One of the ways to keep the attention of students in the classroom while seeing what they might know about the subject is with science kits. These are fun kits that offer a variety of experiments for students of all ages. They are easy to find online and come with everything that is needed to complete the projects. Teachers will find that these are ideal for small groups or to show an example for the class as a whole if there is new material to be learned.
A butterfly garden teaches children about the beautiful insect and how it develops from a caterpillar to a butterfly. You can capture a few caterpillars, place them in the garden and watch as they create a cocoon before transforming.
Many of the kits that you can purchase relate to STEM Action. These develop not only science but math and technology in the classroom. Some kits relate to anatomy while others offer experiments about ecology. One features building a house with a solar design so that students can learn about energy. There is a silly straw kit that challenges the creativity that children have. Students will create a design with the straws that ranges in height and color.
Saving paper is often important to teachers. Many of the kits that you can find include boards that can be used with whiteboard markers. This gives a chance for other students to use the same kit without replacing papers each time the materials are used. You can also get covers for papers that transform them into a surface that can be reused.
Show students that although items might look the same, they can be of different weights with a block kit. All of the blocks are the same size, but they weigh a different amount. It can be used as an assessment of how well students can determine feeling by holding an object. Other sets that you can get include a weather station, frog habitat and magnet set. There are books that feature experiments for different grade levels. Each book comes with items that can be used for the experiments that you might not have in the classroom.