American Educational Products, LLC
www.TeachingTank.com
401 Hickory Street
Fort Collins, CO 80524
800-289-9299
The Teaching Tank is an observational tool that enables students to observe the process and results of experiments. The Teaching Tank itself consists of two 12" x 12" clear Plexiglas panels, eight "Posts & Screws," one plastic length of tubing used as a hose gasket, and two plastic feet that hold and balance the tank on a table or other safe surface. The Expansion Kit includes a dense foam rectangle mini-cell gasket, seven threaded nylon rods, 14 nylon nuts, and an Instruction sheet. When used to replace the included hose gasket, the optional Expansion Kit changes the Teaching Tank into a small aquarium, providing opportunity for additional experiments and activities. The Discovery Book, Volume One, includes 50 experiments on 188 pages in a spiral-bound format. In addition to the experiments, the book includes one page of "News and Testimonials," a two-page Preface, a Table of Contents, an appendix listing Materials, and an appendix listing various support information. Safety goggles are required for experiments and will need to be purchased separately. There are also two additional volumes of the Discovery Book available separately, allowing a total of 150 experiments/lessons to be completed with The Teaching Tank. Although these books are not required, they are strongly recommended as they provide activities that are safe for use with The Teaching Tank. Every lesson includes defined objectives, a pertinent materials list, a reference diagram, a detailed explanation of the procedure, various questions to be answered by students, and notes for the teacher offering clarification, as necessary. Lessons include a broad range of activities covering Life Science, Earth Science, and Physical Science. Using the Discovery Book you may choose to germinate seeds, determine dew point, form stalagmites, study convection currents, use a siphon, investigate mass and volume, and more.
These materials are not intended to be a complete science curriculum, but they will help students understand that science is a process. The hands-on lessons are both observational (your child will watch results) and demonstrative (your child will influence reactions). Science skills of observing, measuring, calculating, interpreting data, formulating hypotheses, and controlling variables are stressed through the various lessons. In general, lessons will be completed within one class period, but some will take additional time for observation or progression of particular processes. The versatility of lessons allows them to be used from kindergarten through college, depending on the student and the area to be studied. Excellent for homeschool use, The Teaching Tank allows children to witness the development of experiments over time, rather than just in the limited class period offered in traditional school environments.
A variety of additional materials are needed for the experiments, including stopwatches, droppers, graduated cylinders, funnels, stirring rods, thermometers, hand lenses, and cylinders. Base solutions, such as baking soda, milk of magnesia, and Maalox, are also listed in some lessons, as are Bromthymol Blue, sugar test paper, Elodea plants, clay, copper sulfate, and glycerin. Various household materials are also called for, including vegetable oil, maple syrup, vinegar, aluminum foil, coffee filters, M&Ms, popcorn, food coloring, and corn starch. Appendix B includes instructions for other less common items, including Ice Wafers, Red Cabbage Indicator, a Straw hydrometer, and saturated solution. The instructions are very understandable, even for those who are less than scientifically adept.
The Teaching Tank is incredibly user-friendly and will be welcomed by visual and hands-on learners. After we had completed a few enjoyable experiments, my 9-year-old was begging to do more and began making his own hypotheses and plans for additional studies! The Teaching Tank is directly observable from both sides, allowing our family to easily view the experiments as they happened, rather than fighting for the ideal position right in front of the tank. If you hope to watch plants grow and use soil to do so, we found that watering down the Plexiglas sides (rather than the middle of the tank) helped to draw the roots to a more visible area. The Plexiglas panels are also incredibly forgiving to marks made on the outside of the tank; we used markers to draw around soaking crackers, outline roots, and record data right onto the tank! The panels wash easily. And for now, the foam extender used in the expansion kit is holding up admirably, but even if we needed to replace it eventually, it would not break the bank. Ideally, the tank will be incorporated into an extensive science curriculum; the basic information provided will allow you to place specific experiments within your curriculum as you desire. For instance, while studying the atmosphere, you could include the experiments "Cloudy Breath" and "Evaporation and Wind;" and for plant studies you might choose "Fertilizer Pollution" or "Seed Germination and Growth."
Small forms and tables are included for use within the Discovery Book, but we often found them inadequate and used them simply as a springboard for creating improved ones. For instance, the form for the Data Table Population Study is on the same sheet as the instructions for another activity, so we chose to design a new form for recording the information. Also, the Materials list in Appendix A lists several items as being available from a "Scientific Supplier"; having a listing of such suppliers would have been incredibly helpful. Actually, an additional kit including support supplies would have been welcomed by our family, as the expense will be incurred one way or another. Additional plastic screws would have been a blessing; the single one provided with the standard kit is not enough. Be aware that some experiments in the Discovery Book call for additional tanks. Of the 50 experiments, 35 can be completed with just one tank; but six of the experiments require two tanks, and nine will require three or more. I also think a homeschool kit should come with Safety Goggles, preferably two pair, as they are a necessity. A series of tables and worksheets to be used with the Discovery Book experiments would have been extremely helpful--at the minimum a generic form with space for a hypothesis, details of an experiment, data, and results.
Although in the past I often dreaded the intimidating experimentation in high school science courses, I find myself enjoying science now! The whole family is thrilled to have access to the tank 24 hours a day so that we can more completely enjoy the entire process of our experiments. The kit itself is easy to put together, and the instructions are easy to understand. The Teaching Tank will be an excellent tool for every homeschool desiring the best science offering for their children.
Product review by: Donna Campos, Senior Product Reviewer, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, July 2008
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