My 6-year old son has been fortunate enough to find a teacher who has gotten him interested in science. He’s asking for a science encyclopedia and a chemistry set, and any other at-home science experiments. Do any of you know of good books, toys, chemistry sets, etc. that would be good for a budding scientist in first grade? His birthday’s in November, and I’m looking forward to months of small explosions and bad smells. Thanks.
How wonderful!
The American Chemical Society is a great resource for chemistry activities for kids. Most of them are things you can do safely in your own home with a minimum of bad smells.
They also have recommended books for various age levels.
Oh boy! Chemistry, my favorite! We’re doing chemistry this year, and to start with I have found the “Adventures with Atoms and Molecules” series to be pretty good. It starts with the basics–how molecules move around. So I think it gives you a nice base to start with, and it has a bunch of simple experiments that you can easily do with stuff around the house. This week we’re going to find out that CO2 is heavier than air, with paper grocery bags, a yardstick, and a bunch of vinegar and baking soda.
I would also recommend Janice vanCleave’s series of science books for kids. Chemistry for Every Kid is full of good experiments, and the series is endless. She also has a webpage.
An interesting resource website is How to teach science, which is largely aimed at parents who are afraid to teach science, but has other good stuff too. She is very big on the periodic table, and since I’m very fond of it myself I agree with her–she thinks you should have a periodic table poster on the wall just like you have a world map. You can sign up for her free elements newsletter, and every two weeks she’ll send you information on a new element so you can do a lesson on it. (I’ve been collecting them for several months, so we do an element every week as well as an experiment on how molecules move.) Sometimes she suggests an activity, not always. Lithium, for example, doesn’t have an activity. (But beryllium does!) But you can also find some on your own–for hydrogen, we made some by mixing Liquid Plumr (lye) with aluminum foil in a glass sodapop bottle, collected the H with a balloon, and then exploded it.
So that’s all basic-level chemistry for a young kid. You can get as complex and fancy as you like. There are gorgeous periodic table posters out there, video segments on each element, wild experiments to do (order a bit of sodium and put it in water!). I’ll look some of those up too.
Our science encyclopedia is the Usborne Science Encyclopedia, which is suitable up to about 7th grade for an average kid. It’s above a 6yo’s level, and there’s a science series for younger kids too–I used the earth and space one last year–but it will last. I tend to get the younger one for temporary use and the serious one for a long-term investment.
Here’s a page of the most popular chemistry sets. You’ll have to figure out which one suits you best.
OK, I have to go attend to life now.
These are fantastic resources! Thanks so much!
So, uh, any good chemistry sets for adults? The most expensive one in that last link looks like a lot of fun for Himself and me to work through.