The Problem With Most Chemistry Lab Kits
Too many chemistry kits promise hands-on learning, but don’t really deliver. They often prioritize a single “wow” experiment — like an explosion or dramatic color change — that entertains but doesn’t really teach. Some do cover a broader range of experiments, but because they are produced by equipment vendors rather than curriculum developers, they often lack context. Either the experiments don’t support real understanding, or they’re shoe-horned into topics where they don’t fit. And of course there’s the cost. It’s easy to spend $50 on a kit for just one experiment, or $200 if you want something more comprehensive – and that’s just for one child.
The Solution: A Complete, Integrated Chemistry Lab Series
Axiom Science does things differently. We avoid “eye-candy” experiments that impress but don’t teach, and we don’t rely on expensive but unnecessary specialist equipment. Instead, each of our experiments has been designed to illustrate a key concept in the curriculum, and the whole series allows students to develop important experimental skills and teaches them to write properly structured lab reports. The result is deeper understanding: students don’t just see a spectacle, they can explain what happened and why. And because our experiments are built around very common household products, the price tag is encouragingly low.
Integrated into the Axiom Chemistry course are 20 hands-on experiments. Starting from simple ideas like solubility and separation, they explore increasingly more complex topics. Soon your children will be measuring how much oxygen is in the air, exploring ways to make reactions go faster, and even making their own bioplastic. Want more detail? You can see the whole series on the lab materials list.
Each one comes complete with a dedicated video which:
- Puts the practical work in its wider educational context
- Explains key health and safety issues
- Lists required equipment and supplies
- Provides step-by-step instructions with photos or video highlights
- Includes a sample lab report
- Outlines further experimental work when appropriate
Each of our experiments has been designed to illustrate a key concept in the curriculum... The result is deeper understanding: students don’t just see a spectacle, they can explain what has happened and why.
The Toolkit: All the Resources You Need for Chemistry Labs Without a Lab
The supervisor course (which is included with all high school and IGCSE courses bought in a supervisor account) lets you watch the lab videos whenever you like — so you can take a sneak preview of what’s involved. The full experiment toolkit includes other practical chemistry resources:
A full lab materials list
This is available individually for each experiment. There’s also a complete lab-series list, which you can also download as a pdf. You’ll find all of this in our resources hub, and if you take a look you'll see that most of the items are very common household supplies like salt, vinegar, ice cubes, and kitchen measuring spoons.
Clear lab health and safety guidelines
Axiom chemistry experiments don’t use hazardous chemical or inherently dangerous procedures. But no-one wants accidents or medical issues, so all lab videos include a health and safety briefing, plus there is a full Axiom Science Lab Health and Safety guide on our website.
Sample lab reports and grading guidelines
For each experiment you’ll get a sample, annotated lab report, plus simple grading guidelines. So it’s not difficult to grade lab reports even if you’ve no scientific expertise of your own. If you’ve signed up for the free sample chemistry course, simply click ‘lab reports’ on your dashboard and you’ll see them for yourself.
Axiom Science hands-on experiments are simple to perform, fully aligned with the course, cost-effective, and give students both important practical skills and real learning. It’s the complete, practical solution to the chemistry experiment problem.
