Poly Density Bottle

 I bought a Poly Density Bottle kit I use as a demo to explain density or as a discrepant event.  But the kit is pricey.  Only recently did I learn about using UV beads with plastic, pony beads (8 mm).  Flinn has instructions here.  The UV beads have a different plastic composition, giving them a different densities.  Isopropyl alcohol is rubbing alcohol.  50 grams of pony beads are roughly 180 beads.  Below is a screenshot of a Chem teacher who has her students use test tubes, with instructions.  So much fun!

Water Wonder Science Kit for Christmas!

I love science kits—especially homemade kits!  Save a shoebox or coffee cans to store your materials.  One favorite is Water Wonders.  Make Square Bubbles (Soap Bubbles—Science and Ideas), Cartesian Divers, Soda Bottle Rocket, Tornado in a Bottle (or a Tornado tube), and Elephant’s toothpaste.  Start saving soda bottles!  Use 3 mL pipettes and 1/4 in hex nuts for the Cartesian divers. You can buy most of the materials for less than $25.  I bet you already have some of the materials.  Dig up a shoebox and a few tiny, travel bottles.  What a gift!

DIY Science Kits for Christmas!

 I love science kits.  A few science kits, such as Edible Chemistry, are worth it.  Others?  Not so much.  I have made a few science kits—especially for Science Camp!  One year, I taught Chem remotely and made Chem Kits (with the lab links) for a ton of teens.   Let me share a few ideas. Consider a kit with basic equipment: safety glasses, craft sticks (as stirring rods or catapults), funnel, graduated cylinder, beaker (yoghurt cup), pipettes (medicine dropper), thermometer, reaction plate, and film canisters. I try to find mini test tubes which fit into cassette cases.  (Pipettes work, too.  Thrift stores still get used cassettes.  Ask your local store to save you some.)  Now you have the basics for a ton of experiments with household chemicals. 

 Start with Adventures in Chemistry.  You may want to add a stack of clear, plastics cups to the kit.  I use clear cups at Science Camp to make it easy to see color changes.  When I’m making up batches of kits, I save coffee cans to house the equipment.  

Science Sparks has a great, inexpensive kit for film poppers, catapult, candy chromatography, and static electricity, with instructions.  This DIY Science Birthday Kit adds slime to the fun.  Take a look at the Little Bins Science Kits for younger kiddos.  Yes, four year olds love to make mixtures! This DIY kit has a list of budget friendly items with simple instructions to store in a plastic bin.  I love plastic bins for kits.  However, empty coffee cans are free.   Now, all I can think about are kits!  Fun!

My favorite lab kits to cannibalize…

My Black Friday shopping is looking for deals on used science labs!  I buy lab kits mainly for their contents.  College professors customize lab kits for students taking science courses online.  Too often the students find they don’t need to do any labs to succeed in the course.  The kits are sold or donated.  I’ve picked up over a dozen.  My favorite brand of kit to cannibalize is Quality Science Lab kits.  Right now I have five QSL Chemistry kits set aside for next year’s class.  Most of the time, I just use the materials for labs I like-especially for my husband’s Physics classes.  I bought a QSL Physics kit from Good Will he still uses.  (Pix are below)  The physics kit has spring scales and ramp cars useful for general science classes, too.  (The QSL kits often have lab manuals; the lab guides allow you to use the kit without having to jury-rig every lab.)

 The eScience, Labpaq, or Science Interactive lab kits do not have lab manuals.  They might have a lab CD, but usually don’t.  The college profs publish the labs online with their courses.  Look for equipment: thermometers, microscale, beakers, etc.  Once in awhile, I have gotten dissection specimens or dissection trays.  One time I got Tiny Tim!  eBay has decent deals; however, the best deals are at Good Will.  (Be advised, I haven’t seen many lab kits recently.) Note the prices on eBay.  I wouldn’t spend more than $50 including shipping on any kit, with the exception of an anatomy lab kit with Tiny Tim, a dissection trays, dissection tools, and specimens, which might be worth $100.

Lab Reports

 Biology Corner just published a new Lab Report Template (in Canva—screenshot below), which looks great!  Here and here are slide decks prepared for my students to help them write their lab reports.  Both have the Lab Report Rubric we use.  Home Science Tools Resources has this Science Report guide.  Here is Apologia’s 14 page guide to writing lab reports.  BTW some labs have a hypothesis and others don’t.  Many labs are demonstrating a concept or reaction.  In the background section, the kids explain a bit about the main idea and the purpose of the lab.  Only labs which involve experimental design have a hypothesis. In this case, the hypothesis has two parts, the Null and Alternative Hypothesis.  The Apple Mummy Lab is a good example of an experiment with a hypothesis.  The lion’s share of science experiments have a purpose, not a hypothesis.  Some lab guides insist on a question, too.  Is every lab asking a question?  I don’t think so.  Many, many labs are vehicles to demonstrate a concept.  I hope this is helpful.  Many families struggle to write lab reports.

Try a 3D Printer before you buy one!

 I thought a 3D printer would be so cool—until I tried one.  Hey! It was surprisingly easy to use!  I got trained at the local library.  I had visions of Ionic Dice or the Frog Dissection Kit.  Then I tried to print a simple badge.  It’s like watching paint dry or downloading an audiobook in the car.  Schools accept projects and just keep the printer humming in the background, like a dryer.  Okay, I don’t need instant gratification; I find I do need immediate gratification.  Does your library have a 3D printer?  Is it part of a MakerSpace?  Ask it you can see a printer in action before you buy one!

Try new labs with MEL!

 I’m always looking for new labs.  Yes, I have some favorites, such as Reaction in a Bag.  But, I am open minded about new labs.  It might be better!  My teens might come away with a better understanding.  Besides, I don’t want to become stale.  Chemicals are expensive.  I buy lots of MEL kits to sample labs. I want to invest in the right tools and chemicals.  The MEL kits are largely experiments teachers traditionally use as demos.  One example is Tin Dendrites, a REDOX reaction.  Here is Flinn’s Tinman Electrolysis.  I bought a MEL dendrites kit because previously I had done the lab exactly once.  The MEL kits are terrific for trouble-shooting issues.  The website has videos, too.  After the kids used the kit, I bought more tin chloride for more labs.  We’ll do it again—the money spent on tin chloride is worthwhile.  In other cases, the kids tried kits and were underwhelmed.  This is also useful.  I pull out a MEL kit when a kiddo is far ahead of the class.  Students love all the tiny equipment in the MEL Starter Kit.  Once again, most of the best deals are on Good Will.  I usually buy four kits in a lot, priced under $10 each.  I have a stack ready for next year.  A couple students always are miles ahead of their peers.  I want to be ready!

Still hunting for deals on Anatomy models….

 I’ve shopped online repeatedly for Anatomy models.  The best values are still at Good Will online—unless you have tremendous luck at a local thrift store.  Good Will has a conjoined twin skeleton available.  I thought the image might be too much for this blog.  Besides, how often would you use it?   Happy hunting!

Give your kids a stack of anatomy books for Christmas!

 Hear me out!  I’m speaking from experience.  Give your kids a stack of books for Christmas.  Are you teaching Human Anatomy? Make it a stack of Human Body books.  Your younger kiddos may not be ready for the Anatomy course, but can enjoy Human Body books.  Kids love to gross themselves out.  Below is a selection.

Chemistry Kits, Presentations, and Labs

Under duress (during COVID lockdown) I taught Chemistry remotely. I made up Chemistry Kits and  Lab Kit for the kids to do labs at home.  I have oodles of materials in the presentations I used to teach the kids remotely, including labs.  Below are the links to the slide presentations used with Apologia’s 2nd edition Chemistry textbook.  Hope you find these materials helpful!

Chemistry Module 1

More Module 1

Module 1 Density

Chemistry Quizzes

Lab Equipment

Module 2: Energy, Heat, and Temperature

Graph Heat Curve

Module 3: Atomic Theory

Module 4: Properties of Matter

Molecular Structure

Zumdahl’s Chemical Composition

Zumdahl’s Chemical Quantities

Zumdahl’s Chemical Reactions

Zumdahl Nomenclature

Ionic Compounds

Naming Ionic Compounds

Covalent Molecules

Nuts and Bolts

Mole Quizzes

Mole Activities

Mole Problems

Beanium Lab

Chemical Reactions

Experiment 5.1

Mystery Powder Lab

Housekeeping (has Poisoner’s Project)

Periodic Trends

Electron Configurations

Stoichiometric Notes

Cookie Stoichiometry

2 Grams and Stoich

Write a Lab Report

Percent Composition

Acids and Bases

Zumdahl’s Acid-Bases

Solutions Overview

Gas Laws

Energy

Redox

Zumdahl’s Equilibrium

Zumdahl Organic

Chemistry Equipment

 Yes, again!  Now is the time to hunt for deals!  BTW it’s a good time to shop Good Will or eBay, too!  Amazon has some decent deals on basic equipment.  Be sure to check that the test tubes are Pyrex, Kimax, or borosilicate, which are heat-tempered.  It is nice to have a one or two Pyrex beakers.  However, lab-grade plastic beakers and cylinders are fine for most lab experiments.  

Over time, I have bought several lab kits: eScience, MicroChem kits, and Quality Lab Science kits.  The advance to these used kits is that they often have a thermometer, digital scale, and test tubes.  Usually there is a pair of goggles or safety glasses and some lab equipment.  Good Will has the best deals.  Be sure to check the shipping costs before you bid!  I have purchased kits on eBay, when the shipping and price is less than $50 in total. 

MEL Starter Chemistry Kit has mini glassware and a burner.  If you can get a set for less than $35, it’s a decent deal.  Below are pix with prices.  Best of luck finding bargains!