Messless Homeschool Science Labs

Science labs are an important part of learning, but they can be so messy! Instead of ditching them altogether, check out these messless homeschool science labs!

Messless Homeschool Science Labs

I was compensated for my time writing this article. All opinions are my own.

Whether your student is working on biology, anatomy and physiology, chemistry, or physics, science labs give them a chance to get hands-on experience with the science they’re studying.

But labs can be expensive. And messy.

Science experiments may be fine when your kids are in elementary or middle school, but those high school science labs are a totally different story.

So, how can you cut down on the mess of homeschool science labs while still making sure your child is getting the experience they need to understand the subject? We have some ideas for you!

Science Labs With Less Mess

College Prep Science

If you have never heard of or experienced virtual science labs, College Prep Science has some of the best around. Their online interactive science labs are available for the Biology/Anatomy & Physiology, Chemistry, and Physics classes that they offer.

The labs are done entirely online and allow students to progress through them at their own pace. They’re ideal for kids in grades 7 through 12.

Why We Love College Prep Science

  • The virtual labs are entirely mess-free!
  • The classes are taught by a homeschool dad and former college professor. He gets what it is to homeschool!
  • The lessons are well laid out and make sense! We have experienced too many curriculums where the material was not well thought out and it was so hard to follow along. CPS is NOT like that at all. It’s very well structured and easy for even my kiddo with ADHD to master.
  • As a mom, I love not having to try to teach high school science with my limited knowledge! It’s like a huge weight is off my shoulders!
  • My kids love that it is engaging and the virtual labs are “super cool and fun.”
College Prep Science - Interactive Lab

If you’re looking for a homeschool science class for your upper middle school or high schooler, we highly recommend Greg Landry’s Homeschool Science courses! You can check them out here and grab your homeschool science freebies as well!

Homeschool Co-op Classes

If you want your kids to have the experience of hands-on labs but don’t want the mess in your home, consider enrolling in some homeschool science labs at your local homeschool co-op. These classes are typically taught by a parent who either volunteers to teach them or receives a small stipend. Sometimes, co-ops will also bring in licensed high school science teachers to teach the classes if no one feels comfortable with the higher-level subjects.

What’s nice about the homeschool co-op classes is that your child is with other children, gets the hands-on experience you want them to have, and there’s zero mess on your dining room table.

Drawbacks include not being able to find an appropriate co-op class when you need it and a lack of qualified instruction.

Be sure to do your due diligence and make sure the classes you sign up for are exactly what your child needs for high school credit.

Mess-Free Homeschool Science Labs

Trade-Off Labs

I had a friend who traded off labs with another homeschool mom so that her home was filled with science labs only once a month. They worked out a schedule where they would alternate teaching the science lessons and completing the homeschool science labs. So, for example, on week one, she would teach the science lesson. Week two she would do the science lab at her house for her children and her friend’s three teens. On weeks three and four, her friend would teach the lesson and then do the lab.

It was a schedule that worked for them and it definitely gave her a break from teaching and doing labs two weeks a year!

If you have a friend who is also struggling with homeschool science labs, it might be an option to consider.

Video Courses

Video courses are great for instruction, but for labs? Eh, maybe not ideal. However, as a last resort, watching science labs take place could be an option for families who need a free option for homeschool science labs.

A word of caution though to make sure that there is some sort of assessment at the end of the lab video so that you can make a case for it counting for high school lab credit!

Messless Homeschool Science Labs for High School Science

Less Mess with Homeschool Science Labs

Science labs are known to be messy, but the options above can help alleviate some of that mess. Whether you choose an interactive virtual science lab or decide to trade-off teaching labs with a friend, the goal is the same – to make sure your children understand the science that is being taught.

Explore your options and choose the one that works best for your family!

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