The fully-stocked home science laboratory {Episode 6}

Before you start teaching science at home, do you really have to buy a full set of glassware, chemicals, and equipment? In this episode, Paige is going to show you how you can have a fully-stocked home science laboratory without breaking the bank!

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The Highlights

The number three struggle I hear when it comes to teaching science at home is equipment. 

You can use coffee mugs, Ball glass jars, straws, and coffee filters as a substitute for expensive labware.

Kitchen Chemicals

You already have chemicals sitting on your pantry shelf and many of these are weaker, and a bit safer, than their lab counterparts.

1. Acids – Swap in lemon juice, soda, or vinegar.
2. Bases – Substitute baking soda, ammonia, or bleach.
3. Indicator – Test acids and bases with cranberry juice or red cabbage juice.
4. Crystals – Use salt, sugar, borax, or Epsom salts.
5. Battery – Start with a lemon or a potato.
6. Polymer – Make borax slime or a bio-plastics.

Microscopes

When purchasing a microscope for homeschool use, look for the following specs:

1. A compound monocular microscope;
2. A microscope with 4x, 10x, and 40x objective lenses at a minimum (Note: The eyepiece should also give 10x magnification, which then will allow you to look at an object at 40x, 100x, and 400x magnification.);
3. A microscope with separate coarse and fine adjustment knobs;
4. A good light source. (Note: The best light sources are a LED or cool fluorescent bulb. Do not get one with mirror illumination as they are very difficult to adjust.)

Get more information about choosing a microscope and using one in your home from Paige's blog.

If you can’t afford a microscope, you can:

• Google it – “(subject name) microscope image” (or check out the Sassafras Microscope Pinterest board)
• Use a palm-sized substitute (currency or jeweler’s scope)

A bit of Kitchen Science Fun

And just for fun, here's how you can...

• Extract DNA from your kitchen,
• Make a non-Newtonian fluid from your pantry,
• And do chromatography from your hall closet.

Learn more about how you can teach science with our programs!