Instant Lesson: Light and Color

 My approach to science with kiddos is open-ended, which can be triggering to my Type-A friends.  I like to open with an activity, ask a few questions, and generate more exploration.  I had a student who couldn’t stand this approach.  She summarized lessons, typed outlines, made copies, and distributed them to the class.  Alison was twelve at the time.  Below is a mix of fun activities and lessons, such as What is Color? and Oak Ridge Lab’s Light and Color and activities. 

1. Montessori uses a Color Box; the page has all the colors. Here is a primary presentation; Montessori calls their lessons ‘presentations’.  Alternatively, use Color Box 1, Color Box 2, and Color Box 3.  I respect Montessori education; it’s just not my style.

2. Light goes with Art!  Explore Art and Artists from Start with a Book.  One of the activities is Sidewalk Chalk.  Make Chalk Paint primary colors and blend them.   Dick Blick has lessons: Color Paste Color Wheel,  It’s Complementary, Color Collecting Kit, and Stained Glass.  Let your budding artist go wild.

3. Another collection is Science Trek’s Light and Color. One example in this collection is a light video and DIY Kaleidoscope.  There are loads of levels of instruction—everything from Optics for Kids to The Physics Classroom: Light.  The Exploratorium has Science Snacks: Light. Try Hole in Your Hand.   I think most of these activities are more germane to a physics class.  Hey!  If you’re planning to teach Physics, you’re in luck!

4. JPL’s The Science of Color is more my speed.  The lesson uses colorful water beads and sheets of colorful cellophane.  I’m using this next year for Camp!  

5. Light and Color is an article explaining the basic physics of light and color.  Explore UV Beads.  Scroll to the bottom of the page, below the video, for more lessons.  

Science Experiments Archives

 Okay, I’m already in a countdown to fall.  I’m on a mission to get you to do some science experiments!  I understand how important it is to get your kiddo to read, write, and do math.  Fundamentals have to take priority.  Could you institute a monthly Friday Fun Day! and plan a morning of experiments?  No, it’s not cheating to select experiments which aren’t messy at all.  Below are three good archives full of experiments.  I shop at these sites for ideas for science camp.  Below are the archives with a selection of low-mess experiments—mostly.

Steve Spangler has water crystals, Diving Ketchup, Coin Tower, Shrinking Chip Bag, and Mysterious Colors—all clean experiments. Another favorite is The Spinning Penny.  There are pages and pages in the archives.  Spangler has a video archive, too.

Science Bob has a similar archive of experiments.  For example, Dancing Popcorn has instructions and an embedded video.  (Raisins and spaghetti will dance, too.)  Science Bob has edible experiments such as A Density Experiment You Can Drink or Ice Cream in a Plastic Bag.  These can be a little messy.  Produce these experiments (or Edible Aquifer) when you want to raise your polls and prove you’re a fun mom!  

Have you ever heard of Shakashiri?  His archive is Science is Fun; here is the YouTube channel link.  Shakashiri used to put on annual Christmas shows, Once Upon a Christmas Cheery, from the Lab of Shakashiri.  I just ignored some of his rants in the videos and focused on fun experiments. Here’s an instructor’s guide, if you feel ambitious. (I have this  set of demos.) Fizzing and Foaming is a classic and a little messy!  

The Experiment Archive has labs for any science subject: Warm and Cold Plates, Water Whistle, and Straw Propeller are all clean experiments.

NASA Space Place has UV Handprint, Fan of the Earth’s Layers, Oreo Moon Phases, and Moon Habitat.  The NASA activities are uniformly great.  Often there is a video or template.  

Instant Lessons: Sound

Once in a while the kiddos make sound toys at Science Camp.  I’m always surprised how much they like these activities.  Littles, too, seem to be curious about the nature of sound. My inclination is to just make toys and play with sound.  I have a few lessons because many, many people despise open-ended instruction.  Some of the best ideas, such as Secret Bells or Head Harp, are part of the Exploratorium’s Science Snacks: Sound.

1. Montessori has presentations, rather than lesson.  Here is a presentation about sound with sound cylinders; this website has ideas to make your own sound cylinders, with a small jars or plastic, Easter eggs.  

2. Start with a Book: Music has a collection of books, activities, such as Bee Hummer, and Write to Music.  Tune-in! Is a five day program, with unusual ideas, such as a ‘music mural’, and a lot of singing and song-writing.

3. Here is another very detailed sound lesson with a script.  While I find scripts anathema, some of you are going to be very happy.

4.  Make a Kazoo—there’s a lesson, too!  Get a variety of card board tube (or Pringles can) and make a Rain stick.  We’ve had good results with aluminum foil, nails, or toothpicks, and rice.  Test a bunch!  Try different lengths and diameters.  Make a Rain Storm—the type you make when you tell the Bible story about Noah and the Ark.  

5. The Singing Pipe is another camp hit. The tubes have many names; Sound Tubes has a video and Lesson.  You can buy lengths of corrugated pipe at Lowe’s.  Test them in the store to see if they produce sound.  

Exploratorium

Many families do not use a formal, science program with their elementary-age children.   I have a family friend on a wait-list for a science Co-op; she is expecting her seventh child and doesn’t have the bandwidth to do experiments at home.  However, even if you do not use a science program, such as the Young Explorers series you can still do science experiments!  Plan Friday Fun Day!  Create a week of science camp during your Christmas or Easter break.  See if you can recruit a grandparent willing to help plan experiments.  

Want loads and loads of ideas?  Try the Exploratorium: Science Snacks and Special Snack Collections. Try Secret Bells,, Remote Control Roller, or Head Harp.  

Years ago, the Exploratorium published three books.  These three books can add a lot of science to your portfolio: Pringles Pinhole, Root-Copter! (pattern), and Bee Hummer are in the books.  It can be difficult to locate all of the experiments online.  Here are several of the experiments from The Science Explorer—which I think is the best of the three books.  Yes, I use many, many of these experiments at Science Camp.

Yet More Instant Science Lessons: Flight!

It looks like families want more instant science lessons.  I get it.  Our Co-op is full of large families.  (We’re Roman Catholic.)  There you are at home with five or six kiddos, the oldest is ten, and you are expecting another baby.  Somehow you manage the basics: reading, composition and grammar, history, and math.  Science just seems to be a bridge too far.  Pick a theme—one even the baby will like!  This time the theme is flight.  Trust me.  If you have things flying all over the room, even the baby will be entertained.  Now is the time to squeeze in some science before you resume lessons!

Start with a Book has DIY Science Camp: Flight.  Here is the sample schedule, which you can spread over four or five Friday Fundays.  One activity, Rotocopters, is the one I would do first.  Whenever we do a morning of flight at Science Camp, this is my starter activity.  Look at all of the books!  Really, any pile of library books about flight—including the history of flight work well.  Plan to read after lunch during quiet time.

If you want to keep up this theme for a while, lean on NASA.  Here are paper airplane templates.  Here are NASA videos demonstrating how to fold airplanes.  (Rob and I are kind of inept when it comes to folding airplanes.) we typically start with these basic plans.  I like to buy flying toys, especially hand-copters!  Wear safety glasses!  Have a blast!

TOPS Learning Systems

 As both an instructor and as an evaluator, I’ve encountered many different approaches to home-school curricula.  Some families use online programs, such as The Good and the Beautiful, BJU, or Kolbe Academy.  Other families use a program and supplement with Co-op classes.  Still others forge ahead and devise their own curriculum entirely.  

Do you prefer to create your own curriculum?  You might like TOPS for science, especially Global TOPS.  The program is easy to implement and uses simple materials, such as tape, aluminum foil, and clothespins.  TOPS has elementary,  middle, and high school books.  Whenever I taught Physical Science, I pulled out the TOPS Electricity and Magnetism books and a box of materials; the class worked through the experiments in the books as their lessons for that unit. I asked if they got an experiment to work. The kiddos showed me their results.  What was the point? What did they learn?   Here and here are sample labs.  Here and here are materials lists.  There are few special materials, such as bell wire, ceramic magnets, or flashlight bulbs.  Scrounge the junk drawer for rubber-bands, paper clips, tape, etc.  The classes had to do some troubleshooting, which I thought was also useful I terms of their science education.

Used books are widely available.

Many of the topics can be used for all grades, such as Perfect Balance.

The Physics I and Physics II are probably the best of the TOPS materials.  Do several of the free labs and read instructions before you buy any of the books—new or used.

Project Learning Tree

Project Learning Tree is similar to Project Wet; it’s a series of activities relating to trees.  Try several sample activities to see if they resonate.  The PLT trainings are interactive; the guide has tons of activities for elementary aged kiddos.  The issue is obtaining training.  Try not to get roped into becoming a facilitator.  

Home Tweet Home includes making animal masks and edible bird nests.  Here are more PLT nest ideas.  Sample a few family activities:  A Tree’s Life, Trees as Habitats, and Getting in Touch with Trees.  The activities are based on nature, trees, and wildlife.  

The most popular Project Learning Tree activity is Adopt a Tree. Here is a student page.  Decide if you want more.  

Physical Science: Forces and Motion Quick and Easy Labs

 One resource I use to supplement Apologia’s Physical Science is McDougal Litell’s Physical Science textbook; here is a sample chapter.  Below the links are loads of activities from one chapter. See why I think you should buy a used copy?  The teacher’s edition will have tips and answers.

Here are some of the activities we do in Physical Science to help kiddos understand force and motion.  They help!

1. Ping Pong ball and Golf Ball Acceleration

2. Marbles, Inertia, and Paper Plates Chalk the marbles.  It’s easier to see the paths.  Below is a similar activity which demonstrates circular motion instead.

3. Ball drop is more of an energy labs.  Kids will not accept that the balls fall at the same rate and persist timing and  dropping every ball in the house.

4. Rocket Ball Launcher or .Rocket Balls is another classic.

5.  Release a balloon or try the inertia experiment.

Take a look at these quick labs.

Stretchy Hair Gel Slime

 I needed hair gel and my Walmart option was a case of hair gel.  A single bottle lasts me a long time.  What am I going to do with a case?  Yeah! Make Stretchy Hair Gel Slime!  Next fall, we’re making slime and other polymers in the Young Explorers Chemistry and Physics class. I checked; slime is NOT part of the Chem and Phys agenda.  Whoops!  However, in my mind polymers mean slime. Problem solved. We make slime. Now I’ll have a much more manageable stash of hair gel.

Let’s talk about Middle School Science classes!

 Middle School science classes are tricky.  Which curricula or textbooks should you use?  Many public and private schools offer a traditional sequence: Earth Science in 6th grade, Life Science in 7th grade, and Physical Science in 8th grade.  Some schools use integrated textbooks, which offer a little life science, earth science, physical science, including chemistry, each year, for grades 6-8.   Some online schools have their own curriculum, textbooks, and materials.  Some families are using Apologia’s Young Explorers series.  

What should you teach?  So much depends on your child.  Our Co-op decided to use Chemistry and Physics for the sixth graders this fall.  The kiddos are a mixed bag of learners.  We’ll offer Apologia’s General Science the following year to help prepare them for Physical Science.  I’m not worried about Life Science because we’ll offer Biology right after Physical Science. Is it nice to offer Life Science?  Yes. We’re using the second edition of General Science as a compromise because it has some anatomy.  I’m more concerned about preparing the class for Physical Science, which can be rigorous.  If your kiddo struggles with math, you may want to wait for ninth grade to teach Physical Science, which is when many, many private, public, and home-school Co-ops offer the course.

Let me share the Middle School programs for several popular online schools.  You’ll see there is no consensus.  Here is my advice.  Is your child bright?  Considers the traditional sequence of Earth, Life, and Physical Sciences in grades 6-8.  Does your kiddo have learning differences?  Use Apologia’s Young Explorers series, especially Human Anatomy, Astronomy, or Chemistry and Physics.  The child can still follow Apologia’s sequence General Science, Physical Science, Biology, and Chemistry during high school.  If your kiddo is somewhere in the middle and likes a varied program, used a combined science. BTW, I have quite a bit of experience teaching middle school classes.  Bright kiddos can be pushed; others just need more time to bloom.  

BJU Science offers the sequence below for grades 6-12. Bright students can begin the sequence in fifth grade; students who struggle can adjust by pushing back the sequence to sixth, seventh, or even eighth grade.

Kolbe Academy offers quite a bit of flexibility.  For example, student can take two years to complete Harcourt Science; here is a description.  Sixth or seventh graders may also elect Earth Science or Life Science.  Eighth graders select either Earth, Life, or Physical Science.  You can see that Kolbe leans toward dedicated subject textbooks in preparation for high school.

Here is a course description for Mother of Divine Grace’s Dialectical Stage, grades 6-9.  Note MODG offers the Building Blocks of Science Program, with Physical Science as an option in eighth grade.  Read more about the program here.  

Here is Seton’s K-8 Science program.  Seton uses material from Seton Press.  The sequence is Earth, Space, Physical Science, and Life Science.  One of my friends uses Seton’s materials for her children and I review the family’s portfolios every year.  Seton’s materials are described as ‘open and go’.  Students get very detailed daily schedules they work through independently.  

What about textbooks?  Many home-school families do not have a science expert.  My advice is to stick to textbooks written for home-schoolers, such as Apologia’s or those published by BJU or Seton.  I like Harcourt, Prentice Hall, and Holt science textbooks for specific subjects, such as Earth, Life, or Physical Science.  They are written for teachers with subject knowledge.  If you had some college level science courses, you’ll be fine.  I do advise buying the teacher’s edition for the textbook.  Understand, these commercial textbooks expect a certain level of science background.

More Instant Lessons: Let’s write reports about inventions!

Let’s go old-school and reinstate reports.  Kiddos used to read an article and handwrite a report. Reports are a great safety net.  Read a book and write a report.  Done.  Reports are perfect assignments for the week of chaos when you had a trip to the ER, the washer broke down, and the dog was sick. 

 Pick any topic.  I teach science and am interested in inventions.  (Don’t you wish you had invented wheels on luggage?)   If you subscribe to the Wall Street Journal, look for Ben Cohen’s Science of Success articles.  (He wrote about white lines on the roads in the July 3rd issue.). Print a few articles to assign during family emergencies. 

Take BYJU’s Quiz, Ten Famous Inventions and Inventors Kids Must Know to get started with a list to research at the library or on Britannica.

ACS Chemical Landmarks: Crest, Scotch Tape (Booklet), Bakelite (Booklet), and  Test Strips (Booklet) are all examples.  Food Dehydration (Booklet) can lead to Snack Engineering.

Smithsonian has Invention Stories, such as epi-pens, George Forman’s grill, brewing coffee, and more about chips.  Invention at Play has a ton of short inventors’ stories, such as Ann Moore’s Snugli.

Lemelson-MIT has an Inventor Archive with Mary Anderson’s Windshield Wipers, Marconi’s telegraph, , and Mars M&Ms.

Invention Projects

 Have your kiddos created inventions?  Did you know they were engineering?  Start with a Book has a DIY Science Camp: Be an Inventor! with project ideas.  Here are more project ideas.

4 Ways to Teach Engineering is a complete unit about the engineering design process.  When kiddos tinker, often they are redesigning an object.  Inventor’s Workshop follows a similar guide; it has links to Young Inventors.  Here are more young inventors.  Bring out the LEGO bin, craft box, or a ream of paper and get started inventing!  

Buy used textbooks!

One of the Co-op moms stopped by to borrow a few textbooks. We always have extra copies because  we keep class sets of textbooks for the classes we teach regularly.  I don’t mind lending them.  The reason I have class sets is to contain costs for families.  We do charge a lab fee for the science classes.  But, we do not charge to borrow the textbook or a graphing calculator; families return both after the class is over.  (Families often give me textbooks they bought when they finish to add to my class sets.)

We’re sticking with the second edition of Apologia’s Chemistry and Physics textbooks.  I use the most recent editions for Biology and Advanced Biology.  However, I bought those used, too!  Moreover, when switched to the third edition of Apologia’s Biology, I donated my set to local Co-op.  

Why buy used textbooks?  I want to save money. I have friends who insist on buying new textbooks to pass down to their younger kiddos.  Hardback textbooks can take a beating.   Most of the time, the content doesn’t change substantially between editions.  I switched to the third edition of Biology because more and more families were switching editions and had already purchased the textbook.  I don’t see anything wrong with the older edition.  Chemistry is different.  Early publications of the third edition of Chemistry were rife with error.  Families would need to buy the new to avoid loads of errors in the third edition.  I’m sticking with the second edition.  (Truthfully, kids who have and use the first edition of Chemistry are usually fine in class.)  I’m sticking to the second edition of General Science because it has anatomy, which families want me to include. Physical Science?  Second edition.  Why? How much do you think the content in Chem or Physics changes?  Exactly.

BTW even the work books or anatomy color books I issue are used.  Is there some writing or high lighting in the book?  Sometimes.  You would be surprised how many are in excellent condition.  Below are current listings.  I have had to pay more for copies of the Young Explorers’ series, Advanced Biology, and 3e Biology textbooks.  Additionally, the student notebooks are always pricy, new or used.  I bought notebooks for the Young Explorers Chemistry and Physics class, but not for the upper classes.  The high school textbooks have study guide questions; the student study guides are generally outlines.  

Show and Tell!

 Often I show kiddos something and ask them to tell me what is happening; ideally, the activity is germane to the lesson.  Right now, this approach is an example of phenomena.  Educational jargon changes.  For awhile, discrepant events were all the rage in science education.  Even earlier, every lesson had to open with a hook.  (Save these ideas and terms for your portfolio.)  These are useful thinkers and add spice to lessons.  

1. Levels of Organization is a good example of ‘show and tell’.  Teens are given a stack of cups and expected to put the cups in order from smallest to largest, cell to the biosphere. After the kids finish stacking cups, we review the layers of organization.  Lesson sorted!

2. Poly Density Bottle is a discrepant event I use to introduce density.  It’s so popular, I had to order another one because mine disappeared.  We’re going to try to make Density Bottles again this fall.  Only one child has success at science camp.  

3. Liter Cube Set is a tool to show my teens just how one cubic centimeter is exactly one milliliter.

4. Disappearing Beaker is really a Physics demo about the index of refraction.  It’s a good thinker.  Why does the beaker disappear?  The beaker and corn oil have the same index of refraction.

5. Ghost Crystals really are another thinker.  Why do the crystals disappear?  The crystals have the same index of refraction as water. (I find tap water is fine.  You might need spring or distilled water.)

6. Lost Volume is another thinker.  The water molecules slip between the alcohol molecules.  The second video explains the concept.

7.  Can Crush is an air pressure demo.  Yes, we do spend most of the class crushing all sizes of aluminum cans.  For this demo, the teens both show and tell.  It’s not that clear to kids initially that the small amount of water in the can becomes steam and drives out the air in the can, which allows air pressure to crush the can as the steam in the can condenses in cold water.  Add ice.  Lots of ice.

8. Sink and Float with cans of Coke uses different temperatures of water.  Cola vs. Diet Cola has two cans with different densities.  (Use ice water!) Both are good demos for density.

9.  Below is a homemade video from two students with a disappearing penny and a dancing penny.  The video was part of an alternative assessment.  Teens demonstrated and explained a discrepant event with a video or photos.  More show and tell.

10.  Here are several discrepant events.  Have your kiddos do a show and tell.  Record it.  What is the trick? Can you reproduce it?  (The balancing hammer is hard.)  Can you explain the underlying science? Just like that, you have another science experiment for your portfolio! 

Want to learn how to code? Try SCRATCH!

Want to learn how to code?  I tried An Hour of Code.  It was okay.  We found MIT’s free programming, SCRATCH to be a winner!  Here are starter projects.  We couldn’t navigate from the MIT site initially.  What worked was a book.  We use Code Your Own Games.  We followed the instructions step by step.  In no time, the kitty could jump! 

Reliable Thrift Store Deals

I like a good thrift store and shop Good Will regularly.  What are some of the best deals?  I’m so glad you asked!

1. LEGOs: Are you planning to try to build elements and molecules with LEGO bricks?  Buy them by the pound.

2.  Prepared Slides do not expire.  I have NOT had much luck buying used microscopes.  In fact, avoid any used electronics.  

3.  All manner of MEL kits.  Below is the MEL Chemistry starter set.  Used kits are missing the VR viewer.  

4.  Snap Circuits sets are another bargain.  These sets work as an introduction to electrical circuits.  Here is the instructional manual for the Home Learning Kit.  The motor may be burned out.  ELENCO sells replacement parts.

5. Graphing calculators can be good deals.  First, make sure the calculator has been tested and powers on.  Buy either TI 83/84 calculators; other models, such as TI 89 can be impossible to operate.  If the screen has streaks or bruising, it means it’s about to die.  My target price is $35 for a TI 84.  I will buy TI 83 models to lend to the teens.  I prefer to buy two or three TI 83s to save shipping; my target for a TI 83 is $15 each.  I bought one used calculator from Amazon and one from eBay; both were duds.