Science is one of those subjects where hands-on learning actually improves the way you retain scientific concepts. Homeschooling is the perfect fit for this kind of learning …. and it isn’t just limited to conducting experiments in your kitchen sink.

Outside of the confines of the classroom, science surrounds us. Here are three ways to find a real world education in science:

1. Head to Work

Don’t forget internships! Many science-minded companies (think biotech or environmental research) have special programs geared towards science-minded students. Nothing brings science to life more than getting your hands dirty in a lab (but wear gloves & glasses, for safety’s sake!). Organizations like Discovery Internships can help you locate an internship or you can research companies in fields that interest you and check their websites to find out if they have formal internship programs.

2. Eating is Allowed in the Lab

Molecular gastronomy brings you into the kitchen to put a whole new spin on cooking. What is it? It’s the science of cooking! Molecular gastronomy studies the physical and chemical processes that occur while foods cook. Imagine making edible papers from soybeans and potato starch. This is where science meets your stomach. To practice this science, pick up the El Bulli cookbook from the innovative Spanish chef, Ferran Adria and head to the kitchen!

3. Catch Bad Guys

Are you a CSI fan? Criminal investigations rely on many branches of science, including chemistry, physics, biology, meteorology, physical science, archeology and anthropology, to name a few. And while watching episodes on cable won’t net you any science credits, there are some colleges with faculty and graduate researcher mentoring programs that can help you bring the world of forensic science to life.

These are just some of the creative ways you can put your high school science in action and get a real world science education. Don’t forget to look around you and find ways to make those things that interest you a part of your curriculum.

Have you turned a real-life interest of yours into part of your education?