This is the supply list for the Labs in AP® Classroom for AP® Environmental Science. We call it a “Lab Manual”, but it is virtual and requires your login to access the teacher and student versions. Click for my post on Labs #11-19.
No one has time for all these labs. I will provide estimates of costs and importance to do so you can choose what best fits your budget, time, equipment and other constraints. I personally do Labs 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,12,14,16, but I do my own version of Labs 5 and 10.
Pay attention as materials are listed “per class” or “per group” or “per person”. My groups are 3-4 students and I have 9 groups per class, but you could have smaller or larger groups.
Lab 1: Net Primary Productivity of Aquatic Plants (Unit 1)
Per Class:
- 1 or more dissolved oxygen meters or test kits.
- These are 3 good DO meters Milwaukee, Vernier, Pasco
- I like to have 1 DO meter per 2-3 groups to save time, but I’ve been teaching this class for almost 20 years and have built up my supply of meters over time.
- If using test kits, you need 2 tests per group (This kit comes with 100 tests).
- Light source – shop lights, plant lights, or window.
- If using a window, make sure you do not take results early in the morning as it will skew the data from darkness overnight. A few hours of sunshine will suffice.
Per Group:
- 300-600 mL aquarium, pond or river water
- Elodea or other healthy aquatic plants. You can also use algae from an algae supply company.
- 2 identical bottles or 4 oz clear plastic cups with lids from restaurant supply companies – clear or slightly opaque white.
- Black construction paper or larger red solo cup to go over the bottles/cups to block light
Estimated Cost: Varied with this lab depending on if you have a light source and whether you choose probes/sensors or test kits, whether you have access to water plants in nature or need to buy them etc.
$300 – $450 initial costs for materials with one dissolved oxygen probe and the need to buy lights.
$80 to $100 initial costs for materials with 100 dissolved oxygen test kits.
$0 to $80 ongoing costs per class per year depending on whether you need to buy water plants each year (as opposed to collecting them), or if you need to replace dissolved oxygen test kits (as opposed to having a probe/s)
Dissolved oxygen probes are a good investment as they are used in 2 labs (Lab 1 and Lab 14) on AP® Classroom and are used weekly in an Ecocolumn Lab. The least expensive is the Milwaukee brand and it lasts for several years with heavy use.
Note: This lab is difficult in August and September if you rely on purchasing and having aquatic plants shipped as the plants usually die during shipping due to the heat. If you buy new plants, place them in a cool aquarium (no heater) for at least a week to see if the plant lives or dies. Only use healthy, living plants or the results will fail when the plant is decomposed. Another option is to do this lab later in the year such as unit 8 when we study aquatic ecosystems and the weather is better for shipping aquatic plants.
If you do not have the time or equipment, you can show or assign this video on Youtube so kids get the data for the lab.
In Unit 1, I also do an Owl Pellet Lab, Light in the Ocean Lab, and begin the Ecocolumn Lab.
Lab 2: Species Diversity (Unit 2)
Per Group:
- An outside area with varied vegetation. At my school, we can use the edges of an athletic field with a lot of different kinds of weeds.
- Quadrat, sampling square, hula hoop, or string. Sampling squares can easily be made from PVC pipe.
- Identification apps on phones. I like the “seek” app which is free.
Estimated Cost per group: $2 for cheap child-sized hula hoops at the Dollar store. $40 for sampling squares. $10 in materials to make PVC pipe quadrats. Cost is one-time as materials are reused each year. $0 for subsequent years.
Lab 3: Habitat Loss and Transformation (Unit 2)
Per Class:
- 16 m x 16 m square area of a grassy field
- 200 meters of nylon braided (no monofilament) fishing line or other strong, durable string.
- Long tape measure
- 24 stakes such as long golf tees
- Transparent tape
Estimated Cost per class: $40 – $50 – one time cost as materials are reused each year. $0 for subsequent years.
Lab 4: Population Estimation (Unit 3)
Per Group:
- 500 beans (any color)
- Sharpie
- Plastic Cup with lid
Total cost: $10 per class. This is a one-time cost as items can be reused.
Lab 5: Human Population Ecology: Cemetery Demographics (Unit 3)
Per Class:
If going to a real cemetery:
- Clipboards (optional)
- Cheerios or rice
If staying in the classroom:
- Set of grave marker pictures or database of cemeteries
- I have a curated set of pictures along with sample data
- You can take your own pictures from a local cemetery, but check the data to make sure it shows accurate historical trends.
Estimated Cost: $0 to $15 per class
Lab 6: Soil Microbial Lab (Unit 4)
PreLab Activity (Note, this activity is optional and I do not do, because of the cost of items per student)
Per student:
- Lab goggles
- Small cup
- Paper straw
- Bromothymol blue indicator solution (0.04%) – 10 mL per student
- Bromothymol blue indicator chart – found in the student lab handout.
- you need to project or print the chart in color.
Regular Lab (I do this part)
Per Class:
Per group:
- Goggles
- Bromothymol blue indicator solution (0.04%) – 20 mL per group
Bromothymol blue indicator chart – found in the student lab – you need to project or print the chart in color. - Blue, green and yellow colored pencils/crayons (optional)
- Clear, wide-mouth container with tightly fitting lids (for use as soil respiration chambers)
- Blue tape
- 150 g of soil (you need healthy soil from a vegetable garden that has microbes. Carolina Humus also works, but avoid cheap bagged potting soil)
- Petri dish
- 10-50mL graduated cylinder
- Plastic Spoon
Note: You need to dilute the bromothymol blue solution by half with distilled water, as it will have more accurate color changes based on the chart.
Estimated Cost: $40-50 for initial costs. $10-$20 a year thereafter.
Lab 7: Physical and Chemical Properties of Soil (Unit 4)
Per Group: General Supplies
- Soil Samples – try to obtain several different types of natural soil. You can also make your own soil samples of different types by purchasing humus, sand, and clay. DO NOT use “potting or garden soil” from the store as it is not real soil and will not give you good results.
- Sand – 2 cups – you can find at a hardware store.
- Clay – 2 cups
- Large buckets or trays for disposal of wet materials.
Carolina Biological has a kit with a lot of the items needed for this lab.
Part I: Chemical Nutrient Testing
- Soil chemical tests
- I use this one from Rapitest. You can purchase 1 kit which has materials for 10 groups and then use test tubes instead of their chambers to do the tests. The color-comparator chambers can be on a center table for students to compare their test tubes with. This is my lab paper for this kit with test tubes.
Part II: Percolation Rate (note, I skip this part of the lab due to time)
Per Group:
- Graduated cylinder – 50 to 100 mL
- Beaker – 300 mL
- Filter paper or coffee filters – 3 per group
- Ring stand with metal rings and clamp – You should be able to borrow from Chemistry teachers.
- Funnel – large enough to fit into metal rings
Part III: Soil Texture (Soil in a Jar)
Per Group:
- Transparent jar with lid (you can use mason-jars) or have students bring in old spaghetti sauce jars etc.
- Blue tape
- Alum – I find this is the best for adding to the jar to make the clay settle – need 1 tsp per group.
Estimated Cost: Varies depending on the equipment you already have and if you want to buy a kit. $20 – $250 initial cost for supplies. More if you need to buy basic science equipment like ring stands and graduated cylinders.
$20-40 every year after the initial year to replace sand, clay and chemical soil tests.
Note: I also do a Coriolis Lab in Unit 4
Lab 8: Soil Compaction (Unit 5)
Per group:
- Alaska peas or dried chickpeas or other fast-germinating seeds – Need about 10 seeds per group
- Small pots – 4 per group. I use 1 of these growing systems per group instead of pots.
- Sharpie
- Blue tape
- Small spray bottle (can be shared)
Beaker – 300 mL or smaller to compact soil - Soil – Potting soil or Humus works – about 1 cup per group
- Sand – about ½ cup per group – buy at the hardware store
- Clay – about ¼ per group
- Calipers or rulers
- Magnifier – on phone, magnifying glasses or stereoscope
Estimated Cost: $30-50 per class for initial costs. Ongoing costs are $10-20 per year to replace seeds, soil, sand and clay.
Lab 9: Sustainability (Unit 5)
Per class:
- Chopsticks – 1 pair per student. Can be reused every year as students should not put in mouth
- Froot Loop cereal, or other type of food, candy, cereal or beads with 3 colors.
- Paper plates or small bins as the “ocean”
Estimated Cost: $15 to 30 initial costs. $0 to $5 ongoing costs per year (depending on if you use beads or cereal/candy)
Lab 10: Energy Efficiency (Unit 6)
Per group:
- Table/desk/clamp lamp
- 800-lumen incandescent bulb (approx 60 W)
- 800-lumen LED bulb (approx 9 W)
- 800-lumen CFL (approx 13 W)
- Kill-A-Watt Meter– I’ve used the name brand for many years. There are now cheaper knock-offs, but I have no input on their quality.
- Light meter on phone or light sensor
Estimated Cost: $40 – 50 per group ($250 – $500 per class), but $0 in ongoing costs. I wrote a small “donors choose” grant for my meters several years ago and it was funded for 10 kill-a-watt meters.
Note: I do my version of the lab with Kill-A-Watt meters where students measure various small appliances around the classroom instead of this lab.
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