CadenceSophia Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 My 6 year old daughter is getting desperate for more independent science lab work. We have exhausted Magic School Bus kits. She needs something a little more in depth science wise, but loved the "choose a card/page and do what it says" aspect of Magic School Bus. She really wants to be able to do it while I put the toddler down for a nap (quietest time of day here), which means nothing that involves heat or very harsh chemicals. I'm envisioning the easy bake oven version of lab sciences. :) It can't be too simple, which was our one problem with MSB kits, but she mostly wants to mix and pour and then talk about why whatever happened happened. We already own a bunch of test tubes, beakers, flasks, etc. I don't need a full kit necessarily. In fact, kits might be too limiting. I keep envisioning that I'll make her up a little chemistry kit and print out lab sheets for her to work on, but I just don't have time to research suitable experiments/demonstrations to suit her needs. She can read/measure and follow written direction like an 8-10 year old. Thanks for any ideas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommysanders Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 We currently use and really like Steve Spangler Science. It's a box subscription and everything you need is in the box. Real experiments that make you think, but so far nothing dangerous. Some of them need an adult though. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Cooking is chemistry. Have you looked into any of the science of cooking books for kids that are out there, though there might not be enough recipes that don't require a stove. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 We used quite a few Usbourne books for our experiments. We also found many through Homeschoolfreebie of the day http://www.homeschoolfreebie.wholesomechildhood.com. I no longer subscribe but see there are a few chemistry related items there currently. They used to have quite a few chemistry related freebies. At some point I downloaded an older chemistry experiment book from them that was wonderful with younger kids. The laptop I had it on has crashed so I can't figure out the name. What Einstein told his Cook https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17290.What_Einstein_Told_His_Cook is also fun to work with for kitchen science but I think she might be a bit young at this stage. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 The Einstein book would be beyond a 6 yr old. I would look at books like https://www.amazon.com/Science-Chef-Food-Experiments-Recipes/dp/047131045X https://www.amazon.com/Science-Experiments-You-Can-Eat/dp/0064460029/ref=pd_sbs_14_img_0/158-0833285-7309469?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=98AM4BJRG5TQ11PV9J51 Or experiments that just use simple kitchen ingredients https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Science-Lab-Kids-Experiments/dp/1592539254/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_1/158-0833285-7309469?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=98AM4BJRG5TQ11PV9J51 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CadenceSophia Posted March 7, 2017 Author Share Posted March 7, 2017 We currently use and really like Steve Spangler Science. It's a box subscription and everything you need is in the box. Real experiments that make you think, but so far nothing dangerous. Some of them need an adult though. Do you have a guess on what percentage need an adult for more than initial setup type stuff? She doesn't mind if I help set up her work area, prep petri dishes, etc. But any more than that would be a deal breaker for this child. Do you find the experiments can be done more than once (maybe with a somewhat simple refill) or are they pretty much once and done? The Einstein book would be beyond a 6 yr old. I would look at books like https://www.amazon.com/Science-Chef-Food-Experiments-Recipes/dp/047131045X https://www.amazon.com/Science-Experiments-You-Can-Eat/dp/0064460029/ref=pd_sbs_14_img_0/158-0833285-7309469?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=98AM4BJRG5TQ11PV9J51 Or experiments that just use simple kitchen ingredients https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Science-Lab-Kids-Experiments/dp/1592539254/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_1/158-0833285-7309469?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=98AM4BJRG5TQ11PV9J51 Thanks! The second two might have some things that would work. I have avoided the kitchen science books partially because I haven't seen any that were actually science-like, but also because we have a ridiculous number of food allergies. Wheat and apples can't even come into the house, and if it is an "experiment" that results something you eat at the end, there are about 40 other things it needs to be free of to avoid making somebody cry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommysanders Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 I would say several of the experiments can be redone. In fact today I have one of our boxes to a friend and she'll be able to do everything without needing any extra supplies. However there will be some that may not be able to be done again without new supplies. As for parent help, most of the experiments say to have a parent help. But if your child is capable of handling things well she might be able to do a lot of it. One month involves some matches so you would definitely need to be involved for that. But the rest are mixing liquids and such. Each month is completely different though. So I can't say what our next month's experiments will be like. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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