CLAIRE
ZURBUCH LENDING LIBRARY
Scientific kits and Resources
ELEMENTARY TEACHERS INVITED TO USE OUR SCIENCE KITS
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Kit Fees:
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(A) = $10 Low
amount of consumables
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(B) = $15 Medium
amount of consumables
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(C) = $25 High
amount of consumables
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(D) = $50 Very
pricey consumables
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You may drop
off/pick up kits as borrowed.
Otherwise, any Postage charges will be
billed to your or your location.
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Please return
your kit in a timely manner;
there are waiting lists for many of these
kits
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Elementary teachers, do you ever wish you could simplify the teaching some of your science lessons? We now have available some science kits for you to use in your classrooms. We’ve had a lending library for some time, but it was sorely in need of updating. Look here to find those kits that are updated and ready to be lent out!! Each kit is all-inclusive and ready for you to open up and use in a classroom of no more than 30 students. Each kit identifies supporting STATE STANDARDS and recommended age/grade levels. Each kit has a lesson plan, special teacher instructions, student handouts, all the materials, supplies, equipment needed to conduct your lessons efficiently and effectively!
Of course, there are consumables in each kit. Thus, we do charge a minimal charge to help us restock kit consumables upon return.
Like any library, you will need to pick up and drop off any kit you have borrowed. If you need us to mail a kit to you, postage charges will be billed to you. It is important that you pick up and return the kits in a timely manner because we often have a waiting list for some of these kits.
To reserve a kit, click here
Here are the kits that are now available: |
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Title |
Subject Area |
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Amazing Algebra!! |
In this kit you will discover how
algebra can come alive in the pages of a story and in the minds of
your students. You will find books such as Two of
Everything by Lily Toy Hong and
Amanda Beans Amazing Dream by
Cindy Neuschwander. These fun stories will guide students through
mathematical concepts such as, growth patterns, recording data,
representing a pattern with an equation and connecting algebra with
multiplication. Other activities you will find in the kit include,
Iguanas! Building With Pattern Blocks, Letter Patterns; Building
with Color Tiles and many more! A class set of manipulatives and the
teacher guide Lessons for Algebraic Thinking is included. Designed
for grades three through five.
More Info (B) |
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Problem-Solving 'N' Literature Kit |
The purpose of this kit is to
give teachers motivating, hands-on activities that present and
practice math problem-solving skills for kindergarten through sixth
grades. Activities integrate problems drawn from high-interest
children's literature with math manipulatives that allow children to
physically demonstrate situations. When students can physically
construct and visualize a problem, it is easier for them to describe
it, solve it, and explain their thought processes to others.
More Info (B) |
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Fearless Fractions |
Help students
to find that there is no need to fear fractions.
In this Kit:
- many
hands on visual and kinesthetic materials to develop and enhance
the learning of fractions. Fractions are a concept with which
students may have difficulty. The kit offers a new way to look
at these.
- There
are opportunities to work independently or learn by playing
games. The materials may be adapted in a variety of ways.
Grades
three, four, and five can benefit from the use of these materials.
Grade two could also benefit from the recognition of fractions and
equivalencies. More
Info (B) |
?
? ? ?
3/4 1/2
4/7 8/15
¾ ¼
½
1/4 6/7
3/4 7/8
? ? ? ? |
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Measurement Math 'N' Literature Activities |
Children grasp measurement
concepts better when they can relate them to something. The books
included with this kit offer experiences that will inspire children
to learn more about size and weight. Then using the books as a
starting place, activities can be incorporated to demonstrate
measurement of great sizes and weights.
- 13 activities are
presented in the guide.
- The activities are geared
for grades one, two and three.
Napping House and
Patrick's Dinosaur are probably best for first and second and Is the
Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is? is probably best for third.
More Info (B) |
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Fraction/Decimal/Percents Math Kit |
In
this Kit: Included in this kit are many hands on visual and
kinesthetic materials to enhance the learning of decimals, fractions
and percents. These are three areas where students may have
difficulty. The kit offers a new way to look at these.
There are opportunities to work
independently or learn by playing games. The materials may be
adapted in a variety of ways. Grades three, four, and five can
benefit from the use of these materials.
More Info (B) |
? ? ? ?
% 0.1 ? 0.1 % 0.1 ¾ 0.34 ½
? ¾ ? % 0.1
¼ ? % ½ %
? ¼ ? ½ % 0.1 5¾
0.25 ? ½
? ? ? ? |
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Rock & Roll with Rocks |
This kit is recommended for grade 3. It is a
basic introduction to using an identification key, classifying
rocks, and discovering the basic properties of rocks. The objectives
are:
- The students will be able to
categorize and differentiate between random items according to
like characteristics.
- The students will be able to classify
rocks by comparing distinct physical properties of rocks.
- The students will perform different
tests on rock samples in order to identify the physical
properties of common rock forming minerals. (B)
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Moon Phases Activity |
The students
will demonstrate how craters are formed on the moon’s surface using
flour and balls. They will discover the effect of size and speed on
the craters. They will describe and draw the craters and the
surrounding material that is forced out of the crater upon impact.
Students will also observe the effect that the relative positions of
the sun, earth and moon have on the appearance of the moon describe,
compare and explain the phases of the moon. In addition, the
students will model the path that the moon takes as it circles the
earth. They will discover that the orbit is elliptical. (A) |
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CLOUDS: |
This Lesson is about Clouds and the Water
Cycle. It is recommended for grades K-4. In this lesson students
will learn the stages of the water cycle by singing fun (and easy)
songs. They will discover that clouds are made of tiny water
droplets through an activity in which the students will make an
actual “cloud”. Students will learn to identify various cloud types
and predict what kind of weather each type brings. They will also
explore how wind moves clouds and can form different cloud types.
This lesson is a hands-on approach to clouds that can be simple
enough for kindergarteners or intriguing enough to capture the
attention of fourth-grade students. Not to mention, it is aligned
with the Academic Content Standards! (A) |
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OWL PELLETS: |
Designed for grade level 3 and up. Aligned to
state standards. Owl pellets can be used to teach a part of the
natural food chain. They can also be used to teach skeletal
structure of rodents. Owl pellets are compact undigested parts,
which the owl eats. The owl regurgitates these compact pellets,
which contain fur, bones, etc. of small rodents. The dry pellets we
use are sterilized and will not smell or be unpleasant for students
to handle. Students will also better understand the interdependence
of all living things in an ecological system. (D) |
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| TURTLE SCIENCE MYSTERY: |
The students
will be excited to do the activities in this lesson. The instructor
may have the students work on the whole kit at one time or split the
lesson into activity sessions depending on the allowed class time.
Experiencing the whole kit without explanations will take the
students approximately one hour. Set the mood by having the students
role play as if they were real forensic scientists. This lesson can
be as simple as “fun science” just by performing the activities or
more difficult depending on the questions asked to the students.
Higher order questions can be formulated using the objectives listed
below from the Academic Content Standards. (C) |
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CHEM COMMANDOS: |
In this
action-packed kit, student commandos work in small task forces to
complete 3 missions, which investigate physical and chemical
changes. In their first mission, adventurers observe physical
changes in science dough. Mission number 2 directs students to
combine 2 substances and observe a chemical reaction. The third
Mission is “pH Patrol” in which they become familiar with common
acids and bases. Some (but not all) 4th grade content standards,
which are included in this kit, are:
- Identify characteristics of simple
physical and chemical changes.
- Record the results and data from
investigations and make reasonable explanations.
- Represent and interpret data using
tables, bar graphs, line plots and line graphs.
(A)
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Photosynthesis |
The students
will be given the opportunity to build molecules of carbon dioxide,
water, glucose and oxygen to understand the chemical breakdown and
photosynthesis cycle. This kit is designed for students in grades 4,
5, and 6 and is aligned to Ohio Academic Content Standards. Students
also learn about:
- Photosynthesis - The chemical
process by which chlorophyll-containing plants use light to
convert carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates, releasing
oxygen as a byproduct.
- Atoms -- The smallest particle
of an element that can exist either alone or in combination.
- Molecules -- The smallest
particle of a substance that retains all the properties of the
substance and is composed of one or more atoms.
(A)
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Captivating Crystals |
Captivating Crystals Kit includes 6 investigations that can be
done to introduce crystals and their unique shapes to your class.
Some of the investigations (Crystal Creations and Table Salt
Crystals) can be completed in one science lesson and some can take
weeks (A Closer Look at Crystals, Sugar Gems, Crystal Garden,
Growing Alum Crystals), depending on how much time you wish to allow
for crystals to grow. Because of crystals’ individual unique shapes,
they are good for learning about physical properties for 3rd and 4th
graders, comparing, sorting, keeping track of results and reporting
the results to others and mathematical patterning for 3rd graders.
Some of the investigations take patience and care (the longer ones)
and some are easy and even artistic. Working with crystals is
working with physical change, not chemical change and it is fun to
see what evaporation can bring. (B) |
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Refraction |
Refraction (What causes light to bend?): Did you ever wonder how
glasses work to help us see objects more clearly? The purpose of
this kit is to help students explore how different materials affect
the speed of light and therefore, the appearance of objects.
The objectives of the kit include:
#1. The students will observe how
substances can cause light to bend and make objects appear different
sizes.
#2. The students will compare the affect of
various substances on light and thus the appearance of objects.
Designed for Grade 5, this kit includes six investigations and
background information for the teacher. Two of the investigations
are best done by demonstration, but four could be set up as center
explorations. Worksheets make evident the importance of being able
to verbalize what is observed. These experiments are fun and can
encourage students to individually pursue further investigations.
They also work to meet the standards of Nature of Energy and Science
Inquiry. (A) |
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Chromatography is a scientific process used to determine the
make-up of substances. Used in forensics and high-tech science labs,
chromatography can be easily understood by elementary students. In
this approach, students solve a mystery by conducting their own
chemical analysis experiments. They will use liquid chromatography
on paper to determine the pigments used in ink. This lesson is a
colorful experience your students will remember!
This unit supports (but is not limited to)
these fourth grade standards:
- Identify characteristics of a simple
physical change.
- Describe objects by the properties of
the materials from which they are made and that these properties
can be used to separate or sort a group of objects,
- Explain that matter has different
states and that each state has distinct physical properties.
- Develop, design and conduct safe,
simple investigations or experiments to answer questions.
- Record the results and data from an
investigation using evidence to support findings. (A)
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Designed for
grades 1-3, this kit can be used to demonstrate concepts to younger
students, or with small groups for older ones.
Students will experiment with making different items move using
static electricity. Breakfast cereal will mysteriously run away from
little fingers, straws will spin, ping-pong balls will follow combs,
balloons will play tag, foil will dance, sugar will stand up at
attention, and salt will fly. Not because the kit contains magic
wands, but because opposite charges attract, and negative ones
repel.
This unit supports (but is not limited to) these standard-based
areas:
Grade 1
- Explore the effects some objects have on
others even when the 2 objects might not touch.
- Investigate a variety of ways to make
things move and what causes them to change speed, direction and/or
stop.
Grade 3
- Identify forces that affect motion of
an object. (A)
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Designed for
Grade 3, this kit will give students the opportunity to explore and
classify the shells of once living things. Students will learn to
identify shells using a dichotomous key and become acquainted with
the group of animals known as mollusks.
This kit supports (but is not limited to) the following standard
based areas:
Grade 3
- Classify animals according to their
characteristics (e.g., body coverings and body structure).
- Relate animal structures to their specific
survival functions (e.g., obtaining food, escaping or hiding from
enemies).
- Record and organize observations. (A)
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The students
are given a simple task of mixing and separating items while
applying methods of scientific inquiry, and identifying the physical
properties of each of the objects.
This kit supports (but not limited to) these standard-based areas
for grade 4:
- Identify characteristics of a simple
physical change.
- Describe objects by the properties of the
materials from which they are made and that these properties can be
used to separate or sort a group of objects.
- Describe, illustrate and evaluate the
design process used to solve a problem.
- Formulate instructions and communicate
data in a manner that allows others to understand and repeat an
investigation or experiment.
- Record the results and data from an
investigation and make a reasonable explanation.
- Explain why keeping records of
observations and investigations is important. (A)
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