Physics Lab Rescue Kit: A Complete Overview
If you've taught physics for any length of time, you've probably experienced these:
You need a lab for tomorrow and have no time to create one. Surprise.
Ordering supplies through the school is an ordeal.
Time for another Amazon order.
Yeah, me too. Such a fun place to be.
I’ve been teaching physics since 2013, and if I’ve learned anything, it’s that an effective lab does not require the fanciest equipment. Spoiler alert! Some of my best and most memorable labs required the most random and ridiculous of items.
These are the labs students talk about.
Because of this realization, I put together a collection of low-prep physics labs you can run with everyday classroom items.
No Amazon shopping spree required.
What's Included?
The Physics Lab Rescue Kit includes five classroom-ready physics activities designed to increase student learning and understanding of challenging concepts, engaging, and easy to implement.
Inside you'll find:
Storytelling with Motion Graphs Lab
Why Objects Slide on Ramps Lab
Human Work, Energy, & Power Lab
Momentum Stations Activity
Specific Heat and Heat Transfer Lab
Each lab is complete with:
Data collection, calculations, and graphical analysis
Analysis questions
CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) conclusion writing
These activities are designed around some of the most challenging topics in high school physics and provide students with hands-on learning opportunities that help them develop a deeper understanding of the concepts while minimizing the amount of prep required from teachers.
Why Low-Prep Labs?
For years, I believed every good lab required special equipment, a purchase order (Lord I hate those), and a significant amount of preparation.
Turns out, I had it all wrong.
Some of the labs students remember most are the ones that use simple materials and focus on the science rather than the equipment. It’s kind of fun to see what random things we can find to run a full-on physics lab.
Godzilla toy leg, flying bat Halloween decorations, a Garfield wall-climbing toy, you name it, we’ve used it.
Low-prep labs allow students to:
Collect authentic data
Practice scientific reasoning
Analyze patterns
Communicate conclusions
Apply physics concepts in ways that actually make sense
Without requiring teachers to spend hours (or gobs of money) preparing materials.
Who Is This Kit For?
This kit was designed for:
New physics teachers
Veteran teachers looking to save time
Teachers building a physics program
Teachers working with limited budgets
Literally any physics teacher who needs a lab like… yesterday
Whether you're preparing for the first week of school or just need a backup plan in a pinch, these activities are ready to use.
My Favorite Part
My favorite activity in the kit is the Human Work, Energy, & Power Lab.
Students become the lab equipment. Yeah, like them…their own bodies.
I can't even tell you how many hours I spent searching for a work, energy, and power lab that didn't involve stairs or bleachers. The options were slim pickings. As in… there weren't any.
So I made one.
It's simple, memorable, and always generates great discussion.
Download the Physics Lab Rescue Kit
The Physics Lab Rescue Kit is available for FREE inside The Smith List resource library.
And it’s not just that lab kit, no ma’am.
You get access to a growing resource library full of goodies that are designed to make your existence as a physics (or chemistry) teacher a little easier. Because come on now, teaching these subjects is hard enough.
