As we prepare for a new school year during back to school season, new teachers may be struggling with what to put on their science supply lists. Here is a list of materials for middle school and upper elementary students.
Science Supply List
Science notebook
While there is a debate about whether a spiral or composition notebook is best, most science teachers agree that a notebook is necessary.
Many teachers add a science notebook to their list of science supplies because during the school year, students can
- glue in place worksheets,
- create note pages, and
- write their CER responses right in their notebook so that at the end of the year students can look back at what they learned.
If students take final exams, this is a great study tool.
Scientists around the world use the metric system when conducting experiments so it is important that meter sticks are added to your science supply list.
Students can use the meter sticks to:
- measure anything larger than a piece of paper
- measure the distance an object traveled
Colored pencils, crayons, markers, etc should also be part of your supply list in science class.
Coloring utensils help students to:
- create temperature charts or graphs with red and blue colored pencils
- draw or sketch observations
- label diagrams
- color code notes
Additionally, depending on the types of labs that you do, plastic cups are something you’ll want to stock up on your science supply list.
Use plastic cups for:
- States of matter activities to show how raisins dance in clear soda
- Testing the pH level of different substances using litmus paper
- Chemical and physical changes experiments
Post its can add instant engagement to your science class and are versatile. These little sticky notes are one of my top science supplies.
Here are some ways to use post its in your science classroom:
- make notes outside the margins of their science notebooks
- label diagrams
- sequence the events of cell division
- label the parts of a microscope
- exit tickets
- student thoughts on different science topics (students add to an anchor chart)
Sadly, the triple beam balance is being replaced by the digital scale. While this will help students gain more accurate metric measurements in a much shorter time, I still miss using the triple beam balance.
Since a digital scale quickly measures the mass of an object, you can have students share them during lab activities.
Here is a budget-friendly option to add to your supply list for science.
Finally, our hands on science classroom will need timers added to your supply list.
Like the other science classroom supplies, digital timers can be used in a few different ways:
- Time science experiments
- Students can time each other as they learn about speed, distance, and acceleration.
- Keep track of work in the science station.
Looking for more ideas for your supply list for science class?
