Weird Science Kits

If you are considering science fair projects for next year, let me share a few ideas: MudWatt (The webpage has experiments.), Nitinol Memory Wire, Ferrofluid kit Removal of Microplastics with Ferrofluids), Goldenrod Electrochemistry Kit (Experiment), and Aerogel.  The key to using these kits or materials is to be able to both manipulate them and explain the implications.  For example, how are ferrofluids used?  What about Nitinol wire applications? Here is a NASA experiment.  These types of materials can be used for science fair projects.  You do need to perform experiments.  If you experiment with Goldenrod Conductivity, you need to create an experiment.  For example, try different concentrations of salt water.  Try different salts: CaCl2 or Epsom salts.  It is not cheating to replicate another science fair projects for idea.  Scientists verify one another’s work.  

All in One Chemistry Lesson: A Little Kitchen Chemistry

Part of our street is still solid ice.  While we did venture out, the streets near us are a mess.  Several neighbors ambushed the snow-plow guy over the snow removal and he isn’t returning.  If you find yourself in similar circumstances with teens at home, it’s time for an all in one Chemistry lesson.  The kiddos are going to gripe bitterly about doing regular lessons.  Let’s mix things up!

1. Start with ChemMatters’ articles:  Bringing Chemistry into the Kitchen, The Science of Hot Sauce,  Cilantro,  Spices: Fakes & Frauds, Synthetic Food Dyes and Seed Oils. 

2. Download the Oct 2025 and the Dec 2025 Teacher’s Guides. Do questions and activities related to the articles.  Watch Why is Pizza So Good?, The Science of a Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich, and 9 Ways to Cook Like a Scientist.

3. Try the Small Changes in Structure and Secret Message activities.  Cooking has a collection of activities.  Extra credit if the teen determines whether or not you have the materials independently.  

4.  Do a few experiments: Get Cooking with Chemistry, Syrup Detective (Celebrating Chemistry), and 3 Egg-cellently Weird Science Experiments.

5.  Make some mozzarella cheese. Get Cheesy has a scientific approach. Use Better Pizza Through Chemistry to make some pizza dough. Read Marinara: Chemical Reactions and Extractions before creating the sauce.  Ask your teen to bake a  pizza as his or her evaluation.

Chemistry and Salting the Roads

Right now I’m iced in; our street is sheet of ice.  I have been thinking a lot about salting the roads.  Here, here, and here are ChemMatters articles about road salt, the process, and alternatives.  You can do your own experiment and compare NaCl, CaCl2 (Driveway Heat), kitty litter, and sand.  Stay safe!

Apologia Chemistry: Acids and Bases

 This 5E Lesson: Acids and Bases looks brief.  Embedded in the lesson’s links are the Outline and slide decks I use.  The outline ensures I include all of the acid-base topics.  This is another robust unit because there are different definitions of acids and bases.  

Apologia Chemistry: Organic and VESPR

 Another hard topic is Organic and VESPR.  Here is the 5E lesson for naming organic molecules and Molecular Geometry.  I introduce polyatomic ions during lessons on nomenclature.  However, the VESPR models for polyatomic ions are part of this module.  

Apologia Chemistry: Atomic Theory

 Here is my 5E Atomic Theory Lesson. Organizing the materials for this series of 5E lessons has been personally useful.  Usually, I have a list on paper.  Instead, the lesson has updated links, slide decks, samples, etc.  I posted these to Classroom so the Co-op families and students will have access, too.

Atomic Theory is a tough unit.  You might want to look at Khan Academy’s High School Chemistry Unit for more help.

Apologia Chemistry: Gas Laws

Here is the 5E Lesson for Gas Laws.  I wrote up the methods I use to teach Gas Laws, including the blog post with seven videos I made explaining how to do Gas Laws problems.  I’ve made a bunch of videos.  If the parents give permission, the kids love creating videos.  I have used videos for assessment.  I just ask the kiddo to explain what he or she is doing.

Apologia Chemistry: Nomenclature

 I decided to create a few more lessons for next year’s Chem class.  Here is a 5E lesson for Nomenclature with updated links, slide decks, and examples.  I’ve written about Nomenclature frequently, but never created one cohesive lesson.

Apologia Chemistry: Matter and Energy

 I have some 5E lessons I dug up, updated the links, and added a few notes and examples.  I’m trying to make my life easier next year when I teach Chem.  Here is the 5E Matter and Energy doc. Is this an exciting post?  Nope.  But I’m hoping the material is useful.

Apologia Chemistry: Moles and Stoichiometry

 I located 5E lessons I made and updated the links for the 5E Mole Lesson.  A few of labs and activities are from ACT and Flinn kits.  Happily, there are any number of similar labs.  I included those links.  Be sure to sew moles. Below the image is a video explaining how to sew a mole.  The boys are usually baffled.

Apologia Chemistry: Periodic Table

The Periodic Table can be daunting.  Here is my 5E  lesson.  I updated the links and added a few of my favorite activities.  Below is a set of element cards and a video explaining Flinn’s It’s in the Cards, absolutely two of my favorite activities I use for Chemistry.

Snow Day: Boredom Busters

 Here are 50 Boredom Busters.  At our house, we keep popsicle sticks in a small, plastic container.  On each one is an activity.  Instead, create a numbered list of activities and just write numbers on to the craft sticks.  Make a long list based on materials you have at home and activities which interest the kiddos.  Pull this out as soon as the kiddos start to whinge.  Here are a few possibilities: build a popsicle catapult and know down oatmeal container targets in the basement, play a board game, complete a puzzle, write a secret message in Morse codes to decipher, knit, bake bread before the power goes out, make slime, jump rope in the basement, play flashlight day when the power is out, build a LEGO MOC, capture a snowflake and examine it under a microscope, etc.  Go ahead and add chores to the list, too! Make in a gamble whether the kids are going to do something fun or clean the toilets.

Snow Day: Secret Codes for Kids

 If your kiddos like coding, they might like secret codes.  This introduction to ciphers includes Morse code, Pigpen Cipher, the Phonetic Alphabet, Tap Code, Grid Code, and more. Here, here, and here are Morse codes to decipher.  Make a decoder wheel.   Have you tried cryptograms?  They are like secret codes and very addicting.  Here is a free site.  It’s easier to solve cryptograms if you copy them on to paper.  Would you like to write a secret message?  The ACS Invisible Ink uses alcohol, turmeric, and sudsy ammonia.  This invisible ink involves a white crayon and water colors.  Have you tried Lemon Juice Invisible Ink?  HST Invisible Ink includes the type I use with phenolphthalein (PHTH) and another with cobalt chloride, which looks fun, too.  If you use PHTH, and test it with Windex, be sure the Windex has ammonia.  I just use a little sudsy ammonia.  

Ellen McHenry’s Eye and Ear Models

 Advanced Biology (Anatomy)’s Module 9 has both the ear and eyeball.  Here and here are eyeball and ear, paper models.  Here is her webpage with a few more anatomy models.  We make loads of models.  They really help kiddos examine the organ more closely.

Snow Day: Unplugged Coding

 If we get the snow or ice forecasted, we’re all going to need some ideas.  What about unplugged coding?  This article’s Code a Friend’, ‘A Loopy Routine, etc are ideal for siblings.  It has simple activities, such as origami, to help kiddos understand the concepts underlying coding.  Start with ASCII Code and make a Binary Bracelet, necklace, code with Twizzlers, knit in Binary Code (I knit a scarf in binary.), create a game with egg cartons, and Code a Snowman.  If your wifi doesn’t crash, learn to code with MIT’s Scratch.  We needed a book to work through the steps to get the kitty to jump.   I hope everyone impacted by the up-coming storm stays safe!

Snow Day Science!

 Right now our are is preparing for the Snow Apocalypse of 2026.  After the novelty of the snow storm wanes, try a few science experiments!  (Truthfully, if the storm drags on for several days, the kids will be ready for their lessons—or you will be!)  

1. Before the roads close, order some Instant Snow to do Instant Snow (sodium polyacrylate) experiments here, here, and here.

2. Make your own snow—here, here, and here (add glitter).   These recipes require stuff you likely have at home.

3. Here are snow experiments, including the physics of sledding.

Maker Camp: Rubber band Launchers

Maker Camp is all about making things.  Let’s round-up different rubber band launchers.  I like the Pencil Pea Shooter which shoots rubber bands.  (Wear safety glasses and buy thin rubber bands.).    Here is a pen shooter.  We might try this Rubber Band Cup Launcher.  Frugal Fun has a Craft Stick Rubber Band Gun.  Finally, here is a more complicated looking launcher which looks like a cross-bow.  Fun!

Maker Camp: Ice Cream or Slushies!

Update: If you use the tiny cups to make ice cream, you’ll have a tiny sample.  Kiddos love anything cute.

My kiddos at Camp have made Homemade Ice Cream.  (In Chemistry the ice cream lab is one way to introduce colligative properties such as freezing point depression. )  I hadn’t realized you could freeze other liquids by shaking them in a bag or coffee can.  Evidently, you can use Freeze Pops, Nondairy Creamer, Fruit Juice, and Kool-aid pouches.  We’re going to try all of these at Maker Camp.  I’m especially interested in the nondairy creamer.  Who knew?  I added screenshots below because the first site was flagged and the second screenshot is AI generated.  When we make ice cream in a bag, we use about 1/2 cup of rock salt.  The instructions look to be correct.  Like you, I am suspicious of AI.

Science Strategies: Science Fair Back Boards

A completed science fair project requires a display, the project back board.  This is usually a tri-fold.  Here are ISEF’s 2026 Display Guideline.  Here is another explanation with examples. Here is a guide to hold to organize the project board.  It helps to look at previous Finalists’ projects.  Standard display boards meet the guidelines.  It is critical to read exactly what must and must not be on the display.  Take a look at winning projects.  Visit different websites and here to scan displays.  Note how uniform the display boards are.  Displays are neat, complete, and informational.  Any image used from the web must be cited.  It pays to take and use your own photos.

Science Strategies: Science Fair Rules

 What are the ISEF rules?  When you look at these rules, remember every rule is likely an example of a previous problem , such as the new AI Guidelines.  (For example, it is acceptable to use a MLA Citation Generator to site references.) Here is a pdf of the 2026 rules.  The Educator Guide is 50 pages long.  Focus on the project area, such as Animals or Chemistry.  Use the Rules Wizard.  Really.  This page breaks the rules down into areas of concern, such as tissues.  Here is a good summary which notes that students must NOT culture bacteria at home.  This is a common violation.  Once you select a topic, please read over the rules.

Science Strategies: Science Fair Ideas for Projects

Where do you get an idea for a science fair project?  This is difficult.  My friend, Mel, has five kids.  Routinely, she called at ten o’clock at night hunting for ideas for science fair projects.  I judged science fair projects and sponsored projects for literally hundreds of kids.  Let’s focus on teen projects.  First  you need to read the ISEF Rules.  Some projects are prohibited.  (No, you may not blow things up.  No, you may not do an LD-50 on 100 goldfish.)  Judges loathe models. Don’t make a model of the solar system or a volcano. (One exception is a good computer model.) SimilarlyCitizen Science Projects., the judges despise paper towel tests or stain removal experiments.  What do you need instead?

The goal is to find an idea to test.  The best ideas are based on a topic of interest, a problem, or a question. In another life, our high school spent one day in a seminar room going over the ISEF rules and helping kids hone ideas.  All day.  Let me give you an example.  The student wants to know which type of bird feed attracts the greatest number of different types of birds.  This idea can be tested, repeated, observed, recorded, and summarized.  Here is another example.  Our raised bed barely produced cucumbers.  The soil test revealed that the nitrate levels was extremely low.  A kid can test the soil with different ratios of fertilizer, ideally with one type of vegetable seed and one factor, such as the number of seeds which sprout.  

Where do you get ideas?  It isn’t cheating to look at winning projects.  ISEF keeps a data base.  (This can be depressing.  Many of the winners are enrolled in Governor’s schools or have impressive summer internships.)  GLOBE is a great source of science ideas.  Measure something: weather data, tree data, water quality, etc.  While these are popular topics, they produce better projects.  Browse their NASA page for ideas. 

HST Science Fair Ideas and Science Buddies have a mixed bag of project ideas. Similarly, AI was a mixed bag.  Along with GLOBE, NASA has Citizen Science Projects.  These projects have more depth.  Here are 20 more examples of Citizen Science.  The hardest step is finding a good idea.  I’ve spent hours and hours just helping the teen get behind an interesting project topic.

Science Strategies: Science Fair Step One

 Update: Now is the time to plan for a project to begin next fall.  Once you see all of these steps and stages, you’ll understand why.

ISEF is the International Science and Engineering Festival.  Most schools follow the rules for ISEF.  Yes, some Co-ops ban together and host Science Fair competitions, just as many public and private schools do apart from ISEF.  I’ve been on all sides of Science Fair competitions, as a judge, sponsor, and parent.  I think you should try to participate in a regional competition.  The first hurdle is finding and enrolling your teen in a competition.  Ideally, your teen will compete locally, first.  Usually, students compete at a high school.  Call the local district.  Sadly, I have tried contacting the local science fair coordinators at three different school districts.  They don’t even bother to return a call or a email.  

The reason to try to get into a high school competition is to gain experience.  Under ordinary circumstances, winners  who achieve at least honorable mention at the high school science fair proceed  to the county level.  Winners at county go to regionals; regional winners go to state, and finally the big show held in Phoenix in 2026.  Every state has a different process to select kids who go the ISEF.  The issue  is getting your kid into a local competition.  I have faced that problem repeatedly.  It’s easier to enroll in a regional competition, called an Affiliated Fair.  You can contact a rep at the Affiliated Fair and enroll.  I’ve done that.  Here’s the rub.  The kids who compete at regionals have already won.  In fact the top kids may compete in Symposium, too.  Frankly, their projects are all good.  This poses significant competition.  I can tell you personally it caused me a great deal of anxiety when I brought unvetted home-schoolers to regionals.  I didn’t want them to be embarrassed.  I didn’t want to be humiliated either.  While the kids didn’t win; they acquitted themselves well.  Hey, they were up against Governor’s School!  Kids in science programs at Governor’s School often have access to college or professional labs and work under scientists.  

Okay, first try to get into a local competition.  Some schools are more open to home-schoolers than others.  If that fails contact an Affiliated.  Science Fair is worth pursuing.

Science Strategies: Assessments

 Often assessments are synonymous with tests.  Many Co-op teachers and home-school families use the tests which accompany the Apologia Science textbooks.  I’m doing exactly that for Advanced Biology ( Anatomy) this year.  I bought extra test booklets.  However, assessment is on-going.  Nearly every class includes a quick review.  In Advanced Biology we review the names of the bones, muscles, skull, and lobes nearly every class period. Do I record a grade?  Nope.  It’s more of a game to see who remembers all of the names.  

In fact, specific questions can make excellent assessment tools.  Ask your teen to explain Protein Synthesis or use a model to describe an Action Potential.  Did the child overlook a step?  Can she use the terms correctly?  Does her answer make sense?  Labs are frequently assessed  by asking the kid to explain the lab’s purpose.  Period.

Make your own assessment.  In Chemistry, I make my own nomenclature, balancing equations, and Stoichiometry tests.  In fact, I make several versions.  If the kiddo bombs the test, he can take another version.  He can repeat the test until he achieves mastery.  Mastery may be defined by an online school.  Most of the time, I want the teen to earn at least 80%.  If the child is capable, I set the bar at 90%.  All of the tests aren’t the same.  Kids with learning differences get easier tests.  Kids who like a challenge get harder tests.  Biology is similar.  Most of the tests are essay exams.  The kids edit their test until they achieve mastery.  However, some kids get three or four essay questions, while stronger students get ten to twelve.  I have one student with profound learning differences enrolled the past few years.  Mom doesn’t want him tested.  No problem.  However, he loves to do review and sometimes wants to try his luck with a  test.  I send the test home and explain to mom that he wanted to show what he knows.

Lastly, sometimes I ask the kid to show me.  Show me a protein model.  Show me how you name the alkane.  Show me how to name polyatomic ions.  Show me how you made two grams of a precipitate.  Do the same!  Ask your child to show you how they got the answer.  What is his reasoning?  How did she make the model?  Which organelle is which in a cell model?  How did he organize his information in the Atomic Theory Timeline?  Why?

It’s a good idea to have test or quiz samples for your digital portfolio.  But assessment is continuous.

Science and the Supermarket

 First there are children’s books about science and the supermarket, shown below.  (Check the library.)  I looked for specific labs based on the same principles: DIY Experiments, Top 32 Science Experiments using Materials you Already Have, A Must Have Project List with experiments, Mommy Poppins 67 Experiments, HST Food Chemistry, 40 Genius Kitchen Science Labs,  and 50 Fun Kids Experiments.  

Science Instructional Videos

A five minute video clip helps clarify or provide an opener for a topic.  I’m a big fan of Bozeman Science and the Amoeba Sisters, which has some of the best Biology videos.   Did you know Apologia has Book Extras? Among these resources are video recommendations.  The code is inside the textbook.   Let me share a few more good sources.  

Flinn Scientific Videos is all about selling Flinn’s products.  However, there are loads of useful videos, such as the Science is Everywhere series, such as Diffraction, or the Mole Day video below.

Georgia Public  Broadcasting (GPB): Physics, NASA Physics, and two Chemistry series, Chemistry, A Study of Matter and Chemistry Matters.  GPB has K-12 videos from a number of sources.  N.B. The videos are geared toward public school kids.  However, the content is good.  

The Physics Classroom has videos.  Their website is enormously useful when you get stuck on a topic. Don’t forget Khan Academy, which is often ideal for a specific topic, such as mole ratios in Stoichiometry.

 

Apologia Chemistry: Less Expensive Labs

Next year I’m planning to teach Chemistry both to the high school Co-op and to the Middle School Co-op kids.  Of course we’re using Apologia for both classes.  Yes, we’ll do many of the labs and Try-this experiments.  I like to do many, many labs.  Chemicals can be expensive.  I want labs which use chemicals which are less expensive and readily available.   Note that these labs use some household chemicals, such as baking soda, sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO3, as well as less expensive chemicals, such as copper (II) chloride, CuCl2.  I looked for a variety of labs which use these chemicals for different types of chemical labs, such as reactions, formulas, hydrates, or precipitates. Here are  Reaction in a Bag, Foiled Again, and Formula for an Ionic Compound, CuSO4 Hydrate Lab, Forming a Precipitate, CuSO4 Flame Test, Epsom Salts Exothermic Lab, Chemical Change, and Vinegar and Baking Soda Stoichiometry.

Good Will Anatomy Models

 There are a few good anatomical models at Good Will.  The torso is especially nice; however, it’s a female with breasts.  My younger teens ant Co-op are not sufficiently mature for this model.  Yours might be.

Science Strategies: Managing Classroom Behavior in a Co-op Class

 Kids are kids.  Some of them misbehave.  In another life, I taught in both private and public schools.  I taught six classes a day at the public school in WV, with over 160 kids.  I have had some experience with misbehavior.  I tell my kids when they act up that they are out of their league.  The kids are all warned at the beginning of the year of the consequences for misbehavior.  Here are some tips.  

1. Warn the child to stop.  Sometimes I issue a general warning.  Literally.  If a couple teens are starting to chatter or poke, or whatever, I just announce, ‘Warning!’  Sometimes, you just say the kiddo’s name.  I just say, Fred, and stare daggers at him for a minute.

2.  Next consequences for minor offenses.  The rules are clear.  If a child takes off their safety glasses during lab, the first consequence is he or she must clean up all of the lab stations.  Why?  I want them to be safe.  Cleaning is a strong deterrent.  My kids often leave class and go home wearing their safety glasses; they hate cleaning that much.

3. The consequences are tiered.  Minor offenses, such as annoying your classmates by lifting the table repeatedly, earn minor consequences, such as a reprimand and a discussion with the parent.  The child is reminded the next few classes not to repeat the behavior.  A second offense initiates a longer discussion with his or her mom.  At this point I recommend rescinding his or her electronic privileges for a week.  

4. Greater offenses have greater consequences.  I make it clear the teens may not pretend to stab a classmate with the scalpel.  Someone always does.  (They aren’t being serious or malicious, the kids just think it’s funny.)  They were warned.  I explain to mom that Fred must stay after class, usually the same day.  Fred vacuums, mops, and wipes the stairs in the basement.  If Fred gives me any lip, he may also clean the bathrooms.  Last year, my basement was deep-cleaned several times by miscreants.  

I keep track of which students owe me time cleaning.  Their moms may have another lesson or appointment after class.  I have a roster of chores: vacuuming, sharpening pencils (dozens), sorting kits, wiping tables, and chair, etc.  My shelves of materials always need to be sorted.  Keep a list.  Do you have some cutting needed for a project?  It doesn’t have to be class related.  The kiddo can cut materials for religious Ed.  If you meet at a church I’m sure the staff would appreciate some complementary board-washing or vacuuming.

Science Strategies: Make-up Work

 It’s January and flu season.  True, February can be equally fraught with cold, flu, grippe, or sundry viruses.  Additionally, families home-school for a reason.  They want the flexibility to go a trip, take a week off for a wedding, visit a sibling at college, an endless list.  As a result, Co-op teachers, just like professional teachers, must have a plan to make up absentee work.  

1. My plan for January and February is more accommodating.  In Anatomy, I’m jousting trying to complete about 1 1/2 modules, not two.  Usually, we do Moles and Stoichiometry in Chemistry in January—all month.  This step allows me some flexibility.  

2.  Some activities I send home to do.  I sent how clay with Anna to complete her brain model because she was ill.  If the kiddo missed a paper model we made in class, I send home a set to make at home.  Usually, I have an example posted on the wall to show the kiddo what to do.  The issue is getting the kid to actually make the model at home.  

3.  We need flexibility in January and February because we’re going to be repeating labs and activities which are both important, complicated, or require special equipment.  Today, for example, the class did the series of Nerve Experiments for the third time.  It’s a set of six experiments.  I have the Snellen poster on the wall.  Anna can’t do the Weber test unless she has a tuning fork at home.  Our answer was to just do all of the lab experiments one more time.  The lab is fun; thankfully no one minds.

4.  Thursday marks the third class in which I know in advance kids will be absent.  I’m using the class to mop up work.  I prioritize lab reports, tests, and study guide questions.  The kids have been advised to bring in the material.  I’ll spend Thursday editing reports.  If all of the incomplete assignments are finished, the teen can work on the next unit.  The following week, I’ve scheduled two activities I want everyone to do together: The Neuroscience Case Studies and the Reflex Arc POGIL.  With any luck, we won’t have to repeat these two activities.  

5.  What happens when a student is out for several classes?  We schedule time outside of class.  Anna’s sister, Catherine, started Biology a month late, when she dropped Physical Science.  Catherine spent an hour after class for over two months to complete all of the labs, tests, and assignments.  This year, Wednesdays are a good time for make-up classes.  We work with kids after class, too, especially when they’re struggling with a topic.  

CO2 Labs

Hold on.  CO2 labs can be fun.   Here are What’s New CO2? and  React with Self-Inflating Balloons.  (Here are even more resources from ACS about self-inflating balloons.)  (A pack of four balloons is about $14.) Are you in the middle of moles in Chemistry?  Here is an excellent article about using these balloons to discuss moles and some Stoichiometry.  

Be on the look-out for these kits!

 There are some kits which are invaluable, especially for Co-op teachers, who teach the same classes regularly.  The key is to buy the kit for the right price.  Usually, I find the best prices at Good Will online, with eBay running second.  I look for kits which make labs easier or are terrific models I can reuse.  Let me share my favorites.

1. 3-D Molecular Designs has several kits.  I want to find a deal for the Synapse and the Phospholipid Membrane. 

2. The MicroChem kit is up next.  I bought several for Chem.  My target is $50 with shipping.  Be sure the kit has the manual.

3.  Another rare gem is a FOSS kit.  A complete kit has five drawers.  The manual and related books are available used and rarely come with the kit.  The kit’s teacher manual is essential.  The best one is the Electromagnetic Curriculum.

4. Hands-on lab kits are designed for online, science, college courses.  They are customized by the professor; their contents vary.  These kits are usually eScience, Labpaq, or Science Interactive kits.  Look over the contents.  I have had tremendous luck with these kits.  Some anatomy kits have specimens.  The Physics kit was jam-packed with lab equipment.  Look over the photos before you bid or buy.  

5.  I invested in class sets of Molecules of Life and DNA several years ago.   I bought new sets because there weren’t any used set.  There are a few now on eBay.  Be sure the used kit has the worksheet and answer key. 

Science Strategies: How many different activities do you do during each Co-op session?

 Our Co-op Science classes meet twice a week for 90 minutes each session.  I’ve taught Co-op classes which met once a week for three hours.  (Yes, we had a break.) During a 90 minute session, we usually have at least five different activities, averaging 18 minutes per activity.  A good rule of thumb is to plan 15-20 minutes per activity.  Right now, I’m teaching an anatomy class.  We start class with ten to fifteen minutes of muscle, bone, brain review. Next, I might do 15 minutes of direct instruction, say slides.  The teens might then sketch slides, do a POGIL, make a model, or take a few notes. We do labs every other week or so in Anatomy.  A dissection can take 30-45 minutes.  The nerve lab we just finished took about 45 minutes.  

How do I plan?  I keep a list of all the events I want to accomplish for the entire module.  In any class, we need some direct instruction.  I do a chunk of instruction most classes.  However, I rarely exceed a 20 minute lecture or lesson.  The kids just shut off after 20 minutes.  It’s better to switch gears.  This is why the activities and labs pivot around a unit or module.

Let me give you an example.  In Chemistry, one topic is Matter.  (Here are my slides.)  I start with a group discussion, typically a question, such as ‘What is matter?’  I might review a few slides.  Then we do an activity, such as Separation of a Mixture Lab. (Do the least flashy lab first.)  We spend time as a class after the lab discussing the point.  Next is the discrepant event and discussion.  After we do a series of density labs.  Typically, we try to create a spreadsheet for data.  The spreadsheet activity can take 20-25 minutes depending on experience.)  In other words, we switch activities about every 20 minutes unless it’s a longer lab or a simulation, such as Bean Bag Isotopes. (We use at least five different beans for this lab.)  Typically, labs, simulations, or models take 30-45 minutes.  However, the kids work in teams and tend to remain more engaged.

When I conduct a once-weekly Co-op class, I’ll have a stack of activities ready—at least ten.  Will we finish?  Probably not.  But it’s important to switch gears frequently to hold the teens’ attention.  One caveat.  If the kids are engaged in a lab and want to experiment or repeat it, I am a happy to invest the time—even if the lab takes most of the class period.  This is true of dissections, especially.  The kids tend to spend 90 minutes on one or two specimens.  Most of the time, I 

Science Strategies: How do I start to add new ideas?

 Many Co-op instructors stick to the textbook.  Apologia science textbooks are a complete curriculum. The instructors often invest their Co-op time working through the experiments from the book. The kids read, do study guide questions, and take tests at home.  There is nothing wrong with this approach.  I started teaching Co-op, science classes after school, in the lab, at the public school where I taught.  (I do know how rare this situation is!). I already had ideas because I had been teaching all manner of science classes for awhile.  The first time I taught from Apologia, the families were enrolled in MODG, which has strict requirements for labs, lab reports, and number of modules completed. (MODG requires 2/3 of any textbook to be completed, as a minimum.)  Did I adhere to the labs?  Yes.  However, in some cases I had a different lab with more detail, or an extension, or was inquiry-based.  (Even the first time, I made the DNA Extraction experiment in Biology an inquiry-based lab.)

How do you branch out and still remain faithful to the experiments in the Apologia textbook.  Let me take the DNA Extraction experiment.  The first time, we did the lab exactly as written.  In fact the first edition of Apologia’s Biology textbook uses onion rather than split peas.  Once we did the lab as written, we branched out.  What if we changed the detergent?  What if we chilled the alcohol?  Could we try KCl instead of NaCl, or sea salt in place of iodized salt?  Just do the experiment as written before you try a variation.  Another example is the Biological Key experiment in the textbook.  We do this exercise verbatim.  Then I bring out other dichotomous keys to practice.  

Sometimes, I just don’t like the experiment.  The Apologia Chemistry (third edition) has Experiment 5.2, Solubility, which compares salt in water with salt in vegetable oil.  Huh.  You could do this as a demo with the group before launching into a Solubility Rules Lab (Here is a summary of the solubility rules.)  Frankly, I do this a lot in Chemistry because I’ve taught the course so many times.  I have many opinions on the subject. 

Try the lab in advance.  Do you like it?  Could you take one more step and improve on it?  For example, do the Osmosis experiment in the Biology textbook and then try the classic Diffusion Lab with cornstarch, iodine, and baggies.  Take things in stages.  Don’t feel as though you need to improve every lab.  I use the Chemistry experiment, Width of a Molecule, verbatim; it’s a great lab.  What happens if the lab doesn’t work?  Admit defeat and move on.  My friend, Sharon, another Chemistry teacher, was adamant about testing every. single. experiment before the lab.  Great advice for novice instructors.  Go ahead and add to your experiments!

Educational Innovations: Chock Full of Fun

 In another life, I did some consulting.  Before the workshop, I would call Educational Innovations and ask for a box of catalogs. (I still love a catalog.)  They added UV bead key chains.  So many of my favorite science toys originated with Educational Innovations.  Their Blog isn’t up to date; it is full of ideas. Many of the toys have lessons, too.  Below are my favorites.