Low Prep Labs for the Win!

This is me trying to be encouraging. I’m on the hunt for a huge variety of low-prep, low-cost labs and experiments.  Why?  Many of you are willing to assign science reading or use a science textbook, such as Harcourt Science textbooks.  Apart from Apologia’s Young Explorers series, many science programs or textbooks have relatively few labs or experiments.  For example, Seton’s science textbooks have good content, but little hands-on instruction. What’s the solution?  Add your own easy labs.  First, would it be nice to match labs with the course material?  It would.  But, in reality, any lab provides your kiddos a chance to tinker and trouble-shoot.  They repeat experiments to see if they can change the outcome.  I’m more interested in your child doing science than matching up with the textbook’s curriculum.  (Bonus points if you do select anatomy labs to go with anatomy lessons.) Take a look at Australia’s National Science Week’s DIY Science.  Invisible Fire Extinguisher is cheap, requires household materials you likely already have, and is dramatic.  What a win! Watch the video below, conduct a scavenger hunt in your house, and give it a try.  Your kiddos are going to have the best year yet!

More Heat

 Chemistry is beginning Module 2 (Module 12 third edition) which has two experiments: calibrating a thermometer and measuring specific heat.  My kiddos are calibrating thermometers at home and doing a Heat Curve Lab at home—part of Experiment 2.1 (12.1).  We are starting Specific Heat of a Metal in class Tuesday, Experiment 2.2 (12.2).  This lab is going to take some time.  I have several metal cubes and cylinders: copper, iron, aluminum, brass, and zinc.  Ideally, the kiddos are going to repeat the trials for each metal.  We need to check on graphing by hand.  Spreadsheets are another work in progress.  Teens tend to do a calculation and enter the answer, called ‘hardcoding’.  Determining and entering a formula is tricky—as is remembering to label columns with units.  My class will do some graphing with TI 83/84 calculators, too.  All this takes time, apart from simply understanding just what specific heat, calories, joules, and temperature is.  I’m going further and expecting them to compute word problems.  This is going to be a slog.  I’ll keep you updated.

National Laboratories

 There are 17 National Laboratories.  Do these labs have science resources?  Yes—but they are highly specialized.  The question is whether or not any of these resources are useful to home-school families.  Maybe?  For example, Oak Ridge National Lab offers a newsletter.  If your teen is interested in fusion energy, superconducting magnets, or high heat flux, you’re in luck!  The May newsletter has a solar pizza oven project.  Yes, we’ve all see this project; however the directions and adaptations are fairly sophisticated.  (Focus on insulation or testing variables.)  

Do you have an exceptional student?  I have taught a few.  One student, Jacob, wanted to explore string theory.  He was eleven.  I’m not sure I was aware of string theory when he asked me about it. Does your child quiz you regularly about sundry topics, such as particle accelerators?  Let your prodigy click on a few sites, such as Fermilab or Los Alamos.  National Labs have outreach programs.  If you have a lab nearby, make contact.  Who knows?  Your teen may want to take part!  In any case, the videos and links might open up new avenues of student for your bright teen.

Low Prep: Cabbage Juice Indicator

 Yup.  Another ad.  This time it’s Red Cabbage Indicator.  This lab extracts the pigment from red cabbage leaves and uses them as acid-base indicators.  Indicators are more Chem and Bio—not Physics.  But, if you’re making a cabbage dish, buy a red cabbage.  Kiddos can prepare the indicator solution themselves in a blender—instructions here.  Stand by for a strong odor.

We use powdered red cabbage indicator, instead—even easier to prep.  I have used red cabbage leaves.   The indicator solution is short-lived—only a few hours.  I use powdered cabbage and mix up a batch whenever we do a pH lab.  It’s just more convenient.

If you have one teen making solutions, use the cabbage leaves.  Much cheaper.

Neuroscience (for kiddos)

This year I want to find ideas for unit studies.  In August, my husband and I visited our son, a priest chaplain with the Air Force, in England.  You might be surprised how many military families home-school.  So many approaches!  When it comes to science, families with younger kiddos often approach it as an elective.  Fine.  Many elementary school teachers do the same thing.  Yes, school districts have a curriculum; it’s the last priority when you are teaching children how to read and learn math facts. 

Surprise that critical relative and explain your family is exploring neuroscience.  There are so many fun projects and activities.  The Brain Activity Book has several classic activities, such as Color Overload (persistence of vision) a brain hemisphere hat, and Color Confusion (Stroop effect).   Project Neuron has 60 pages of activities and information, including a sheep brain dissection.  These packets alone are sufficient for a unit study.  Make Neuron and Brain models.  Save egg cartons and make a spine. Neuroscience For Kids has even more experiments,  lesson plans, and Brain Explorers (group lessons).  The webpage has examples of student projects.  I think a clay model of the brain labeled is fine.

Easy Prep: Cartesian Divers

 I hear you!  More low-prep science!  You’re willing to add a few labs if they are low cost and easy to implement.  Make Cartesian Divers with a plastic bottle and a condiment packet.  Haven’t you wondered how to use that stray packet of soy sauce or ketchup?  Try making a diver with a medicine dropper, pipette and hex nut, or a pen cap.  Use a thick walled, plastic bottle—not water bottles which are easy to crush.  I find 1-2 liter bottles work well.  Fun!

Weather Unit Study

 Yes, weather is an elementary subject.  However, it makes a great unit study for your family!  Take one topic and work together.  Read related books.  Do as many activities as you can stomach.  Try at least three activities.  Document!  Which work samples represent this unit?  Summarize what you learned in a list or paragraph.  Maintain a reading and video log.  Take photos. Decide how you want to present your findings?  Journal?  Lapbook?  Video?  Poster?  This fall is going to be great!

K-1 Kiddos: The Smithsonian Institute (SI) has resources for How Can We Ready for Weather?; the resources include all sorts of weather cards, such as Snowflakes or Water Scene Cards. The program is part of a Carolina Biological kit.  Yes, these are expensive.  Just use the free links with the  teacher’s guide and student book for Weather Patterns.  For example use SI Temperature Writing Practice as a copy sheet. Show children Rainy, Windy, and Sunny pix.  The SI images will really enhance the Weather Patterns unit.

K-3 (maybe Grade 4): Weather Wonders is a five-day program from Start with a Book.  Two components in this unit study are a journal and ‘weather walk’.  There are loads of activities: build weather equipment, tornado bottle, writing exercises, weather-inspired art, solar oven, loads.  Be selective and read, read, read!

GLOBE (all ages): GLOBE literally has tens of thousands of resources.  Let’s stick to clouds. Here are 15 cloud activities.  Here is Exploring Clouds, a guide designed for 4H. This 4H guide’s steps are a good outline for a Cloud Unit Study. The issue is navigating anything related to GLOBE. The easiest place to start with GLOBE is in the Elementary section, Clouds, with the Storybook, Do You Know That Clouds Have Names? Teens can use The Cloud Field Guide and eTraining, which have loads and loads of details.  (Nothing with GLOBE is easy to find.)  Here is a cloud chart to use outside. If you use GLOBE resources, this unit study adapts to the whole family.  Kiddos can focus on cloud names and identification; older children and teens can do a deep dive into the Atmosphere resources.

What’s this weird microscope?

 Below is a dissecting microscope.  Before you panic and think you need to buy one before you dissect in Biology, stop.  I used a dissecting microscope during my undergrad in Bio.  That was the last time.  Since then, I’ve dissected plenty of specimens with kiddos.  We spend too much time trying to locate and peel the gall bladder away to identify to worry about putting the specimen under a microscope.  You can take sections and make slides to observe.  You’ll quickly appreciate the value of prepared slides.  Why?  Whenever you look at some chunk from a liver, you’ll ask yourself exactly what am I viewing.  Raw tissue under the microscope looks remarkably the same.  So, you do not need a dissecting microscope.  If you have access to one, give it a try.  Again, I think you’ll find prepared slides more useful.

Pulleys

 I am all about easy lessons centered on a topic with wide appeal.  Pulleys are usually part of Simple Machines lessons.  See what the library has available about pulleys.

 Teach Engineering has a complete lesson, Powerful Pulleys.  You may just want to try Pulley’ing Your Own Weight instead.  Here, here, here, and here are pulleys with different materials, such as a rolling pin, LEGOs, or a spool from thread.  Here is a harder, pulley lesson for older kiddos. Culminate an afternoon of fun with this Pulley Challenge.  Who can lift the most marbles?  Make this the best year ever!                                                                    

Even more ways to infuse more STEM: low prep activities

 I know many families who concentrate on fundamentals with their younger kiddos.  Science is more of an elective.  In fact, many families outsource science completely at Co-op groups.  Instead institute Make it Mondays or Fun Day Fridays.  You’re going to need easy to make STEM ideas.  Browse Frugal Fun’s STEM Archives.  STEM Hub has loads of easy to prep ideas, such as their classic Bridge Challenge. NASA JPL has easy activities for a broad ranges of ages.  Make a Pinterest Board with ideas.  Keep a box of recycled material in a box in the garage or basement.  Make science a priority.  Set a goal of an hour a week.  This is going to be a great year!

Specific Heat Lab Update

 I like to stay accountable to the online schools.  This post is an update in case a representative or consultant challenges me about whether or not we do labs.  (Yes, I do take strong exception!)  

Experiment 2.1 (12.1) from Apologia include the calibration and  (The Heating Curve of Water).  It was a take-home lab.  However, during the Specific Heat lab, one group noted that boiling water was 80 degrees Celsius.  The kiddo decided to calibrate all my thermometers.

Additionally, I wanted the class to graph by hand and with a graphing calculator.

The teens in the Co-op Chemistry class are doing the Specific Heat of Metal Lab in the Apologia Chemistry textbook (2.2 or 12.2).  One family group of three is missing; one family comes once a week and stays after class for another 80 minutes.  Rhys was in California visiting his sister.  13 teens in my basement classroom is sufficient.

This post is a means to document labs.  I know you ask whether or not I really do all of the labs I say I do.  The answer is an emphatic yes!