Magnets are science tools for your home school.
In 2007 more than 1.5 million American children were receiving the majority of their education at home. Home-schooled students are typically educated by their parents for a variety of reasons, such as religious and academic instruction. Teaching science may be achieved through purchased lesson plans and hands-on activities. The best way to explore science in your home school is with simple science tools, depending on your child's age and level.
Preschool to Second Grade
Graph the daily outdoor temperatures of your home school with a thermometer.
Younger children benefit from simple science tools for hands-on science activities. Magnets and iron filings teach children about magnetism. Offer your children paper clips and other household items to test what the magnet will stick to. A magnifying glass is useful for observing leaves and insects from nature walks. It can also be used to look at skin and other materials up close. A thermometer is a basic science tool for checking daily outdoor temperatures. Help your children graph the temperatures on a chart.
Third to Sixth Grade
Choose a microscope for your older elementary school aged child.
An older elementary homeschooler should have a microscope for biology lessons. Children can cut up leaves to learn about plant cells and photosynthesis, and they can grow bacteria and mold on food to understand microorganisms better. Soil, seeds and a pot are simple tools to learn botany, while a butterfly-growing kit can teach children about the life cycle of an insect. Another useful science tool for an elementary homeschooler is a telescope for learning about astronomy.
Middle School
An electrical circuits kit is useful for middle school students.
Middle school children benefit from an electrical kit to investigate building circuits. Students can power a small motor or a light bulb by building an electrical circuit. Compare the electrical circuits by purchasing a solar panel kit for your middle school student. Use the solar panel to charge a battery or light a light bulb too. A complete solar panel kit would help students build a solar oven or solar-powered vehicle. A model wind turbine kit is another middle school science tool for homeschoolers.
HIgh School
High school students can learn about physics with a rocket building kit.
Home-schooled high school students often create their own science curricula by studying lessons that interest them. Students interested in wildlife and birds need binoculars. A geology mineral chart benefits students interested in geology. Students who want to investigate physics and space travel need a rocket kit, and a periodic table of elements is necessary for a study in chemistry. Other useful science tools for high school students include a molecule-building kit, a human model and an animal dissection kit.
Tags: school students, home school, middle school, science tool, science tools, solar panel
