You don’t have to be Bill Nye to get an “A” as a science teacher. Just take advantage of the many online resources available to you. If you aren’t sure where to start, we recommend watching Teaching Science at Home: A Survival Guide for Parents.
Elementary
Science at the K-5 level should primarily involve hands-on activities. Everyday activities such as cooking, baking and gardening are great ways to introduce chemistry and biology concepts. Building model airplanes, stacking LEGOS or playing with K’nex cover physics. Once you’ve done those, take a look at these books and websites.
Books and Kits
The Really Useful Elementary Science Book
Websites
Mystery Science: Video lessons science lessons for kids K-5.
Club Oasis: A free online STEM club offers DIY STEM labs, live classes and coding lessons.
National Geographic for Kids: Games, videos, science experiments and lessons.
Smithsonian Science for the Classroom™: Created for teachers, the modules offer a wealth of online resources for parents to use at home.
Exploratorium: 285 science activities, called "science snacks," which use readily available materials and can be done at home.
Generation Genius K-5 science lessons made in partnership with the National Science Teachers Association include vocabulary, online quizzes and optional DIY activities that can be done at home.
Middle School
In middle school, students cover earth and space science, life science and physical science. These resources can supplement the coursework your child’s teachers are sending home.
Books and Kits
Websites
Science Matters: Downloadable Earth Science unit studies for 6th grade students.
Amazon Future Engineer: Free computer science classes for grades 6-12 covering robotics and coding
Amplify: Free self-guided videos that teach students how to think, read, write and argue like real scientists and engineers.
StemWorks: Activities, experiments and field trips for grades K-8
Free Biology Lesson Plans: NGSS Life Science offers engaging biology experiments and labs.
High School
High School science is heavily dependent on laboratory observations. Setting up a dissection or chemistry lab in your home might not be a viable option but there are plenty of virtual ones.
Virtual Labs
ChemCollective – Chemistry labs, simulations, and tutorials
General Chemistry – Interactive chemistry simulations
Learn Genetics – Tons of multimedia activities and science labs centered on biology, genetics and human health
McGraw-Hill Biology Virtual Labs – Biology labs and dissections
Molecular Workbench – Hundreds of simulations explore physics, chemistry and biology
NMSU Virtual Labs – Eight virtual labs for biology and chemistry
Nova Labs – Virtual labs that cover a variety of topics
PhET Interactive Simulations – An extensive collection of simulations for physics, chemistry, earth science and biology
VAVS – Provides links to dissections of several different animals
Websites
Khan Academy: Support for high school science classes including Advanced Placement
OpenStax: Free high-quality, peer-reviewed, openly licensed college textbooks. Helpful for AP classwork
The Great Courses: Top-rated courses by the nation’s best college professors
Edx: Free online college-level classes
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