Equipping Your Homeschool Science Lab

Tuesday December 2, 2014

homeschool suppliesEquipping a homeschool laboratory does not have to cost a whole lot of money. There are a number of things that you can use from around the house. However, you will have to invest in some things that will give the feel of a proper science lab to your homeschool students. Here we discuss the different types of equipment you will need to keep on hand to conduct your homeschool science experiments.


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Safety First


No matter what the experiment, the homeschool student must always exercise safety by using safety equipment. This would include protecting the eyes with goggles and hands with gloves.You could use an oversized thick t-shirt as a lab coat and make sure that when using chemicals the children wear closed toe shoes.


Stuff to Work With


You will need all kinds of containers and measuring tools to conduct your experiments. Clear plastic cups, empty soda bottles, zip lock bags, and transparent cups made of glass, all can be used as containers for more reactive substances. Peanut butter jars, mayonnaise jars, and coffee cans are also good for storage. Plastic forks, spoons and knives are good to transfer stuff during experiments. Drinking straws and toothpicks can also make useful tools. Eye droppers and children’s medicine syrup dosage cups are good to measure out precise amounts.


Common Chemicals Found at Home


Most experiments require some chemical agent and you don’t have to buy them as a large number of these chemicals can be found at home. Consider stocking extra baking soda, vinegar, corn starch,salt, food coloring, lemon juice, pineapple juice, gelatin,red cabbage, soda, Mentos, Wintergreen Lifesavers, fizzing antacid tablets, laundry bluing, borax detergent, white glue, baby oil, dish soap, rubbing alcohol, flour, yeast, sugar, glow sticks and flour to conduct some super science experiments .


More Stuff to Save


There are other things around the house that you can save and add to the homeschool science lab such as rubber balls, yo-yos, coins, glass marbles, Slinkys, drinking dipping bird toys, bubble soap, latex balloons, helium balloons and a whole lot more. Save electronic tidbits as well. LED bulbs,batteries of all kinds, solar panels, laser pointer, black light bulb, small DC (battery-powered) motors, electrical wires, nails, paper clips, magnets, iron filings and electrical tape can all be a part of your stock.


Article Inspiration: About Homeschooling
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Homeschool Science Lab Essentials

Tuesday November 25, 2014

There are a number of things that you can use from around the house when you set out to equip your homeschool science lab. A considerable number of items were listed in the previous blog post related to stocking up stuff for this purpose. You can scavenge old parts of the toys and appliances you have around the house to aid this purpose. Any old gadgets that are now now working can also be taken apart and their parts used in science experiments.
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Use what you have and then add some more


The digital still/video camera you own can also be put to good use in various science experiments to study the changes that occur as the experiment proceeds through various stages. However not everything you need will be obtained from stuff lying around the home. There will be certain items that you will have to buy. Some such items will include magnifying glasses, microscope (digital and standard are available), binoculars, telescope, polarized lenses and clear plastic tape.


Enforce Safety Rules as Prevention is Better Than Cure


Then there are other special things that children must never use without an adult present. These would include candles, matchsticks, using the microwave, the hob, the OTG (oven toaster grill), dry ice, chemical hand warmers, chemical cold packs and any acid that you may have bought for conducting experiments.  These are just an indicative list of things that must be used only with adult supervision. You can add other items to the list and let your homeschool science students understand these rules before you begin any experiment involving these things.


What Experiments Should You Perform?


Now that you have stocked up your homeschool science lab the next relevant question is what do you do with all the stuff. Which science experiments should you begin with? That will depend on what you are teaching your homeschool science students in class. What lesson are you currently studying? Can you find an easy to perform experiment based on the principles in that lesson? Then by all means use the experiment to reinforce what has been taught in class.


You don’t have to stick to school curriculum based experiments once you start. You can move on to any interesting experiments that you feel your children will enjoy and learn from.


Article Inspiration: About Homeschooling
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Fun Homeschool Science Activities

Tuesday November 18, 2014

Science is always easier to learn when you can practice it hands on. As a homeschooling family you would have no doubt had some experience with conducting scientific experiments based on what your child’s lessons include. This has to have benefited the homeschool science student greatly, but it is still school work.


Have you ever done something fun which involves using a science principle with your homeschool students? Something that you did just for a lark? Here are a few suggestions for you to have some homeschool science based fun!
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Create Your Own Miniature Water Park


If your children enjoyed the rides at a water park you visited in the summer, you can have them put their heads together to come up with similar rides on a small scale at home. You can plonk a plastic sheet down on the floor and give them containers and connectors of all sizes and shapes to experiment with. Start with transporting water through a series of pipes and tubes from one end of the sheet to the other. Move on to advanced water rides that your children’s toys can take! Allow them to get as innovative and creative as they like.


Add Additional Recording Activities


Once your water channel is set you can have fun recording how long it takes a liter of water to complete the circuit. Have your homschool science students check if half a liter of water takes the same amount of time to complete the circuit. Add water till the entire ride is saturated and then measure how much water the water channel can hold when full to the brim. Ask the children to come up with their own measurement activities.


Create a Fountain or a Waterfall


Flowing water is of great visual interest to children. Have them create landscapes where they make waterfalls or teach them how to create a fountain with an empty plastic soda bottle. Just punch some holes into the bottle with a hot metal skewer and add water. Now the fountain can be turned on or off by merely replacing the cap. Ask them to come up with other ways to make water flow in the landscape you have created.


Article Inspiration: About Homeschooling
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Single parents handling the home school science curriculum

Tuesday November 11, 2014

If you have chosen to follow the homeschooling path as a single parent, you will need to be very well organized. Particularly when it comes to handling the home school science curriculum with your child. Whatever the circumstances why you have chosen to home school, they should not interfere with you giving your child the best possible experience in the study room. [am4show have=’p8;p9;p11;p38;’ guest_error=’Guest error message’ user_error=’User error message’ ]


Follow the plan


By following a pre-fixed home school science curriculum you can save yourself considerable headaches. Get a copy of the syllabus and what all you need to cover it in advance. Now study it yourself before you decide to teach anything to your child. As you make your teaching plan more crystallized you will be able to foresee what all material you will need on a specific day.That way when you actually get down to covering the home school science curriculum with your child you will be able to ensure that the materials required to teach that particular lesson are available to you.


Get a support group


Naturally it is easier to follow any activity if you have a support group. It is easy enough to find and join an activity club which is interested in science related activities. Some clubs meet weekly while others may have a more relaxed monthly meet. You will need to decide how much time you can spare to join a club. Can you spare two hours every week? Or will you be happier just committing to a once a month meeting and then pick one which is best suited to your needs.


Find a reliable substitute


No matter how hard you try you can not be with your child all the time. There will be some times when you have to go away leaving them behind. It may be for a duration as short as a couple or hours and may be for as long as a couple of days. So you need to find someone reliable who can take over in your absence. Having grandparents step in at such a time is a great idea. If they do not live close by or in the same town you will need to find and familiarize the substitute adult to your child.


Article Inspiration: About Homeschooling [/am4show]


eScience Overview Exercises

Sunday May 1, 2011

Let’s see how much you’ve picked up with these experiments and the reading – answer as best as you can. (No peeking at the answers until you’re done!) Just relax and see what jumps to mind when you read the question. You can also print these out and jot down your answers in your science notebook.


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1.   What would happen if you belched in Antarctica? (By the way, the freezing temperature of CO2 is -109oF and Antarctica can get below -140oF) (a) the carbon dioxide in the burp would freeze into a solid (b) the carbon dioxide in the burp would sublimate (c) nothing special (d) the oxygen and carbon dioxide will form will liquefy into carbon trioxide      (e) are you serious?


2.   When you cap a lit candle in a glass jar, what happens? (a) the flame eventually goes out because fire eats air and the flame runs out of oxygen which is required for combustion (b) nothing special (c) the flame gets brighter and lasts longer (d) an explosion takes place that shatters the jar


3.   What is the difference between a light bulb and a laser beam? (a) the laser is a focused beam, while the bulb is a scattered beam (b) the laser is a scattered beam and the bulb is a focused beam (c) lasers emit photons and bulbs emit only electrons (d) this is why I dropped out of science (e) they’re both breakable and not allowed anywhere near my kids


4.   Which one generates light by electrifying a gas? (a) incandescent bulb (b) neon sign (c) fluorescent bulb (d) car headlight


5.   What happens when you scuff across the carpet in socks on a dry day? (a) you can zap your kids (b) you store up an electric charge in your body (c) you store up extra neutrons in your body (d) the same thing that happens to blankets in the dryer


6.    What is an atom made up of? (a) photons, electrons, and positrons (b) neutrinos, positrons, and bosons (c) protons, neutrons, and electrons (d) gluons, muons, and gravitons (e) what on earth is a ‘boson’?


7.   Which are the three primary colors of light? (a) red (b) blue          (c) green (d) yellow (e) pink


8.   If you inflate a balloon (don’t tie the end), which direction does the air in the balloon and the balloon itself travel? (a) both the same way (b) in opposite directions (c) nothing happens (d) inside-out


9.   What happens if a tank of oxygen leaks and fills an entire room, and you walk in and strike a match? (a) nothing (b) BOOM!!!          (c) the match will burn brighter (d) I don’t even want to know


10.        When you combine baking soda and vinegar together, what happens? (a) bubbles foam up (b) it belches (c) carbon dioxide gas is released (d) it produces a chemical reaction that can propel a rocket skyward


11.        If you blow up a balloon and stick it in the freezer, what happens? (a) it gets bigger (b) it gets smaller (c) nothing (d) it glows


12.        Where is the higher pressure in a balloon? (a) on the inside (b) on the outside (c) both are the same (d) none of the above


13.        When you wire up a circuit and it does not work, you should (a) check for good metal-to-metal connections between wires (b) see if the batteries are in the right way (c) replace the entire thing (d) reverse the wires powering your electrical component


14.        What does it mean when batteries get hot to the touch? (a) they are working well (b) they are about to explode (c) you are running the electricity back into the battery and this heats up the battery (d) they are about to leak acid everywhere


15.        Higher pressure does which? (a) pushes (b) pulls (c) decreases temperature (d) causes winds, storms, and airplanes to fly (e) meows


16.        What happens when you put a large chocolate bar in the microwave without a turntable? (a) it melts only in certain spots     (b) it freezes (c) you can measure the speed of light (d) the chocolate bar emits radiation


17.        Which of the following are examples of light? (a) radio (b) TV remote controls (c) ultrasounds (d) microwaves (e) sunburns


18.        The electricity from an electrical outlet is the same kind as (a) lightning (b) the shock you get from scuffing along the carpet (c) the electrons that flows in a circuit (d) the electricity from a battery (e) the light show from wool socks fresh from the dryer


19.        What happens when you combine a red beam of light with a green beam of light? (a) you see polka-dots (b) you get yellow light   (c) you get cyan light (d) you get that muddy-looking color just like when you mix all the paints together (e) nothing – they stay the same


20.        If an apple is the size of the earth, then the atoms inside the apple are the size of: (a) Manhattan (b) a grain of sand (c) the size of the original apple (d) Alaska (e) zooplankton


21.        What are the five states of matter? (a) solid, liquid, gas, plasma, and BEC (b) earth, wind, fire, water, and wood (c) oxygen, fuel, spark, ice and heat (d) ice, water, bubbles, steam, and vapor


22.        Which of the following are seriously dangerous chemicals? (a) dihydrogen monoxide (b) sodium chloride (c) sodium tetraborate    (d) sodium bicarbonate (e) all of these (f) none of these


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Answers to eScience Overview Exercises

Sunday May 1, 2011

Let’s see how you did! If you didn’t get a few of these, don’t let it stress you out – it just means you need to play with more experiments in this area. We’re all works in progress, and we have our entire lifetime to puzzle together the mysteries of the universe!


Simply click here for printable questions and answers.


Answers:
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  1. a
  2. a
  3. a
  4. b, c
  5. a, b, d
  6. c
  7. a, b, c
  8. b
  9. c
  10. a-d
  11. b
  12. a
  13. a-d
  14. c
  15. a
  16. a, c
  17. a, b, d, e
  18. a-e
  19. b
  20. c
  21. a
  22. f

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