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?

Reflecting on the Past Year with Kids

I’m in deep denial about the fact that new year is almost upon us again! It’s been the fastest and the longest year at the same time, and I can look back and see some good things as well as some things I wish had gone differently.

Doing a year in review with your kids — whether in the classroom or at home — is a good way to capture some of their memories and the things they really liked about the year gone by.

There are a lot of different printable year in review worksheets you can use if you want to make this super easy. Here are links to a few (often part of larger posts about NYE celebrations with kids that are worth a read, too):

  • Teach Beside Me has lots of fun printables fro the end of the year, including a year in review that covers favorite memory, funniest memory and the best book they read, among other topics.
  • NurtureStore‘s version has space for a self-portrait and prompts like favorite toy, best day out this year and future dream job.
  • Remember favorites, their “best idea” of the year and have room for setting goals for next year with this one from The Keele Deal.
  • The year in review from Yes We Made This has room for drawing or writing and includes things like something they learned, a memory they made and a place they visited.

Of course you could pretty easily make your own year in review for the whole family to do that asks questions based on what you most want to remember. (Favorite video game? Best friend? Favorite family memory?)

And if after the year in review you’re ready to look ahead a bit, Mrs. Merry has new year’s resolution printables to inspired kids to look ahead and set goals for things they want to try. You can totally fill this one out as a grownup, too.

[Photo: Mrs. Merry]

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