Illustrated Guide to Home Biology Experiments

Curriculum details

About

This is a well-written, in-depth book of biology lab experiments designed especially for homeschoolers and DIY biology enthusiasts. It fulfills the lab component of the high school biology course, but can also be undertaken by any homeschooler with an interest in microscopy and life sciences.

The print version of the book can be purchased from the Amazon link above. A PDF version can be downloaded for free at www.thehomescientist.com/manuals.php.

Instead of doing the experiments in the order given in the book, you should complete the introductory unit on lab safety and microscope use, then choose lab sessions that correspond to the most recently covered section of the core textbook or course you are using for biology. If you are using the CK-12 text recommended for this course, then the assignments in the Great Books Homeschool weekly schedule will correspond to the order topics are covered in the CK-12 text.

In order to do the experiments, you will need a microscope as well as various other supplies described in the book. The companion supply kit for the book can currently be purchased at thehomescientist.com/bk01-main.php. If you prefer to purchase supplies individually, www.homesciencetools.com is a good source. It is fine to skip or curtail some of the experiments if the materials seem expensive or hard to obtain, but aim to complete at least half of them to qualify for the biology lab credit.

The cost of quality microscopes has come down dramatically in recent years. Here are two good options:

1. More powerful, mid-range price: www.amazon.com/200X-2000X-Microscopes-Microscope-Biological-Laboratory/dp/B07WVT6Y7F?crid=1AJ4JSF...

2. Less powerful, budget price: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001ALT6BM?ie=UTF8&psc=1&linkCode=ll1&tag=greatbook069f-20&linkId=d313b...