Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources Science kit recommendations?

You could try this:

http://www.hometrainingtools.com/kits-for-alpha-omega-lifepac-curriculum/c/46/

They have kits by grade that go with Alpha Omega's homeschool curriculum. We bought these for convenience this year.

If you get a kit with an alcohol burner, you may want to order the alcohol from there. We had a hard time finding the right kind of alcohol from hardware stores.

Coupon code: GIFT14 is good for a few a few more days and is good for 10% off.

Nooooooooo! I'm following!

Re: "more of a directions-follower and info-absorber..." This sounds like my daughter. Her class did a family history project this year which got her interested in the idea of DNA. We got her the ScienceWiz DNA Experiment Kit.

We looked at the Thames and Cosmos kit but this one just seemed more right. She hasn't received it yet, but I have looked at it and I like the information that comes with it. Neither my husband nor I are scientists and we can't teach or engage her in science in any kind of sophisticated way, but I've already used the guide to learn more about DNA myself so I can explore with her better.

Ohh, I forgot about that Home Training Tools site! That is a great site. Not as blingy, maybe, but the materials are probably much more tested. We don't have a microscope, though. Has anyone bought the kits? I think he would like those. I admit to feeling unenthused by a book of experiments. We have one, and it's always, "I need cream of tartar, 500 yards of tinfoil, and 3 lbs of sand!" bleh. Mom is too lazy! This is why kits appeal.

So I went a little off the rails and bought him this:

http://www.makershed.com/products/squishy-circuits-kit

which is possibly a little too much like SnapCircuits, but he treated SnapCircuits more like Legos than science, KWIM? This seems much more open-ended and alos has an art/creative component. As an aside, the Maker site that is from is fantastic!! Not so much on life science but a ton of really cool things there. I wish I'd seen it earlier in the "Christmas process."

I'm sad for him today because he had one of his periodic depressive episodes about school. He's so incredibly patient, as his observant teacher has pointed out. He is never a behavior problem. But so much of his day is...waiting. He is at gifted pull-out 5+ hrs/week and gets a lot of differentiated work, but it's still a lot of time just...sitting there not doing anything that does anything for him. It makes me want to buy him a thousand exciting things for home, like his little brain is kinda dying on the vine out there. (I won't! But I want to.)

Sorry, rant over. Thank you for your help. His birthday is also soonish.

DS7 has run through most of the available kits. But recently, I have been collecting bits and pieces of real lab equipment from a variety of sources. I haven't pulled this all together into a lab kit for DS. But he is going to be giddy once I do!

Most universities have a surplus store where you can occasionally snag stuff.

But I have my best luck with used lab equipment sellers. Most of the time they are very friendly and helpful. And they are excited to see kids doing science I have even occasionally been able to borrow more expensive equipment short-term for a fancy-ish experiment. And they have all the little extras like pipettes, stir bars, parafilm, etc. If you happen to be in Northern California - here is my favorite: http://www.scientific-equipment.com/home

One more thing. You can get a huge amount of reasonably pure chemicals from household stuff. You just have to know what stuff is made of. We recently did an experiment where silver was deposited out of silver nitrate solution onto the inside surface of clear glass ornaments. It took some fancy reagents, but the only thing I had to buy was silver nitrate (from a local high-end camera shop), The rest came from random things like, crystal drain opener (NaOH), splenda (sucrose), and Walgreens brand hand warmers (ammonium nitrate). Here is a list of chemicals you can get from readily available products: http://makezine.com/setting-up-a-home-science-lab3/ Note that some things are out of date - e.g., you can't buy ammonium nitrate fertilizer any more. But you can get it in certain brands of hand warmers. Just google around and you'll be amazed at what you can find.

My 7 year old DS loves Steve Spangler - the "Sick Science" kits, the videos, the books, etc. http://www.stevespanglerscience.com

Some of the Steve Spangler kits are available in stores or on amazon.

We have been through most of the other kits available, and just signed up for the Steve Spangler monthly science club kits. Hoping those are good!

He is also a big fan of Home Training Tools.

Also check out "little bits" if your son loves snap circuits.

UM
Not exactly science kit related - but I have this feeling periodically - and while I know school is related, even at my DS's accelerated gifted, I have kind of given up thinking of school as a place of real learning for him. Oh he is learning, but not in the depth and subjects he craves. He waits too although it doesn't seem to bother him as much. Instead he uses it to think about what he wants to think about. So when I get these feelings it's usually about a brain growth spurt, a recognition that he needs something more. I disregarded it before I understood who he was at 2.5 and have sort of vowed to not do it again. So while I understand that the wallet is never bottomless, I separate in my own head what is holiday, birthday or intellectual. So we got him a bunch of stuff gift stuff, even some that ND kids probably wouldn't want but I also have some books in my amason cart that I plan to buy in January because i feel he needs to move a bit deeper in science reading - sometimes I reach too far, and he pushes back a bit. But I find it's especially necessary when he is not getting it in school. But I don't consider it a gift, more like clothing or food, or school!

DeHe

PS on the point of kits - magic school bus are great if you don't want to buy stuff, they have all the weird bits, and you provide more normal needs. The difficulty we found is that often something would have to sit for 14 hours, and that drove DS nuts. DS liked snap circuits, little bits doesn't seem that much different, just different presentation. Spark fun seems to be the next step, after DSL almost 9 pronounced snap circuits too babyish. But that is more real circuitry than your DSL is ready for, but it's not Legos!!! DS has a microscope, but he got s real one and in retrospect I would have preferred one of those that are more like a giant eye, rather then the normal set up. Also anything maker seems to appeal. DS got super into Rube Goldberg stuff last year. But all this stuff is not how DS advances in thinking, he enjoys it, but he wants to pour over books or videos to learn. Not that he really seems to realize that's what he is doing. Great you tube - minute physics, and great courses videos. And programming - scratch - mind storms - DS is starting Python.

Thank you for saying this. I think you are probably right. He's my "spurty" kid, with plateaus and sudden gains, and he seems to be in a spurt that is not being fed very much.

And what I find so frustrating is that you have no idea what direction it's going! So it's kind of guess work. In some ways that's easy, anything new and different is then good, but if you are looking to propel him down a subject path since school isn't doing it sometimes it feels like flailing around in the dark!

DeHe

Hi! I'm trying to find a science kit for DS5 and was wondering which one you used?