Ck12.org

[Janeway]

Anyone use this for anything?

[MarkT]

My DS'  B&M Charter school uses the CK12 Biology book.

I have seen other folks post here that have used other CK12 text books.

[elegantlion]

It's been a few years since I looked at them and there were parts I liked, some not so much. 

 

CONS

written for teachers of each subject matter, not homeschoolers, so there is a presumed knowledge. This is true of most regular textbooks, so even the teacher's edition may not provide the support YOU as the homeschool parent need for a particular subject. 

 

if you need to print, I found it a bit cumbersome - again, I haven't  looked in a while. I think it was formatting, can't remember exactly why it was annoying me. 

 

PROS

 

Free - but free is not a bargain if it doesn't work for you

 

You could arrange certain sections, creating your own version of the book. I did this with one - I think it was Engineering Basics

 

Secular (this could be a pro/con based upon your beliefs or goals) It's harder to find inexpensive secular science that provides enough support for homeschooled parents. I had no problem gaining teacher access as a homeschooler. 

 

 

Whether this will work for you: 

 

I would look extensively at the teacher material and see if it provides enough support for you. In the end I opted not to use them for the main sciences because I had other sources that worked better for us. 

[Alessandra]

I love, love, love the idea behind Ck-12 and have downloaded many of their books. That said, I didn't use them much. Compared to regular school textbooks, the Ck-12 were wordier, lacking good visuals, charts, etc. I used them as a supplement to help me understand a topic, in order to explain it better. But homeschoolers are so not the target audience. The big idea is that the material is public domain and can be modified. It is a great service, just not for everybody.

[Haiku]

I have looked at them many times, but my dd finds them entirely too busy. I do think they contain good information.