How do you maximize the benefit of labs?

 Labs work best when they connect to a topic.  Ask your kids a question.  What is the point to this lab?  Or ask, ‘So, what?”  I ask my Co-op classes to explain the purpose of the lab.  (Don’t say busy-work.)  I want them to understand that each and every lab, experiment, or activity has a purpose.  One tool to help you are scripted labs, such as Ball Drop (Basketball Blaster) , and Reaction in a Bag.  These labs demonstrate a concept.  Look for labs with teachers’ guides, especially those with questions.  For example, Can Crush has an obvious question, ‘What caused the can to collapse?’  (It’s also pressure.)  

How do you find these labs?  Be very specific with your topic.  For example, when I teach diffusion, I look for a good Diffusion lab.  (This version has excellent questions.)

Make sure the lab has a purpose or background section and follow-up questions to use.  Go for the obvious: Newton’s First Law Lab or Boyle’s Law Lab.  Your goal is to introduce these concepts.  Another example is calorimetry. What is a calorie?  How are calories in food measured?  Try Soda Can Calorimetry here, here, and here.  Google specific terms, such as ‘density lab pdf’: What is Density? (guided instructions), Beverage Density, and Liquid Density Experiments.

Do follow-up.  I might keep a lab or the equipment out when I review the concept.  I teach more about Specific Heat after the lab.  I keep the coffee cup calorimeter out.  I might repeat the lab to help the kids understand just what the specific heat of a metal is by pretending to insert a hot metal cube into the cold water inside the calorimeter.  The lab becomes integral to the instruction.  

Lastly, refer back to the lab.  Remember when we did Boyle’s Law lab?  What were the variables?  What is the relationship?  How does it contrast to Charles’ Law Lab?  What are those variables?  What are Gas Laws?  Why aren’t there liquid or solid laws?  (The molecules are too close to one another.)  It doesn’t always work; whenever possible, make connections.  Go back to my original question.  What is the point to this lab?