Go ahead and do all the labs this summer!

 Every time I see a pristine science kit listed for sale I sigh.  It usually means a family worked through the course without doing any labs, activities, or dissections.  What can we do differently?  Do all of the labs before you begin the course.  Really.  Does this sound radical?  Years ago, my home-school friends asked me to host science camps.  Why?  The families wanted more science for their kiddos.  (BTW any child who wanted to come to science camp was welcome; about half were home-schoolers.)  Yes, for many families, science camp was the extent the kiddos did labs or experiments.  (Later, the same families asked me to teach Co-op classes—likely for the same reasons.). I pack loads and loads of activities, labs, and experiments into a week of science camps.  Treat the textbook’s experiments like a camp.

Why not create your own lab week?  Get out the textbook and start doing the labs or Try This! activities.  First, set aside two weeks.  Here and here are table of contents for the second editions of Apologia’s Chemistry and Biology textbooks; each has roughly 30 labs. (The Young Explorers’ series’ textbooks are laden with activities called Try This!  You’ll be looking at two, very full weeks.)  That means your family would do three labs each morning for ten days, five days each week.  I’ve done all of these labs.  Some take longer than others.  (I’m quaking over Chemistry’s Experiment 5.1, Measuring the Width of a Molecule and Biology’s Experiment 7.1, DNA Extraction, or the dissections. They take an hour each, minimum.)  Other experiments are much quicker.  What if you don’t finish all of the textbook’s labs in two weeks?  Well, you will make a big dent in the labs.  I don’t care if the kiddos learn anything while they do the labs.  I know!  Heresy!  Just do the labs well!  (Although, summer is also a good time for a writing clinic!) Be sure to take loads of photos.  Write a few memorable captions.  Save these photos where you can find them—not somewhere safe.  Make a few videos of interesting moments.  You can use all this information when you actually learn the course material.

Will doing all of the labs impact the quality of instruction?  My kiddos remember almost everything they do and nearly nothing I say.  I have to point out specific material which is actually in their textbooks.  Your children may want to redo the lab to make improvements when you come to that topic.  I’m betting your family will try to make connections between the lab they did and the material in the textbook when you actually teach it this fall.  What happened in the experiment? What was the point?  So, what is osmosis and diffusion? Does the specimen resemble the diagram?   Select four of the experiments and write formal lab reports.  Do more labs instead of selling another expensive, untouched science kit.

Did you know Hoopla has Apologia science textbooks?

Are you familiar with Hoopla?  Hoopla has ebooks and audiobooks—including Apologia textbooks on audio!  Yeah!  Some of my students need to listen to their textbooks!  In fact your kiddo can listen to their textbook using Hoopla in the car, just like any audiobook.  Many libraries offer free Hoopla memberships.  Yeah!  

Instant Science: More ‘Just Add Water!’

I am all about easy experiments.  Some of these require more time than others.   Just Add Water has 18 experiments, including a turbine and water click.  The Homeschool Scientist has an excellent guide for this  Water Quality Experiment.  Test your well or tap water.  There are many water quality test kits.  The strips are accurate.  The kits can be pricy: LaMotte and Hach.

Heat up, Cool down!, Walking Water, and Rising Water are more water classics.  Let’s do more science—especially easy experiments where you just add water!

Create a Digital Portfolio!

Right now, while you are thinking about fall classes, let’s create a digital portfolio.  How?  You could write a blog or post to social media.  Many families do not want that kind of exposure.  No problem!  Create a file in Google Drive.  It’s likely to already have digital storage.  You might as well use it.  Start collecting all sorts of material—ideally in separate folders for each kiddo.  Make short videos.

Take photos of activities.  Include links and worksheets, too.

Take pix or scan completed work.

You are going to be in great shape when you work with the online school’s consultant, an evaluator, or go to assemble a transcript.  Take an extra minute and get a photo!  Better still, encourage your kiddos to document all of their work!  It’s going to be a great year!

More Instant Science Experiments: Fire!

 You absolutely should try some of these experiments—as a family!  (Let your pyromaniac husband lead this series.  Have you ever seen a group of men start a fire?) However, do these as demos; Spinning spiral snake requires a candle.  Tea Bag Rocket, Levitating match,   and Traveling flame also involve fire.  This series has all sorts of flame experiments!  The experiments in the fire series all have videos and explanations.  Be sure to have a fire extinguisher handy!

DIY Camp Recipes: Chalk, Paint, Play Dough, Sand, and Snow

 One of my favorite science camp activities is to make a recipe and compare it to the commercial product, such as sidewalk chalk and sidewalk chalk. (especially 3D Chalk Art.  Make it part of an optical illusions series of experiments and toys.) Let’s make a list of several diy camp recipes.  Your family will be doing a  great deal of science! 

1. DIY Kinetic Sand

2.  DIY Hydrophobic Sand compares with Magic Sand.  Try this activity with both versions!  You can even make your own colored sand.

3. Fake Instant Snow and a Benzoic Acid Snow Globe dovetail well with Instant Snow.

4. Most DIY Paint instructions require food coloring, which is expensive.  However, Natural Dyes (has paint instructions, too) are perfect to make Natural Paints.  The dyes are more time consuming.  The colors won’t be as vibrant as tempera.  However, kids can try several paint recipes with natural dyes, food coloring or tempera paint to see which produces the best results.  Part of the conversation is deciding what constitutes good paint.  Look at you doing more science with your kiddos!

5. Play Dough is another favorite.  You can buy a pack of Play Doh party favors to compare with 10 Easy Recipes for Making Play Dough.

What a the best eye protection to wear during labs?

 Ask any science teacher about eye protection and you are likely to get an earful.  Science instructors have strong opinions about the best eyewear for labs.  Here is my opinion.  The best eyewear is the one kiddos will wear.  I have a bin of colorful safety glasses.  Goggles are even safer.  Will kiddos wear them? Maybe?  Sometimes?  BTW, I dilute chemicals, use household chemicals, and rarely use strong acids or bases.  Why?  Much safer—especially until I can train everyone to keep their safety glasses on their faces.

I’ve taught many students, many years; teens hate goggles; once trained, they will wear safety glasses.  Problem solved.  How are students trained?  The first time I catch a student without his safety glasses in lab, he must clean up all of the lab stations for the entire class.  Yes, I encourage the others to leave a big mess. If the issue persists, the consequences increase.  I keep a list of unpleasant chores: vacuuming, cleaning toilets, sorting kits, and mopping the floor.  My teens walk out the door wearing their safety glasses.  See?  The key is training.

 If your child tolerates goggles—fine!  Use them.  Some folks compromise with larger safety glasses with side shields.  Buy whatever pair your kiddo will wear.  (VBS has be chanting many rhymes.)  BTW, prescription eye glasses are usually just fine.  I offer safety glasses which fit over, but don’t require them.  

More Instant Lessons: Science Images!

Recently I mentioned  NASA’s Space Art Challenge.  Are there similar image collections?  Yes!  Here’s my take on creating an instant lesson from a scientific image—sketch it!  Do you have a talented artist?  Any medium works!  Create a file for your digital portfolio marked Art. Take photos of finished sketches along with the original image.  Be sure to add a note about the image, such as the Allen Institute’s  collection.

1. HHMI has Using Images as Phenomena.  The Educator’s materials have links to images.  Basically the lesson is to ask teens what the image is.  

2.  FASEB also has BioArt Awards, which are similarly inspiring.  

3.  10 science photos that made history means you can combine science, art, and history.

4. NOIRLab has some fantastic space images—perfect for watercolors.

5. MIT has A picture is worth a thousand words and Illustrating Science activities.

Innovating Science Kits

 It is hard to determine which kits are worth the expense.  One brand I like is Aldon’s Innovating Science Kits.  There are several Distant Learning kits, designed for home-schoolers.  Typically there are sufficient materials to repeat the experiment between three to five times.  When you buy a good kit, you’re buying the detailed lab instructions.  I love to pour over science catalogs to get ideas for new labs.  Sometimes, my Co-op class tries a new lab and it isn’t worth the cost.  However, in other cases, the lab kit became a short-cut to understanding a concept.  I’m open to new labs!  

Happily, many of the Innovating Science kits are available at reasonable prices on eBay and Amazon.  The most affordable of the Innovating Science kits are the Distant Learning kits and the refill kits.  Be careful!  The refill kits do not come with instructions; the Distant Learning kits do. The bigger sets work well with larger Co-op groups. Buy a kit when a lab just defeats you!  The three below come to mind!

 I buy ABO blood test kits all the time.  They contain simulated blood.  I’m too lazy to make up my own simulated blood.  Then I read over the instructions with the kiddos—just like you!  The lab has a nice scenario and clear instructions.  Prices vary.  The kits have all come intact—except one that had Elephant’s toothpaste lab instructions in an ABO blood test kit.  Happily, I had another copy.  Lab kits are a splurge; these are worth it.  Just remember, you are really buying the lab instructions—not the kit components.

More Summer Chemistry Experiments for Kiddos!

Your kiddos will want to use their Chemistry kits.  I’m on the hunt for experiments which use baking soda, citric acid, sodium carbonate, etc. Let’s get some use from our chemicals!  

Controlling the Amount of Product in a Reaction uses vinegar, baking soda, detergent, and optionally Alka-Seltzer.  Substitute citric acid for vinegar to compare results with the Alka-Seltzer tablet.  

7 DIY Baking Soda Projects from Arm and Hammer includes Sneaker Peakers and Bath Fizzies.  (Substitute a little citric acid for the lemon drink mix.)

Alka-Seltzer Fizz Race and Reaction Rates use tablets, which contain citric acid and baking soda.  Experiment with both the tablets and the chemicals.  Each tablet has about 1 gram of citric acid and about 2 grams of baking soda.  

Color with Bugs requires cochineal bugs, sodium carbonate, and citric acid.  Kiddos make their own pH paper. (Use the cochineal bugs for  Bugs to Dye For or Nature of Dyes.)  Chemistry’s Rainbow is about acid-base neutralization.  

The HST Learning Center has Acids and Bases among its Chemistry Projects.  

Periodic Table Activities

The Periodic Table crosses several classes:  Young Explorers Chemistry and Physics, Physical Science, and Chemistry.  Let your kiddos make Periodic Table cookies, cupcakes, or rice cereal treats.  I have a few ideas.  For starters, watch and listen to The Elements.

1.  Color Code the Periodic Table can be used for any class.  Here are detailed directions.  For whatever reasons, this activity really helps my kiddos and teens understand families and groups.

2. My summer assignment  for Chemistry is this Educational Card Game.  Any group can make element cards.  Younger kiddos can do Adopt an Element, Element Trading Cards. Element Cereal Box Project, or the  Periodic Table License Plate.

3. Try Living by Chemistry’s Create a Table.  Kids take the element arts and bout them into groups.  It’s in the Cards is similar—but has more properties, which can be confusing.

4. Teens can use these instructions, The Periodic Table of Cereal, as written.  Mine also use these instructions and adapt their tables to accommodate Pokémon, movies, coins, etc.

5. Plot trends.  The slide deck has two activities, one similar to Plotting Trends.