Virtual Labs is a wonderful resource for parents who homeschool their children! It’s hard to find sources that allow our kids the opportunity to experience science labs. While this doesn’t bring the lab directly to the home, it’s the next best thing! There are so many different virtual labs listed on this site that you could easily cover a good portion of the school year.

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Angie Lindsay is married with two boys and a girl. She uses free resources to homeschool her children and does her own therapy with her oldest, who has autism.  She helps educate others about autism and the challenges that come with teaching children with special needs. Visit A4Autism Info to see what else Angie does with her time!

Name of Product: Virtual Labs

Link to Product/website: http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/genbio/virtual_labs/

Description of Product: “We study earthworms to learn the structures and functions of segmented worms, also called annelids. Segmentation supports diversified functions of body parts and tissues. Studying the anatomy and body systems of annelids helps us understand the bodies of higher-level organisms.”

(Editor’s Note: All screenshots are taken from just one of the labs offered; there are MANY more FREE labs!)

Angie’s Description of Product: This site, from McGraw-Hill, has a list of links of virtual labs that parents can explore with their kids, or their kids can explore on their own. Your child can dissect a worm [This is where the Tool description above came from], learn about blood pressure, learn how to assess water quality, track grizzlies, and much more!

This tool can be used to supplement what children are learning in school, add to a homeschooling curriculum, or just to have fun! It doesn’t require downloads, is entirely online, and it’s FREE. The different labs can be used individually or as a group, and is simple enough that even young children can utilize it.

Homeschool Uses: Virtual Labs is a wonderful resource for parents who homeschool their children! It’s hard to find sources that allow our kids the opportunity to experience science labs. While this doesn’t bring the lab directly to the home, it’s the next best thing! There are so many different virtual labs listed on this site that you could easily cover a good portion of the school year.

Children can use these to learn about anatomy, the environment, or animals. They can use the different terms used in each of these as a vocabulary list to study throughout the week, making this a good source for language arts as well as science. This is an excellent tool for both the visual learner as well as the auditory learner, making it a good tool for most special needs.

Content and Safety: There isn’t anything on this site that is objectionable, although it is very graphic in some areas (some descriptions and images are for older children only). They don’t ask for email addresses, passwords, or any other personal information.

Angie’s Experience Using the Product: I chose to use the Virtual Frog Dissection lab with my son. He is seven years old and will be starting the 2nd grade here at home. He is extremely interested in anatomy and dissection, so he loved this site! He was able to do it himself and played with the various sections for over half an hour. The site allowed him to explore the frog’s exterior and interior, giving him the chance to identify the body parts, learn their functions, see how similar they are to our organs, as well as ‘participate’ in cutting designated locations on the body. I had to dissect a frog when I was in junior high, this was JUST LIKE the real thing, without the odor!

As I plan his curriculum for the new school year, I will be including the labs listed on this site. It is a great way to expand what he’s already learning and gives him the opportunity to play for as long as he wants without realizing he’s actually learning something. I highly recommend these labs to anyone who teaches their children.

Tutorial or Promotional Video of the Product: Each lab gives step-by-step instructions as you follow through, just like a real lab, so a tutorial isn’t needed.

Summary: Virtual Labs is a great addition to any curriculum–whether it be a homeschooling curriculum or a public school curriculum. Please try this out and leave us a comment to let us know what you think of it.

Editor’s Note: Read these Reviews of FREE Science Tools:
Learn About the Fascinating World of Weather with Weather Wiz Kids!
Why are Quarries Important? How do they Impact the Environment? Tour a Virtual Quarry to Find Out!
Explore Hands-on, Attention-Grabbing Videos and Experiments…and Discover Science in a Whole New Way!
Explore the Weather and Other Interesting Science Concepts with Simple Animations for Fun, Interactive Learning.