Apologia Biology: Equipment

Update: www.shopgoodwill.com has an escience kit up for bids today.  It looks like a chemistry kit.  It’s a perfect example of the kits I like most: thermometer, test tubes, graduated cylinder, pipers, goggles, beakers, etc.  I canabalize these escience kits for supplies.  There’s a Galileo glass thermometer available, which would last five minutes in my classroom.  I am tempted to bid on the kit.  I’m not because I have two large bins full of these same materials.

Are your kids at church camps?  Are you prepping for fall?  Yes, I’m back promoting www.shopgoodwill.com.  Today there are loads of microscopes—even a full size skeleton.  I saw a pack of anatomy flash cards, too.  I encourage you to registar. Goodwill does NOT save credit card or PayPal information, just your name and address.  It’s important to check the shipping.  I’ve been using Goodwill online for several years.  Initially, I made that mistake a few times and did not check the shipping and was stung.

I always compare with Amazon and eBay, too.  I factor my max bid and shipping when I compare prices.  I have purchased graphing calculators, microscopes, escience kits, Microscope slides, molecular model kits, stethoscopes,and blood pressure cuffs. These purchases are a gamble.  However, whenever I have had a problem, the shop has been terrific.  For example, my husband is going to teach two teens how to play guitar.  I bid on a guitar; the shop emailed me that the guitar was not as described, but was pretty battered.  They issued a full refund.

Right now, we are using a plastic skeleton from Target I bought for $15.  (This one is similar and available on Amazon.). After buying several microscopes from Goodwill, this summer we’re using a digital microscope (available on Amazon) attached to a laptop.  We focus the slide, print a screen shot, and the kids have a static image to sketch.  One laptop serves three or four kids.  (I bought used chrome books from Goodwill, too.).

I shop local thrift stores, too.  I was all over the used book table at the Home School Conference. Many of the Goodwill stores are posting their best items online rather than in stores.  Take a look.    Try a search with “science kit” or “microscope” and see what pops up.