Science Labs

1. How many labs does it take to count a course as a lab course?

The public schools require "Biology with lab" as one of their courses. Note that "lab" is singular. While most biology teachers have a lot more than one lab, I knew one who was known by his colleagues for doing one lab per year--always when an administrator was observing his class. Yet his students got credit for a lab class just as much as my students who were doing labs every week.

I wouldn't recommend one lab per course, though. For best results, do enough that the students learn to use lab equipment, follow the scientific method, follow proper lab procedures, learn to record data and analyze it, draw appropriate conclusions, and write lab reports. Then they'll be prepared for college lab classes but will also be more likely to understand when they are shown faulty data and/or conclusions or otherwise separate good science from bad.

2. Where can you get lab equipment?

I've had great success buying used (and sometimes new) equipment relatively cheaply online. A lot of labs can be done with simple kitchen tools, but there's something about using a triple beam balance or a beaker over an alcohol burner that makes experiments more exciting.

3. What if you don't feel comfortable teaching labs?

There are lots of online tutorials available and even some virtual dissections that can easily be done from home. FPEA.com has sponsored weekends packed with multiple labs for parents who are willing to pack a year's worth of labs into a single weekend. Or in normal times, many science museums offered lab options for homeschool families. Co-op classes in which parents work together to teach a class or perhaps share costs to hire a teacher can be another option.

Cheryl Trzasko
FLHomeschoolEvaluations.com