Lesson Plans

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What do I need in a Science Kit?

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science-kit

I am hoping all my science loving homeschooling parents/teachers can help me out. I am planning on putting together a Science style work station for my 5 year old for her birthday.

I think this will make a great present as she is not into the usual barbie dolls and trinkets. She loves making “concoctions” as she calls them.  She can make edible concoctions in the kitchen to making blends of different creams and oils to create a homemade salve for a make believe ailment.

What should this science kit contain?

I am thinking it would have containers of the usual science suspects – vinegar, baking soda, mentos, salt, oil, flour, corn flour etc.

I managed to get some PH testing strips off ebay 50 for $1 which I thought she could use for dipping and pretend testing things.

Please share your inputs here below and guide me into creating a magical science suggestion for her.

Check out this article on the best STEM gifts for kids.

Check out our Online store for special buys on Educational gifts  We find bulk items and end-of-stock supplies to bring you heavily discounted items. (make sure you check our store often so you don’t miss out on new stock).   We also have some free printable files, including a Science PDF for learning about Microscopes.

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Comments

  2. Red cabbage! Boil it up and save the water – this makes a good indicator instead of pH paper.

    Sugar! Make a concentrated sugar solution and suspend a piece of cotton thread in it. Crystals will grow on the thread.

    Food colouring. Stand white flowers in it – or celery – and watch the colours move up the stem.

    I could keep going, but I’ll stop there!

  3. Don’t forget the protective gear! A pair of safety glasses and some kind of apron/coat to carry out experiments in. You could even personalise them for her.

  5. Having safety glasses and a lab coat (an old white dress shirt works great) is important. It starts her out with good habits and it is a physical reminder that she is doing something different. That is critically important to keep her from mixing her ‘science’ with her food and other things. While you are not going to get her anything that is toxic, you want to be sure that she doesn’t eat her experiments or put her pH paper in food she is going to eat.

    Also, provide her with a clear set of rules about what it is OK to experiment with (the things in the box) and what isn’t (the things in the fridge etc. You need to have rules for collecting things in nature as well. Make sure she has a place to store things that she wants to watch and make sure that she knows to clean up.

    Some other things you might find fun:
    -Science only plastic measuring cups and spoons… things to use to measure and weigh.
    – A lab notebook to record her experiments, draw pictures of results, make graphs… You can use this to help her plan her experiments, think about what might happen and explain things.
    – A large sheet of black craft foam as a ‘lab bench’ to help keep things clean.
    – A good quality magnifying glass.
    – tweezers (Good for developing manual dexterity).
    – Found objects to sort and classify.
    – a box of tissues for cleaning up little spills
    – plastic pipettes are fun http://www.sciplus.com/p/PIPET_44907
    – soil, seeds, pots or egg cartons
    – You might also add some kid friendly guides to rocks or plants.
    – zip lock bags for storing or keeping the air out.
    – A pocket microscope can be fun and likely better than any toy one you might find.

    – You can purchase some specialty items like plastic test tubes and petri dishes in small quantities through places like American Science and Surplus. http://www.sciplus.com/s/c_11 or Steve Spangler http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/products.html which may be pricier but has great resources for explaining the experiments.
    I am sure there are others but these two are set up to sell to the general public.

Have you read?

Book Review: Las Mañanitas

The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to  share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.

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