Looking for a bio lab to add to an online Bio class

[mooooom]

I'm going to have dd take an online bio class next year, it includes some experiments to do at home but I can tell from the lists of supplies needed that it's not "serious" (they are household items only). I would like to supplement her with a lab course, but most of the ones I can find seem to be AP, and I am expecting her to do AP Bio the following year and add a lab course then as well.

Is Castle Heights my only option, and is it going to be secular enough for me?

Thanks

[Jane in NC]

If you believe that your daughter is going to take AP Bio, this might be a good time to go over to the College Board and request enrollment in the AP Bio teacher's Listserv. I picked up a number of good ideas from the conversations of AP Bio teachers, many of whom do more than the twelve required AP labs. Further, many high schools are not flush with cash yet some of the suggested experiments, while with household items or a few add-ons from Carolina Biological Supply, were actually quite meaningful. Of course, this requires you to plan vs. having a packaged lab.

Unfortunately I have deleted a number of websites from my computer, but I found that there are some high school biology teachers who share great information regarding labs, activities, supplementary reading. Perhaps someone else can direct you to some of these sites which may inspire you.

Jane

[JennW in SoCal]

I am doing AP-level biology at home this year and most of the activities we've used have come from The Biology Corner (http://www.biologycorner.com/). I also bought 3 of the AP labs from Carolina Biological Supply.

Two other sites I have used include one that has activities for using microscopes (http://www.greatscopes.com/activity.htm) and the other for middle school students (http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/sci_edu/waldron/#yeast).

To the original poster -- I'm wondering why you are doing 2 biology courses? Is your child currently a middle school student or do you just think she isn't ready for a "meatier" course? I was just commenting to my ds yesterday that I would rather have 2 years of the AP level course and go deeper with each topic -- just as you get comfortable with all the bio-chemistry of DNA molecules it is time to leave that and move onto animal behavior or basic anatomy. But I guess all the deeper and specialized inquiry has to wait for college.

[EKS]

Take a look at LabPaqs. They have labs that are specifically intended go with AP bio classes (as well as college classes) and they are completely secular. I have one of their chemistry lab kits sitting on the shelf waiting for use to be ready for it later in the year.

FWIW, I couldn't stand the Castle Heights labs. Many of them didn't work as described and had to be heavily modified (I was a biochemist in a former life whose job it was to develop and clearly write lab procedures for others to follow, so I might be a bit sensitive on this issue). As for being secular enough, I seem to remember some bible quotes. It is also pretty heavy on the "old fashioned" biology, if you know what I mean.

[mooooom]

AP Bio has a prerequisite of Bio, is that not normal?

I don't have the time to put together my own lab course, I work 30 hours a week and need to outsource things I'm not good at.

[mooooom]

I was going to have her take Bio for 11th and then AP Bio for 12th.

I want to supplement w/ a lab course EACH year, and most of what I have found are AP lab paqs as opposed to Bio labs paqs. She has no issues w/ dissections, etc as she wants to be a vet and has already spent several years watching surgeries - I'm also supposing she's watched a lot of "technique" because of this as well. We do have a decent microscope.

[Julie in MN]

FWIW, I couldn't stand the Castle Heights labs. Many of them didn't work as described and had to be heavily modified (I was a biochemist in a former life whose job it was to develop and clearly write lab procedures for others to follow, so I might be a bit sensitive on this issue).

I'm not a chemist or even a person who likes science, but Castle Heights' Experiencing Biology worked well at our house. The experiments worked as much as any science we've used and had enough info to teach & not just entertain. The student lab manual had charts and things to train my dd, rather than just blank paper. Experiments we tried with other programs were just not written for homeschool moms and seemed either to be simplistic or to expect the teacher would throw in some info somewhere, but I knew not where.

Nothing's perfect, and I'd love to dig in and edit almost everything I've ever used, but I did think CH was one of our good experiences. Just wanted to say that!
Julie

[EKS]

Others don't hold this opinion, particularly schools with prerequisite requirements, but here is my opinion on the subject:

It is not necessary to have had high school biology to be successful in AP Biology. In fact, I would be inclined to say that it is *more* important to have had physics and (particularly) chemistry courses (or a good physical science course) prior to AP Biology than it is to have had high school biology. Introductory college courses, which are what AP courses are supposedly mimicking, are introductory for a reason, and they can't (and don't) assume that everyone has had biology in high school. IMHO, the ideal science sequence in high school for a bright, science oriented student would be a solid conceptual physical science course in 9th followed by AP level biology, chemistry, and calculus-based physics courses (in that order).