Disclaimer~I received a COMPLIMENTARY copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
Over the years, science has not been a favorite subject of mine to teach. When the kids were little, I had no problem teaching science. We often focused on topics the kids were interested in. During their middle school years, a fellow homeschool mom, who enjoyed teaching science, taught them and a group of their friends. As they entered high school, I knew they needed to have certain science classes to graduate and get into the colleges of their choice. I was excited when we were given the opportunity to review Virtual Lab Chemistry from Greg Landry's Homeschool Science.
What is Greg Landry's Homeschool Science?
Greg Landry is a science teacher, a homeschool dad, and a former college professor. His passion for science and his dedication to students led him to create s few science courses ten years ago. He wanted to give the students confidence in their science abilities and succeed in their high school science classes. His creation of CollegePrep Science has given homeschool students access to science courses that focus on science inquiry, critical thinking, process reasoning, data collection, and the graphical and written representation of their research.
The Greg Landry homeschool Science offers students and families a wide variety of classes.
Live Online Classes for Science and Math
Science
Pre-Biology
Biology- College Prep
Life Prep Biology
Pre- Chemistry
Chemistry-College Prep
Life Prep Chemistry
Pre-Physics
Life Prep Physics
Pre Human Anatomy & Physiology
Human Anatomy & Physiology
Marine Science
Math
Pre-Algebra
Algebra 1
Geometry
Consumer Math
Self-Paced (Recorded) Online Classes
8th-12th Grade
Full Year (2 Semesters)
High School Biology
High School Chemistry
High School Conceptual Physics (basic math)
High School Human Anatomy & Physiology
7th-12th Grade
Half Semester
Exercise & Sports Physiology
Biochemistry/Microchemistry
Embryology/Endocrinology
Earth & Space Science
Study Skills/ Measurement/Lab Reports/Graphing
4th-7th Grade
Half Semester
Young Scientist Earth & Space Science
Young Scientist Biology
Young Scientist Chemistry
Young Scientist Human Anatomy & Physiology
Young Scientist Physics
Interactive Virtual Science Labs
7th-12th Grade
Biology/Human Anatomy & Physiology
Chemistry
Physics
ACT Prep Online Bootcamp
Our Experience with Greg Laundry's Homeschool Science
For this review, we received 12-month access to the Chemistry Interactive Virtual Science Lab.
This subscription allows Therese and Michael to have access to the virtual lab experiments for 12 months. This was a perfect fit for us since both of them will be doing Chemistry this fall.
The Virtual Chemistry Lab offers students 10 different labs to work through.
Lab #1 Measurement in Science
Lab #2 PH Determination
Lab #3 Moles, Elements, and Molar Mass
Lab #4 Viscosity
Lab #5 Density Determination
Lab #6 Diffusion & Osmosis
Lab #7 Quantifying Surface Area
Lab #8 Colligative Properties & Freezing Point Depression
Lab #9 Determining Molarity
Lab #10 Determination of Relative Atomic Mass & Number of Neutrons
Before completing any of the labs, we watched the video, "Introduction to the Lab, the Scientific Method, and Lab Reports."This video explains how to use the virtual lab for your experiments, the scientific method, and how to create lab reports. It even offers guidelines for parents for accessing the grades for the student's lab reports. It's a very helpful video.
One of the nice things about the Virtual Lab is that parents do not need to buy any supplies for the experiments. It's all done online in a cartoon science lab.
Thelas each have a video that should be watched before completing the lab. The Introduction Video is the longest at 45 minutes. The rest are usually around 8-10 minutes long. After watching the video explaining the topic being covered, then it's time fort he students to give the expeiement a try.
Each lab is explained in detailed steps. This allows for students to follow along easily and with little to no help at all from parents.
Students will need a notebook to write down notes. An example of a lab report is given for reference for the students. This is a great tool to get them ready for completing their own lab reports.
The Virtual Lab is a neat concept. It seemed a little strange to me since everything is online. I think most of us think about science labs as being more hands-on. I thought the topics covered were great. The experiments helped students learn more about Chemistry and more importantly about taking notes and creating lab reports.
Both Michael and Therese felt this course was a great addition to the Chemistry course they will be learning this upcoming school year. They did both say that they didn't mind the online factor, but they wouldn't want all their experiments to be done in an online science lab. They didn't have the same excitement factor as doing experiments in person. I would have to agree. If your student is more of a hands-on learner, I don't feel that this course would be the right fit.
However, I would highly recommend the Chemistry Virtual Lab to complement any Chemistry course your students are doing. It's a great addition to any other course. I loved how it stressed notetaking and recording your information. It's a little costly, but if you figure out the cost of materials for "real" lab experiments, it probably comes out ahead depending on what program you are using.
Be sure to check out other reviews from the crew for the other courses offered from
Greg Landry's Homeschool Science!
Till Next Time,
Monique
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