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.
[am4show have=’p8;p9;p11;p38;’ guest_error=’Guest error message’ user_error=’User error message’ ]
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
[/am4show]