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Once we had conquered the basic theory of chemistry, using Friendly Chemistry (see previous review), we went on to do actual lab work. A friend had recommended Chemlab as a safe, user-friendly kit that would accomplish our purpose nicely. She was right, and we were pleased.
We bought the Chemlab/1500 version (top of the line model). There are also a couple of smaller versions with fewer chemicals and equipment in them. The kit includes bottles of chemicals, test tubes, reaction plates, filter paper, a plastic balance scale (not good quality, but it’ll do), etc. It also has an easy to understand lab manual with complete instructions that--good news!--tells you at the end of each experiment what should have happened and why (YES!). I would guess from the way the manual is written that this set is geared more toward upper elementary age kids, but it seemed to well serve our purpose at the high school level . Just insist that your high schooler write official-looking lab reports to go with the experiments, and your conscience will be assuaged.
Most, but not all, of our experiments were a success. All the chemicals are used in extremely small amounts, so there isn’t a lot of danger of blowing up the house or burning a hole through the kitchen table. Experiment leftovers are fairly safe to either dump down the drain or throw in the wastebasket. Keep in mind that this set is not a complete chemistry course; you will still need a chemistry textbook of some kind. But if you and your family are among the scientifically challenged, Chemlab will do the trick for the lab portion of your chemistry experience.
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