ExploraGear™ and Classroom Supplies for Collecting and Examining Life
ExploraGear kits contain equipment and consumables for student explorations. Scroll down to view the entire ExploraGear list.
Each module also lists easy-to-find Classroom Supplies used in the lessons. Scroll down or click the link on the right to see the Classroom Supplies list for this module.
ExploraGear
| QUANTITY | ITEM |
|---|---|
| 1 Vial | Brine Shrimp Eggs |
| 14 | Paint Brushes |
| 1 | Plastic “Bugs Eye” Eyeglass |
| 1 | Gallon Flex Tank with Cover |
| 2 | Red Food Coloring , 1 oz |
| 28 | Dual Magnifier Hand Lens |
| 14 | Plastic Jar w/ Lid, 16 oz (473.2 mL) |
| 2 | Plastic Knives, pk/24 |
| 14 | Mini Magnifier Bug Jars |
| 7 | Black Plastic Mesh, 5 X 6 in |
| 1 | Plastic Ribbon , 1 3/16” x 300 ft |
| 1 | Rock Salt, 1/2 lb |
| 1 | Seed Corn, 30 g |
| 1 | Lima Bean Seeds, ¼ lb |
| 2 | Plastic Spoons, pk/24 |
| 1 | Spray Bottle w/ Nozzle, 8 oz |
| 1 | Storage Chest w/ Lid, 11×18×15” |
Classroom Supplies
| QUANTITY | ITEM | LESSONS |
|---|---|---|
| Varies | Water | 1, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20 |
| 1 per 2 groups | Bottles, plastic with caps, 2-liter | 1, 4 |
| 3 per group | Bowls, paper or plastic, colored | 1 |
| An assortment | Collection of living or once-living things (e.g., class pet, bones, leaves, shells, living or dead insects, snake skins, etc.) | 1, SBA 2 |
| 5 per group | Labels or masking tape strips | 1 |
| 1 | Measuring spoon set | 1 |
| .60 mL (1/8 tsp) per group | “Mystery Substance” (ground cinnamon, sand, or another non-living granular substance) | 1 |
| 1 | Dissecting microscope or tripod magnifier (optional) | 2, 7, 15, 16, 21 |
| 2 or more | Light sources, such as flashlights | 2, SBA 1 |
| 1 or more | Camera and film | 3, 9, 17 |
| Several stacks | Disposable wipes or damp paper towels | 3, 17 |
| Several | Field guides to birds, mammals, trees, flowers, etc. (optional) | 3, 11, 17, 18 |
| 1 per adult | Notepad | 3, 17 |
| 1 per child | Paper bags | 3 |
| 1 per group | Permanent Markers | 3, 17 |
| 1 per group | Plastic bags, grocery size | 3, 17 |
| 1 per group | Plastic containers with lids (e.g., yogurt cups) | 3 |
| Several | Trowels (optional) | 3, 17 |
| 1 per child | Old socks, adult-sized | 3 |
| 1 per group | Containers, such as shoeboxes or aluminum trays | 4 |
| Many sheets | Newspaper | 4, 12, 15 |
| Several sheets | Black construction paper | 4 |
| Several | Light sources, such as swing arm lamps | 4 |
| 1-2 rolls | Paper towels | 4, 14, 15, 21 |
| Class set | Scissors | 4, 10, 15, 19 |
| Several rolls or bottles | Tape , glue, or glue sticks | 4, 5, 10, 11, 19 |
| 1 per snail | Lettuce leaves | 6 |
| 1 | Marker, water-soluble | 6 |
| 1 | Overhead projector (optional) | 6, 7, 8, 12, 15, 16, 18 |
| 1 per pair | Rulers or tape measures, metric | 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 22, SBA 3 |
| 1 large package | Paper plates | 6, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18 |
| 1 per pair | Snails (or slugs) | 6 |
| 1 per pair | Crickets or other insects | 7 |
| 1 | Pin | 7 |
| 1 | Small piece of cardboard or foam | 7 |
| 1 | Terrarium or clear container | 7 |
| 1 per pair or group | Fish | 8 |
| 1 | Fish tank or aquarium | 8 |
| 1 per group or child | Clipboards | 9, 17 |
| As many as you can collect | Calendars, magazines, greeting cards, and other sources of pictures of animals and plants | 10 |
| Several | Index cards or self-sticking notes | 10 |
| At least 6 sheets | Chart paper, poster board, or butcher paper | 10, 11, 12 |
| 1 sheet per group | Construction paper, 12 in x 18 in | 10 |
| 4 per child | Leaves, fresh | 11 |
| 1 of each per group | Edible fruits: apples, green beans, corncobs, strawberries | 12 |
| 1 per group | Envelopes | 12 |
| Several | Fruits collected from neighborhood plants: acorns, winged maple seeds, weed pods, rose hips, etc. | 12 |
| 1 | Hammer or nutcracker | 12 |
| 1 | Knife, sharp | 12 |
| 1 | Marker, water-based (to write on overhead transparencies) (optional) | 12, 15, 16, 18 |
| 1 per group | Trays or other containers for holding supplies (optional) | 12, 13, 14, 18 |
| 1 | Basin or sink of water | 13 |
| 1 | Coconut | 13 |
| 1 of each or more | Fleshy fruits, such as apples and oranges | 13 |
| Several | Nuts in shells | 13 |
| Several | Seeds, wild types with various dispersal methods, such as mature dandelions, milkweed pods, winged maple seeds, or acorns | 13 |
| 1 per pair | Plastic bags, small (optional) | 14 |
| 1 or more | Spray bottle | 14, 20 |
| Small amount per child | Sprouts, bean or alfalfa | 14 |
| As many as possible | Balances, equal arm | 15, SBA 4 |
| 2 per pair | Seedlings | 15 |
| About 2 stalks per group | Celery stalks | 16 |
| 1 per group plus 2 more | Containers, clear plastic, tall | 16 |
| 1 bottle | Food coloring | 16 |
| 1 per group | Twigs | 16 |
| 1 package | Bags, resealable, plastic | 17, 20 |
| 1 | Binoculars (optional) | 17 |
| 1 pair per group | Clipper or scissors (optional) | 17, 18 |
| 1 | Book: The Reason for a Flower, by Ruth Heller (optional) | 18 |
| Several | Tweezers (optional) | 18 |
| 1 | Flowering plant | 18 |
| At least 1 per group | Flowers, assorted | 18 |
| At least 1 per group | Jars or vases for flowers | 18 |
| 1 per child | Bread or cheese slices | 20 |
| Several | Pictures of mushrooms, molds, and other fungi, magnified and not (optional) | 20, 21 |
| 1 | Garbage bag | 21 |
| 1 bottle | Cleaning solution, such as Lysol® | 21 |
| Small samples of a variety of fungi | Fungi examples, such as grocery store mushrooms, blue cheese, brewer’s yeast, and baker’s yeast | 21 |
| 1 per child | Index cards | 22 |
| 9 per child | Game markers | 22 |
| 1 | Filmstrip, slide, or overhead projector and filmstrip, slides, or overhead transparencies | SBA 1 |
| 1 sheet per group | Graph paper | SBA 1 |
| 1 or more | Jeweler’s loupe (optional) | SBA 1 |
| 1 per pair | Lincoln pennies, new and clean | SBA 1 |
| Several | Books with scientific drawings | SBA 2 |
| 5-10 per child | Centimeter cubes | SBA 3 |
| More than 1 per child | Collection of small items to measure | SBA 3 |
| 1 large package | Paper clips, large (1 cm x 5 cm) | SBA 3, SBA 4 |
| 1 | Ruler with inches on one edge and centimeters on the other | SBA 3 |
| 1 per group | Balloon | SBA 4 |
| 2 | Erasers, new and identical | SBA 4 |
| 1 per group | Marbles | SBA 4 |
| 1 or more | Spring scale (optional) | SBA 4 |
| 2 per group | Vegetables, small | SBA 4 |
| Class set | Drawing materials (Colored pencils and/or crayons) | Multiple |
| Class set | Pencils | Multiple |
| Several sheets per child | Paper | Multiple |