I'm searching for an inexpensive science program for my 15 year old niece. I just found Plato Learning Online at homeschoolbuyersco-op.com for under $50. I need something that is low maintenance for me but will cover the basics of biology (or some other high school science). She isn't particularly science-minded; her natural talents seem to be in reading, literature, writing, drama (more so than the normal drama of a teenager), etc. I don't want to short change her, but she just came to live with me, and I'm seeing that her education was seriously lacking in math which I think is more pressing a concern than science right now. (Not that science isn't important, but financial, temporal and personal constraints force me to prioritize.) So, have you used Plato and is it any good? Do your students think it is interesting or does it bore the socks off them?
You can get high school science free online, if you're interested. http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/online_hs.htm http://chemlab.byu.edu/ http://dissect.froguts.com/welcome.html
We used the Y Science BYU physical science virtual lab last year for Middle School Physics and I really liked it. There is a LOT of graphing though - my son was not crazy about that - but it is good experience. It is hardly free though - about $110 and it isn't the easiest thing to order either as they make you buy through Pearson. Also - it is not a textbook - only a lab book.
