There are many hours of fun and education to be found in a science kit. However, if a child is considering using a chemistry set, certain basic safety guidelines should be discussed. While most kits do not contain problematic chemicals, some common substances can cause skin discomfort and other minor injuries. Children have thinner skin and can be more subject to these effects. In addition, establishing clear safety guidelines is a sensible precaution and teaches children how to handle chemicals properly. These are valuable life skills.

For a start, children should use appropriate protective equipment. While a lab coat is not necessary, read the chemistry set instructions thoroughly before starting. Experiments may require both gloves and safety goggles. Gloves … Read the rest of this post…

Among the more interesting of chemistry sets are the miniature kits such as Microchem.  These fascinating little kits contain a grid of coin-sized plastic containers in which chemistry experiments are performed on miniature scale.  These miniature chemistry sets are designed to make chemistry experiments safer and less messy than ever before.

For the homeschool classroom or as a hobby item for a science minded child, these little chemistry sets are a wonderful thing.  A whole range of fascinating chemistry experiments can be carried out in the middle of the living room with no fear of blowing anyone up or spilling beakersful of caustic chemicals.  On the contrary, the tiny bottles of chemicals that are used come fitted with dropper caps, … Read the rest of this post…

Apologia Chemistry is a high school level science course intended to prepare students to study college level chemistry.  We used this curriculum in the sophomore year following a year of biology.

Strengths:
Apologia chemistry curriculum is student-centered taking the burden of teaching a difficult subject off the home school teacher.  The text is divided into modules and written in a conversational style which makes reading and learning from the text very easy.  The introduction of the text clearly outlines what is expected of the student as far as memorization of definitions, formulas, scientific laws, etc.  and provides advice on how the student can successfully complete the chemistry course.  The student is presented with problems to solve throughout each module as … Read the rest of this post…

Looking for just the right chemistry set for your student? Want a “Wow, cool!” gift for an inquisitive child? Here are some tips for making a good selection:

Consider the age and experience of the child. For a young child, an easy beginners level chemistry set such would be ideal. A science kit like this offers ready-prepared microscope slides to look at and simple-to-follow experiments including such classics as creating carbon dioxide with baking soda and citric acid, or creating “invisible” ink with lemon juice. It is perfect for the young child with a blossoming curiosity into the mysteries of science.

For students who are a little older or who have completed some of these sorts of experiments already, look … Read the rest of this post…

Strengths:
The Alpha Omega Lifepac science course for 11th grade chemistry goes further than other high school science courses, by including a lot of organic chemistry.  I love the Alpha Omega Lifepac methods for younger grades, and I love them even more when the content gets more challenging in high school.  This advanced curriculum is even taught from a Christian perspective, which is so important in a high school science course.  In 11th grade chemistry, experiments are integral to the lessons, so the Alpha Omega Lifepac 11th grade chemistry definitely qualifies as a strong lab course.  Prerequisite math is Algebra 1.

The Alpha Omega Lifepac unit workbook format that is so helpful in younger years is if anything, even more … Read the rest of this post…

1)  Test various solvents and see how well they clean up stains from different types of ink.  Students can use permanent markers, dry erase markers, and ordinary washable children’s coloring markers (make sure all are the same color) for these chemistry experiments.  For solvents, try alcohol, plain water, soapy water, and cleaning vinegar.  For test materials, use thirty strips of smooth, cotton cloth.  Five small glass or ceramic bowls will be needed for the solvents.

Students should write the letter ‘X’ once on the end of five strips with permanent marker, another five with dry erase markers, and another five with the washable coloring marker.  Next, pour a small amount of alcohol into a bowl and rinse the first … Read the rest of this post…

Teaching chemistry in middle school is a different matter than in earlier years.  Middle school is the age when students’ mental capacities are rapidly blossoming in ability to reason and analyze.  They are ready for something more than the play chemistry of baking soda “bombs,” homemade silly putty, and making rock candy.  Middle school students still appreciate a light-hearted twist from time to time, but this age, with its blossoming reasoning powers is perfect for teaching chemistry in a more rigorous way.

Chemistry is a science which is very logical and mathematical, discipline where certain measured and controlled inputs lead to certain very predictable outputs.  There’s no need to delve into teaching chemistry theory and mathematics that are several years … Read the rest of this post…

It is vitally important that high school chemistry experiments always be conducted with proper safety equipment on hand.  Some are easy to supply even at home: safety goggles, gloves, water / chemical proof apron, oven mitts, ABC fire extinguisher.  But some standard lab safety features might not be present, such as eye-rinse stations, safety shower, or vent hood.  It’s a good idea to locate in home substitutes and walk through a few emergency procedures with students and their siblings.

A few suggestions are listed here.  Please think of this only as a starting point, and consult published guidelines from teaching associations or chemical associations for a complete set of safety information.

For the eye-rinse station for high school chemistry experiments… Read the rest of this post…

With this science curriculum, students learn fascinating college level advanced chemistry concepts from a Christian perspective. Apologia Advanced Chemistry in Creation, published by Apologia Educational Ministries, is intended for students who have already have completed one year of chemistry and Algebra 2; it is generally recommended for 11th grade. This course is laid out in 16 homeschool-friendly two week modules, with plenty of hands on experiments. When added to the first year course, this completes the equivalent of an entire college chemistry course for Advanced Placement.

The books are written in Dr. Wile’s hallmark conversational style. This makes the explanations easy for high school students to understand and follow so they can work independently. Students study many advanced topics … Read the rest of this post…

Your student will be well prepared for college with Exploring Creation with Chemistry, from Apologia Educational Media. This course is usually taken in 10th grade, since Algebra 1 is a prerequisite. Apologia science takes an approach that is specifically designed to be homeschool friendly, so it can be taught easily even by someone with little science background.

The materials and equipment used in the experiments are fairly common household items. Specialized equipment such as beakers make things easier, but household substitutes such as glass measuring cups work just fine. You may need to purchase a thermometer, if you don’t already own one with a wide enough range.

The student book of this homeschool curriculum contains many features which make it … Read the rest of this post…