Try This at Home: Science Experiments for All Ages

Jonte Lee, a physics and chemistry teacher at Coolidge High School in Washington, D.C., spent the spring meeting his students where they are—on social media. When Lee’s school moved to distance learning due to the coronavirus pandemic, he brought home supplies and lab equipment and set up his kitchen to look like his typical classroom. His goal: to provide students with familiarity in these unfamiliar times. Using Instagram Live (@jonterlee), he filmed videos in his kitchen-turned-classroom as he tried out different experiments, incorporating student input into the process. He reached students beyond those on his class roster, with kids as far away as San Francisco tuning in. With students now out of school for the summer, Lee is partnering with Education Week to bring parents and students three different experiments they can try on their own, with supplies they likely already have on hand. To enhance the lesson, he’s put together questions for each grade level to further the learning process tied to each experiment.