Coffeemama Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 I'm spending the morning trying to list out all the supplies I need to order for science. I want to place ONE order from Home Science Tools and have everything available in one big science box (otherwise the experiments will probably never get done :glare:) I am doing two different programs RSO for the younger two and CPO Earth for my DD10. Home Science Tools has a kit for RSO which contains A basic rock and mineral kit ( 15 rocks for $19.99). Is that kit enough to also use for CPO or should I skip the kit and buy a larger mineral set?:confused: Also does anyone know if it's worth it to buy things like the psychrometer, density kit, and digital meter? Or should I try to find alternative labs? I saw the modified stream table on Luckymama's blog...LOVE it! Any advice?:confused: Kerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 You'll be fine with the basic rock/mineral kit. You can always use google images if you need to view something specific. I did buy the big one but we've always wanted to own it (my son "long-term-borrowed" his school's set during his Science Olympiad years). Dd actually jumped up and down when the set arrived in the mail :lol: If you have a scale (we have a digital food scale now) and a wide graduated cylinder (3/4" or so opening) you can do anything with density. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 The psychrometer might be handy to have because they record the temp, humidity, barometric pressure, cloud cover, wind speed for 5 days a week for a month. Well, I guess they do if you so choose. I am getting two cheaper thermometers and just tie them together for swinging like I did in earth science class. There are directions all over the interwebs. I decided to get a barometer. Stuff like cloud charts and the Beaufort wind scale are easily available to look at online as needed. For things that require the digital meter, I am going to use the alternative experiments (for 'further exploration') offered in the teachers book. And/or i will just use the data presented in the teacher's book and we will just do the math. Most of the explorations with the digital meter in the earth science book are to introduce the use of math, averages, variables etc, in science. That is the goal of those experiments, so it doesn't really matter how we get there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffeemama Posted June 28, 2011 Author Share Posted June 28, 2011 Thank you both! Very helpful!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Luckymama, a digital kitchen scale was good enough? I am worried it won't measure small enough things. Here is what I am having to buy from HomeScience tools 1. Barometer 2. Orienting Compass 3. Mineral Test kit 4. Hydrochloric Acid 5. inflatable globe (this might be for the younger kid) 6. Thermometer, aluminum backed (2) 7. pipet 8. Water Quality and Pond Test kit 5 in 1 9. Mirror 4x2 (I looked all over my house and I don't have a little mirror) 10. Spectroscope analysis kit 11. Binoculars 8x21 12. Styrofoam balls 2" diameter (2 sets of 2) I might get the mini weather station because it measures wind speed. I don't have a way to do that. We can always look it up in the local weather though.... From Rainbow Resource I am getting (for science only) 1. Igneous Rock bag 2. Metamorphic Rock bag 3. sedimentary rock bag for the spectroscope, the book only calls for the scope and not the kit with the salts. Just a scope is available at Home Science. I decided to get the whole kit and let him do that. The binoculars are to use for outside star gazing. Again, the book doesn't call for them. My younger son is going to be doing some 'find a constellation' and I want my elder boy to join in. We do have a small telescope but I have heard that binoculars are easier for kids. If you have any questions about what goes with what experiment, just ask. I might even be able to tell you! :lol: There is other stuff like a couple cups of sand, a cup of clay, gravel, sheets of sandpaper etc that I have around the house. I can make measuring beakers etc with what I have around the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 The digital food scale worked fine for our purposes. We weren't using very small quantities or objects. It would not work as well for physical science. We didn't measure absolute wind speed. Dd tracked relative wind speed. We have a wooded area at the back of our yard, visible from the schoolroom aka kitchen. We used the plain spectroscope. The older kids enjoyed using it too ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Thank you. I have really been stressing about that scale. I actually would like a digital kitchen scale. I own a cheap non-digital one that I have had for years, but it won't be very accurate at just a gram or two. I am actually getting excited for earth science. What I need to do next is to get the 'stuff' all together for the experiments and group it together in bags etc. if I do that this summer then it will all actually happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffeemama Posted June 28, 2011 Author Share Posted June 28, 2011 I've been going back and forth on the scale too. I want to buy a triple beam balance. It would be great skill practice, could use for physics and chemistry and I have two more kids who could use it through the sciences. If that was the only tool we needed, I would have no issues with spending the money on it, but there is so much more...I've already decided that a telescope will be under the tree at Christmas....I wonder how well a triple beam balance would go over as a birthday gift...:tongue_smilie: Kerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 I would love to have a triple beam balance but I couldn't justify the cost for one child. I am justifying the cost of a new microscope :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 I've already decided that a telescope will be under the tree at Christmas....I wonder how well a triple beam balance would go over as a birthday gift...:tongue_smilie:Kerry Tell you what, you try it and let us know how it goes :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallory Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 I've been drooling over a triple beam balance too. I wonder how well a triple beam balance would go over as a birthday gift...:tongue_smilie: The next birthday in our family is the 2yo, I'm guessing it wouldn't go over too well :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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