We are doing the perch and frog dissections this morning. We’re using the Home Science Tool’s guides, along with every reference available. Truthfully, you can only identify a few organs in either specimen. The key is to remove layers carefully. The frog’s stomach might have a fly inside—or a beetle.
This is an Equilibrium Snowball Fight with paper snowballs. You’ll need a larger group to do this activity and actually demonstrate equilibrium. Sounds like fun!
My husband, Rob, teaches Physics. In addition to managing tech, I locate labs and demos to supplement the experiments in the textbook. He wanted to video a guitar string vibrating and analyze the motion with a physics video app. In the back of my brain, I remembered tapping water with tuning forks. Here is the imaginatively titled, ‘Tuning Fork with Water.’ I made a video. Just barely touch the surface with a vibrating tuning fork. Fun, right?
Yes, I’m back on one of my favorite topics, basic equipment on a budget. My husband, Rob, and I teach several science and math classes for the local Co-op: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and several, different math classes. Since we teach Biology, Chemistry, and Physics regularly, we have invested in basic lab equipment. I’ve canibalized several eScience kits. However, we use simple materials you can find at Walmart, Dollar Tree, Good Will, Amazon, or Temu. Start by recycling containers, milk jugs to hold water, yogurt cups for reactions, craft sticks to stir, and wooden coffee stirrers for flame tests. We keep a box of measures: tape measures, rulers, protractors, and spring scales. We keep a stash of balls for Physics and safety glasses for a variety of labs. Plan supplies based on the course you are teaching. While I invested in dissection trays, you might use a styrofoam tray instead, especially if only one teen is taking Biology. I bought several used dissection kits on Good Will for Biology—mainly for the lab experience. Any sharp blade works equally well. Save your money for a digital scale and a graduated cylinder. We use cupcake paper liners as weigh paper. Start scavenging thrift stores for materials. Let your kids help organize them into kits. What are you waiting for? Let’s do more labs!
Chemistry Investigating Your World uses simple materials to do a bunch of labs. Don’t be deterred by the material list: reaction plate, metric cups, and droppers. Walmart, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, and Dollar Tree sell pipettes, paint palettes, medicine droppers, and 30 mL metric cups. (Don’t forget to shop your house. You might have a dropper or metric cup in your medicine cabinet. See if you have a stray paint palette among your crafts.) Use recycled yogurt containers or cups for reactions. Invest in a graduated cylinder to measure liquids and safety glasses. Plunge ahead and do more labs!
I was searching for Science Camp ideas. Well, these experiments lend themselves to Chemistry classes. Here is ‘Investigating Your World’ from ACS, with lessons about gas production, color change, precipitates, and temperature. The materials required for these demos and student labs are simple: sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), citric acid, sodium carbonate (washing soda), calcium chloride (deicers, such as Driveway Heat), vinegar, and two indicators, bromthymol blue and universal indicator. Home Science Tools sells small quantities of each chemical. Take a look at the lessons or teacher guides. All of them are scripted, and have links to everyday life. I like ACS because the labs are generally safe, an important factor for families, especially those without any background in chemistry. These labs are terrific ways to supplement your chemistry course—while on a budget.
If you search Good Will online using ‘science kit’, you’ll see three Science Unlocked kits, including Brrr to Burrow Science. These kits are available at Home Science Tools . Please evaluate the contents on HST’s website and check the shipping before you bid. The contents of the kits look a little scanty. You may be buying curricular material rather than science equipment.
I bought one set of seven dissection specimens and have several left-over specimens I want to use. So we had three crayfish, one sea star, and one grasshopper. This year’s class is small; I’m working with what I have. When you dissect the crayfish and grasshopper, focus on the appendages. You can see some of the internal organs—but not well. Don’t be too concerned if you have trouble identifying individual organs inside the crayfish and grasshopper. We use four different guides and images from the internet and still have trouble identifying more than the most obvious organs.
A teacher posted a video of her class making hot air balloons to the National Chemistry Teacher Facebook group. Be patient if you watch the video—it takes a few minutes for the hot air balloon to launch. Home Scienxe Tools’ Resource Center has these instructions to make the hot air balloons shown in the video. Here are instructions from Flinn to make hot air balloons with Mylar balloons. Here are instructions from ACS to make tissue paper hot air balloons. Your kids are going to have a blast!
Increasingly, dissections are controversial. The Co-op Biology class talked it over and decided to have both live and paper dissections. Next year, the kids will have an option. However, teens who are not dissecting will do more work with photos and virtual dissections. I’ll post images this morning as we dissect. One issue is that the dissected specimens do not resemble the guides. I pull out several resources and use internet images, such as Dissection 101 Photos. Hear the link to dissection lessons. I order specimens from Home Science Tools as well as several dissection guides, listed for $1.95. I do offer masks and gloves to kids. Kids should wear safety glasses as they dissect. The more resources the better!
