What non-household items might one need for science experiments?

[Grammar Stage Parent]

After consulting a number of science experiment books (ie. Janice Van Cleave), I concluded that a lot of "science toys" or material found in gift shops at science museums are not worth the money. In many cases, the scientific principles they convey can be discovered using affordable household items. Sure, science kits can save time and money - when I go to a big box store to find some of the more unusual material for an experiment, the most common expression from the staff is a blank stare and a shrug, and then they put their head phones back on. But this is something I have to live with, given our limited funds (ie. in our area, sales tax is not levied on something we get at a supermarket, but is always at a toy store or museum shop).

 

There are of course, exceptions. The *Mudpies to Magnets* books have experiments called "Tornado Tower" and "Tornado in a Jar" which said a plastic film canister inserted between two bottle openings would help make a mini-tornado. Nope. Film canisters are not designed to be screwed onto bottle tops. This feat can be done only by something like a Twister Tube, which I got for $3 at a science store, although the manufacturer website lists only the more expensive models: https://www.beamazing.com/Products/Default.aspx?pg=8

 

Does anyone think there some "essential" purchases for homeschooled science? The ones that come to my mind are a good quality telescope and microscope. (I learned the hard way that the cheap prototypes for those are useless).

 

Anything else?

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Daughter: 9; Singapore Primary Mathematics 3B; Story of the World Level 3; Writing Strands 3; Spelling Workout Level E; Science experiment books recommended in WTM; WWE3

 

Son: 6: First Language Lessons Level 2; Singapore Primary Mathematics 1B; general handwriting practice and reading practice; SOTW 1; WWE 1; Science experiment books recommended in WTM

[Alessandra]

What pops into my mind immediately:

 

magnets

items to make simple electric circuits

magnifier (loupe)

binoculars for astronomy

 

Check out the TOPS Science books -- they really pare supplies down to a minimum, even using aluminum foil for wiring.