LABORATORY EQUIPMENT


 When a science teacher enters a new teaching situation, his
first work should be to take inventory of available laboratory
space and equipment. Then there should be an inspection to
determine the items in good condition, those needing repair,
and those to be discarded. This will enable him to make plans
for the repair of the material on hand and for the securing of
other required equipment during the next few years.
 There are three ways in which equipment for the laboratory
can be secured:
 1. A surprisingly large part of the equipment needed can be
 made by the students from very simple materials. The
 construction of these devices develops resourcefulness,
 teaches underlying principles, and emphasizes the connec-
 tions between science and everyday life. The cooperation
 of the industrial arts instructor will be very helpful.
 2. There are certain items that the students and teachers
 cannot make. Many of these may be found locally in
 homes or in stores. Others may be borrowed from indus-
 tries and brought to the laboratory for study. The class
 should also visit the industry and see the equipment in
 actual use. Often old car parts and other materials obtain-
 able at little or no cost can be brought in and used to good
 advantage for instructional purposes.
 3. Of course the laboratory cannot be completed in the ways
 already mentioned. Many pieces of equipment will have
 to be purchased from scientific supply houses. Before
 fitting out the laboratory, the instructor should know
 which science courses are to be offered. By careful plan-
 ning, unnecessary duplication of materials may be
 avoided.
 With the inventory in mind, the teacher will get the best re-
sults from the development of a long-time plan for completely
equipping the laboratory. The list for purchase should be made
to include a small number of each of the items needed for the
principal experiments to be performed. It is better to provide
for a greater variety of experiments than to provide liberally
for a few experiments. As money becomes available the addi-