The Teacher’s List of Science Supplies

Science teachers are full of knowledge, curiosity, and enthusiasm for testing new ideas through a scientific lens. In order to help your students grow into being intelligent and observant scientists, you are going to need some science supplies to help teach and mold those young minds in learning about the wonderful world around them. To help bring those ideas and experiments to life, you are going to need lots of supplies, no matter the age group you are teaching.

Super Science Supplies

There are so many items you need to stock a science classroom, and the list never seems to end. Science supplies can be anything used by a teacher or students in a classroom to help teach and learn new science skills, concepts, or aid in an experiment. Science classrooms need to be equipped with enough materials for the whole class, which makes buying in bulk a great way to save money on the science education supplies you’ll need for the school year. Similar to how office supplies are essential to all types of businesses, science supplies are essential to science teachers and schools all over the country in guiding students into the world of science. They make experiments fun and help your students learn about the world around them through the five senses as well as extensive analysis.

Besides normal school supplies, science classroom supplies differ based on the grade level being taught. For example, the classroom science supplies used in a college lab class would be much different than the supplies you would use in an elementary or middle school science class. To break it down based on age group and the level of learning going on, here are some examples of general science class supplies for elementary, middle, high school, and college aged students.

Elementary science lab supply list:

• Ruler
• Pencils
• Stopwatch
• Meter sticks
• Magnifying glass
• Shaving cream
• Food coloring

Middle school science lab supply list:

• Units of measurement
• Pencils
• Timers
• Magnets
• Notebooks
• Balloons
• Popsicle sticks
• Thermometers
• Soap

High school science lab supply list:

• Lab coat
• Goggles
• Gloves
• Calculator
• Scale
• Microscope
• Notebooks
• Beakers
• Test tubes and racks
• Various chemicals and distilled water

College science lab supply list:

• Lab coat
• Goggles
• Gloves
• Beakers
• Pipettes
• Calculators
• Chemicals
• Distilled water
• Dissecting tools

Science Supplies in the Lab

Science labs are different than the regular classroom and require different supplies. The lab is where students perform experiments and test hypotheses to see if what they question is correct or not by following a set of procedures given by the teacher. Students that are in grade levels k-8 are typically doing experiments that can be done with household items such as recycled material, magnets, tape measures, things found outside, and more. Once students reach high school and college, chemicals and more advanced concepts become involved, and students are left to do the procedure for a grade and are expected to use the science experiment supplies to complete the procedure. The science lab supplies list now includes safety equipment such as gloves, lab coats and goggles to protect hands, clothing, and eyes from harsh or dangerous chemicals used in the lab.

Along with the supplies and things used in the lab, the classroom furniture is also different. Instead of individual desks for students to sit at, science labs have science tables and high stools for students to complete experiments on. The tables might have a sink built into them and have a laminate top just in case there is any spillage of chemicals that can ruin the table.

Different Types of Science = Different Types of Supplies

The type of science lesson being taught, or the specific type of class being taken requires different supplies. For example, for an earth science class or lesson the supplies used will be different than the supplies that a chemistry lesson or class would use. Based on the different types of sciences, here is a basic list of the supplies you should have in your classroom:

Biology:

• Test tubes
• Petri dishes
• Measuring materials
• Microscopes
• Magnifying glass

Chemistry:

• Flasks
• Beakers
• Pipettes
• Scales
• Gloves
• Funnel
• Ring stands

Physics:

• Magnets
• Rope
• Scales
• Toy cars
• Timers
• Metersticks
• Nails
• Balloons

Earth Science:

• Rocks
• Clay
• Sand
• Maps and globes

General:

• Plastic cups/bowls
• Straws
• Baking soda
• Food coloring
• Paper towels
• Extension cords

Science Supplies For Your Classroom

No matter the grade level you teach, science classroom supplies are needed for teaching and learning. Whether it’s something as simple as magnets and paper clips, or as complex as beakers and pipettes for complicated experiments, these supplies help students learn about the world around us and pushes them to discover new things.