Things You Never Knew You Needed

 This is a long running series of things you never knew you needed available at Good Will online.  Once again I am tempted to bid on the suture kit, but cannot justify it.

to myself.

Science on a Budget: Human Anatomy Teaching Materials

 You don’t need to spend tons of money to teach Human Anatomy.  First buy an oversized book.  I use this book as a set of posters.  

Buy a used anatomy coloring book. Try to find one ‘like new’ or ‘very good’.  I’ve purchased several, Anatomy coloring books which did not have any marks at all.

Buy a toy skeleton.  Stores put out Halloween decor so early you should be able to buy a skeleton before school starts.  The fist lesson is to do a detailed comparison of the skeleton with an atlas to look for errors. Print out a free skeleton to label with sticky notes.

Be sure to print a Brain Hemisphere Hat.   Buy clay to make bones and organs.

Additionally, there are inexpensive  labs: Nervous Experiment (paperclip), Reaction Times (ruler), Muscle Fatigue (clothespin), Exercise and Cellular Respiration Lab (straw and bromothymol blue),and Digestion Lab.

Yes, you’ll want a microscope and a set of slides. This set of slides is pretty comprehensive.  

I have several battery powered microscopes which are essentially toys.  I was astounded at the quality of these microscopes.  

Chemistry Labs for Fall

 During COVID I taught Chemistry remotely for our local home-school Co-op.  Not my first choice.  I made up Chemistry kits families picked up off my front porch.  Here are some of the labs and lab links the kids did at home.  Yes, they also did experiments from the Exploring Creation with Chemistry textbook.  My approach to teach Chemistry is to start with a lab and use the lab to scaffold instruction.  The teens perform over forty labs during class.  You should, too!  Many of the labs require household chemicals.  You can use yogurt cups, coffee filter, craft sticks, etc. instead of expensive lab equipment.