I am getting ready to enter my 19th year as a middle school science teacher. When I first started, we did grades by hand or by making our own spreadsheets if we were tech savvy enough. We worried more about sagging pants than cell phones (nobody had one!) . PowerPoints were the pinnacle of projects. Though many things have changed over the years, the basic supplies that science teachers need have not. If you know a new science teacher starting out, or have a friend who has taught for years, consider surprising him or her with something off of this list. There's a pretty good chance you have much of this just lying around your house- by decluttering these items, it's a win for both of you!
14 Essential Supplies for All Science Teachers
1. Bins or trays of all shapes and sizes.
When setting up science experiments or labs, it's nice to have a set of bins or trays to organize everything in. My mentor teacher had a set of 9 x 9 cake pans that we used all the time. She also had old school lunch trays- the plastic kind with a square for the milk, a section for the peaches, etc. Styrofoam trays work too, they just don't last as long. I've also been known to use sets of yogurt containers with lids, cardboard box tops, and baby food jars. (Those are thicker than glass beakers and less likely to break!) It is important to have a complete set, though the number that makes a complete set differs for each class or even task. 12 is a good number to aim for though.2. Old towels, wash cloths, or rags (made of cloth, not paper!)
Have you ever tried to clean up spilled orange juice with those brown paper towels common in schools? All they do is push the liquid around; they absorb almost nothing. I have a robust supply of cloth- old towels cut out to washcloth size, those white diaper towels or burping towels from my daughter's babyhood, some regular sized towels. My cloths fill a crate under my sink. (Oooh, crates should be on the list too...I have half a dozen of those for various things...)
3. A broom and dustpan
I'm a firm believer in kids cleaning up after themselves. The custodian shouldn't have to sweep up their spilled rice, scattered sand, cuttings, pencil shavings, notebook chaff, etc. Other teachers come borrow my broom all the time, in fact, I gave a co-worker a
4. Baggies of all sizes
Baggies take up less room than jars or boxes for storing things like marbles, pom poms, paper clips, stickers, etc. They're useful for manipulatives like card sorts and small lab supplies. Finally, a few times a year, even in middle school, a kid will lose a tooth and want to put it in a baggie to take home.
5. A tool kit (including WD-40)
I use mostly the hammer and a screw driver, but occasionally pliers come into play (like when a slinky gets twisted up). It's very
6. A super good pencil sharpener
When I looked on-line for a good pencil sharpener, one brand bragged that it "sharpens 24 pencils a day!" Honey, I need 24 pencils sharpened each hour! The most popular choice of pencil sharpener at my school is the X-Acto School Pro Heavy-Duty Electric Sharpener. My second favorite is an X-Acto Vacuum Mount pencil sharpener, but the longest that has lasted in my room is a month. I'd definitely go with the first, but the latter will work if your class size is smaller. And some teachers still swear by those little hand-held sharpeners.
7. Bones or specimens in a jar, or other nature phenomenon
Kids love something gross to look at. I have a cat brain in a jar,
8. Stopwatches/ timer
I use my timer several times throughout a class period. We begin class with two minutes of silence as students work on a bellringer. I might set the timer for when students have to read a section, answer questions, talk to a partner. It gives a sense of urgency as well as helps me manage the time and not get caught up in something else.
9. A tub of junk
My tub of junk is well-known among all the science teachers. In it is, well, junk. A #4 birthday candle. Big lego wheels. A broken doorknob. A cheap visor. Various McDonalds toys. You get the
10. Yarn/ thread/ string
You never know when you will need to tie something. Besides the pendulum lab, I've used my string to tie baggies of cornstarch, hang pictures, make lap books, find pi...
11. Band-aids
I really think I hand out as many band-aids as the nurse does.
12. Air freshener
I teach eighth grade and get the kids after they've had PE. Air freshener is a must.
13. Pennies
The obvious use for pennies is the Drops on a Coin lab. They also come in handy for a genetics activity, making luges for an experiment, and internalizing how much 2 grams are. Another teacher asked to borrow pennies, and I'm not sure what for, but there you go. Pennies are essential!
14. Balls
Again, there are several experiments and demonstrations that can use balls. We've used them to show how SONAR works, as easy variables to change in a scientific method review, to show energy transfer (drop a ping-pong ball and tennis ball, stacked, for great results!), to move cups after rolling down ramps, and even in Minute to Win It games.
Of course, you can always help a new or veteran teacher out with gift cards too! Any regular store works well! We're always buying Oreos (moon phase lab, or Is It Really Double Stuffed Lab), white powders, cups, vinegar, paint, toothpicks, straws...you name it, we can find a use for it!
In short, before you throw things out, check with a science teacher! Your trash can be a science teacher's supplies for a solar oven, rockets, planet models, STEM designs, bridge building, density demonstrations...
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