unSocialized Free Resources for Home Education

Explore chemistry concepts using a variety of free resources, including video lessons and demos, labs and activities, worksheets and games: 

1. American Chemical Society has lesson units and activities for elementary, middle school, and high school chemistry that can be downloaded for free:

• Inquiry in Action: Elementary through middle school students learn key concepts through a series of activities. 

• Middle School Chemistry:  Six chapters of lesson plans can be downloaded covering matter, changes of state, density, the periodic table and bonding, the water molecule, and chemical change. Each chapter includes animations and activities.

• High School Chemistry: Four units on energy that include videos, demos and lab investigations.

2. GPB Education: Georgia Public Broadcasting provides free fundamentals of chemistry and physics courses for high school students. The content is delivered through 30-minute video lessons, and accompanying note-taking guides and worksheets.

3. Creative Chemistry: This site provides PDF worksheets and guides, and PowerPoints on a number of chemistry topics. There’s a molecules section that allows you to view and manipulate molecular models, and a section with chemistry games and puzzles.

4. Chemistry Now: A weekly, online video series that explores the science of the everyday. The short (5-minute) programs explain the chemistry behind ordinary objects and occurrences, such as cheeseburgers and chocolate, changing leaves and the fear response. The series also takes a look at chance discoveries in chemistry (like Kevlar) , and the work of today’s top scientists.

5. Heating Plastics: Learn more about plastics with this interactive game. 

6.   Periodic Table of Videos: As its name implies, this site is a modern version of the Periodic Table of Elements, with short videos explaining each element’s significance and how they’re used. 

7. goREACT: From the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, this site lets you create virtual chemical reactions by dragging elements from the periodic table to a “reaction area." 

8. Chemical Symbols Game: This game is designed to help players identify the first 92 elements by their symbols. Players must combine the correct elements in the "reactor" to make various compounds. Scroll to the bottom of the page for more links on chemical equations and the periodic table.

9. AP Chemistry Videos: This comprehensive collection is found at Curriki.

10. Chemistry Games: Instructions and patterns for making and playing several card and board games to teach chemistry topics. 

Free Readers: 

At KidsHealth there are a number of health lessons, games, and worksheets for pre-school through high school, covering topics on the human body, personal health (fitness, nutrition, hygiene, etc.), and health problems. There are: 

• short movies on the different systems of the body
• games, experiments and other activities
• animations 
• How the Body Works

Other Sites:

Build A Body: Drag and drop body parts into the correct positions.

GetBodySmart: Organ Systems Interactive

BBC Human Body Interactives

Energy Balance Pre-K: Downloadable lessons about nutrition and physical activity.

Teen Health Literacy: CK-12 Flexbook on nutrition, physical activity, drug abuse and reproduction.

Human Body Textbook: Teacher's site with online sections of Prentice Hall textbook; Powerpoints; and assignments.

Harcourt Health Diagrams: Grades K - 6

Health Interactives: e-lessons from e-Learning for Kids.

GetBodySmart: Animations on human anatomy and physiology.

Web Adventures - Drugs: Effects of substance abuse on the body.

Web Adventures - Alcohol: Effects on body systems.

Downloads:  

• Body Systems reader
• Glencoe Body Systems chapter
• Teen Health workbooks: McGraw-Hill
• Harcourt Health and Fitness: 4th Grade activity book

If you're doing life science with your middle schoolers this year, these sites can help:

Science-Class.net: Many free science resources for elementary and middle-school grades. The section on cells features activities and labs, slideshows, games and quizzes, and links to interactives and other resources. 

Biology Corner: Another site with many lesson plans, worksheets and activities focusing on anatomy, biology and physics. The section on cells features lab activities, study guides, and interactive lessons.

Cells Are Us: Free middle-school curriculum with five instructional units. More emphasis is placed on cell functions, (rather than structure), and includes activities.

Cells Alive: Interactive illustrations of animal, plant and bacteria cells. View the site's BioCams to see cells growing. Downloadable worksheets are also available.

Chapter on Cells: 24 pages

Making Cell Models: Links to instructions for making cell models using all kinds of materials, including clay, Karo syrup, jello, and more jello. 

Cell Download: Instructional slides from a teacher's site featuring information on cell theory, cell cycle, cellular respiration, cell similarities, cell structure and function.

Online Cell Games

CellCraft: Learn about how a cell functions while helping it survive in hostile environments.