Materials Lists

The nature of EP is that lessons get updated all the time. It’s possible for these to change on you, though some have lasted a decade.

Try to get the basic supplies. I mostly don’t list these on the specific days they are needed. Get what you can of the rest. I try and make it as simple as possible in terms of needed supplies. I also included lots of videos of science experiments in case you aren’t able to do them. (Not all courses are equal when it comes to how many materials are needed.)

Basic Supplies

laptop/chromebook/desktop computer + internet connection
pencil, paper, printer, printer ink, crayons or colored pencils
binder or folders to keep worksheets in (or use the printables books)
notebook(s) or printed lined paper
In the lower level math courses, you’ll need to have a variety of coins available for the money units and it’s nice to have manipulatives (like Legos or blocks)
stapler, tape, glue stick, scissors
It would be nice (but not needed) to have construction paper (or other colored paper) and brass fasteners (used sometimes in lapbooks).
There are many lapbooks used throughout the curriculum, some courses more than others. (Geography and zoology have a lot.) You can attach the lapbook pieces just to regular paper and have them in your child’s binder; you can use the traditional file folder; my family uses large colored paper because that is available where we are. There are no rules about how you use the lapbook pieces. Here are lots of examples of lapbooks that my family has done.

Ancient History Theme — Levels 1 – 4

Art – Ancient History:

Day 28 newspaper/junk mail, screen or cheesecloth
Day 38 salt, paint (tempura, acryllic…)
Day 48 potato, ink pad

Ancient History:

Day 19 clay (or play dough, or salt dough, or icing dough-1/2 flour, 1/2 butter)
Day 21 file folder (or construction paper) and glue stick
Day 24 (optional) flour, salt, paprika, toothpicks, cheese grater
Day 26 Popsicle sticks, clear tape
Day 27 baking clay (salt & flour)
Day 88 paper plates, yarn/string (You are making masks. You can use paper plates and yarn/string to tie them on, or maybe you could tape them to sunglasses instead of using string.)
(optional crafts) Links are on Day 105 — some supplies include shoe box or tissue box, toilet paper or paper towel rolls…

Biology:

Day 4 white paper and tape — or butcher paper
Day 9 six pieces of plain paper, paper plate or lightweight plastic plate, wooden blocks (or something else to add as weight)
Day 14 paper towels, bowl of water
Day 17 four glasses/jars/test tubes, four pieces hard candy, maybe a hammer–need to smash the candies
Day 29 dime size piece of clay, toothpick
Day 32 two 12″ (30 cm.) balloons, plastic water bottle
Day 44 activity options — 1. color online 2. cut/paste/color 3. egg carton, thimble, needle and thread, dry wagon wheel pasta (or Honeycomb cereal)
Day 49 small paper cup, toothpick, 2′ string
Day 65 paper plate, random small objects
Day 74 Q-tips, raw meat, beef bouillon, unflavored gelatin, sealable plastic bag, antibacterial soap, lotions, 4 foil muffin cups (maybe)
Day 86 soil & seeds (beans are a good choice), clear plastic cups
Day 89 plant with broad leaves, black construction paper
Day 97 check the link for options — some require materials, some don’t
Day 119 two 2 leaves (not dried out or crumbly)
Day 126 flower (if you can get one)

Ancient History Theme — Levels 5 – 8

Art – Ancient History:

Day 38 salt, paint (tempura, acryllic…)
Day 48 exacto knife, stone, candle, frying pan

Ancient History:

Day 7 (optional) wide, flat grass for making papyrus–alternative, brown paper bag and white glue
Day 22 two paper towel rolls, 5 pcs. white paper, large black marker, black paint
Day 88 paper plates, yarn/string
Day 103 print out game board, dice, tokens (you can print out dice to make if needed)

Biology:

Day 32 two 12″ (30 cm.)balloons, plastic water bottle
Day 44 ten matching pairs from a deck of cards
Day 65 light colored jello, grapes, mandarin oranges, candy etc. Theses are options.
Day 86 soil & seeds (beans are a good choice), clear plastic cups
Day 89 two or three potted plant seedlings, maybe fan (You don’t need to buy seedlings; you will just plant a few of those seeds in the soil you got)
Day 93 shoe box, cup of dirt, bean seed, cardboard

Early American History Theme — Levels 1 – 4

Art – Early American:

Week 13 construction paper or other colored paper
Week 19 mostly simple items found around the house, choose a craft
Week 27 construction paper or other colored paper

Early American History:

Day 95 (level 1-4) choice of craft–paper bags and string; paper plate and feathers(opt.); paint stirrers, clay, feathers (opt.), and string or straw

Zoology:

Day 12 dice – there’s a printable to make your own dice if you need it.
Day 107 cardstock for printing if you can
Day 118 optional craft: brown paper lunch bag

Early American History Theme — Levels 5 – 8

Early American History:

Day 23 Optional materials: cardboard might come in handy, popsicle sticks, toothpicks, or just sticks

Art – Early American History:

Day 93 optional materials–mostly simple items found around the house, choose a craft

Zoology:

Day 12 dice – there’s a printable to make your own dice if you need it
Day 107 cardstock for printing if you can

Geography and Cultures Theme — Levels 1 – 4

Geography and Cultures:

Day 5 (optional) options–peanut butter, powdered sugar, flour, butter, powdered milk, candies, chocolate chips, icing, etc. for making an edible map
Day 20 (optional) straws
Day 51 (optional) yellow cornmeal

Earth Science:

Day 8 play dough or The Quickest Ever Salt Dough Recipe of some sort, preferably in two colors
Day 16-20 They are going to be building a model in a couple of days. When your child has chosen his topic, you can talk about how he might make the model: clay, box, construction paper. It should just be something simple.
Day 22 Start a rock collection. Hunt around for different looking rocks. We’ll study them soon.
Day 25 clear jar or bottle or glass, dirt
Day 28 Your goal is to have three different kinds of rocks
Day 31 nail
Day 40 (optional) plastic bottle, 2 clear jars, sand, gravel, cotton wool (or cotton ball to substitute), paper towels, soil
Day 42 paper towel or coffee filter with markers with a jar and clothespins OR sugar cubes and food coloring with a shallow dish — If you don’t have a jar and clothespins, you can do without.
Day 43 materials that you can get wet, some ideas are paper towel, wash cloth and twig
Day 44 glass or jar, dish, ice, warm water – see directions, you might want to plan ahead on this one
Day 45 glass jar, dish, hot water, ice
Day 48 glass or metal cup, tube thermometer to measure the water temperature, ice
Day 53 glass jar
Day 55 small coffee can (can substitute), plastic wrap, straw, index card (can substitute), rubber band
Day 56 index card, paper clip, straw, straight pin, pencil with eraser, clay/play dough
Day 63 balloon, florescent light bulb, brown paper lunch bag or you can just use the balloon
Day 86-90 students get to choose and/or create an experiment.
Day 112 box, aluminum foil
Day 121 clear plastic 2-liter bottle (can substitute smaller), flashlight, milk, water
Day 133 binoculars, if you have them or can borrow them. I wouldn’t buy these unless your child is super into this. You can see what you can see with the naked eye and I will be posting pictures as well
Day 154 toothpicks and playdough or some sort of clay in two to four colors

Art – Geography and Cultures:

Week 4 paint
Week 6 clay
Week 12 Q-tips
Week 17 a piece of black paper
Week 26 materials needed based on project chosen – could need toilet paper roll, something to print, clay, ribbon, aluminum foil, twine, Styrofoam–I think you could use thick cardboard and string, paper towel roll, toothpicks, rice/corn, cardboard

PE/Health

Day 155 – jump rope

Geography and Cultures Theme — Levels 5 – 8

Geography and Cultures:

Day 5 – (optional) options–peanut butter, powdered sugar, flour, butter, powdered milk, candies, chocolate chips, icing, etc. for making an edible map

Earth Science:

Day 16-20 They are going to be building a model in a couple of days. When your child has chosen his topic, you can talk about how he might make the model: clay, box, construction paper. It should just be something simple.
Day 22 Start a rock collection. Hunt around for different looking rocks. We’ll study them soon.
Day 28 Your goal is to have three different kinds of rocks
Day 31 nail, vinegar
Day 40 (optional) plastic bottle, 2 clear jars, sand, gravel, cotton wool (or a cotton ball to substitute), paper towels, soil
Day 42 clear jar/glass/cup, gravel/sand/rocks/dirt
Day 43 jar, plastic wrap, rubber band, plant materials such as leaves and stems
Day 44 2-liter plastic bottle and matches OR glass jar with lid, boiling water and aerosol can
Day 45 cup, plastic wrap or baggie, tape or rubber band
Day 47 piece of cardboard, tape, two tube thermometers–to measure air temperature, cotton ball, rubber band – you can substitute for the cotton ball and rubber band if necessary. You don’t have to tape the thermometers to the cardboard. If you only have one thermometer, then you can just do the wet thermometer and compare it to the starting temperature. You are going to repeat the experiment on Day 48 and 51.
Day 49 brass fastener
Day 54 clear small plastic bottle, rubbing alcohol, clear plastic straw, clay/play dough, food coloring
Day 55 peeled hard-boiled egg, bottle or jar with opening slightly smaller than the diameter of the egg, paper/lighter or matches or very hot water or very cold liquid
Day 59 clear jar, vinegar, clear liquid soap, optional food coloring
Day 61 blue food coloring
Day 62 plastic container shoe box sized, food coloring — the blue ice cubes you made on Day 61
Day 86-90 Students get to choose and/or create an experiment.
Day 112 box, aluminum foil
Day 119 pencil with eraser works well for this, food coloring, Manila folder/cardstock cut into ~8 inch diameter, approximately — This paper needs to be stiff and absorb water.
Day 125 (optional) thin cardboard, aluminum foil
Day 133 binoculars, if you have them or can borrow them. I wouldn’t buy these unless your child is super into this. You can see what you can see with the naked eye, and I will be posting pictures as well
Day 154 toothpicks and playdough/clay OR the print out provided

Art – Geography and Cultures:

Day 18 paint
Day 28 clay
Day 58 Q-tips
Day 83 a piece of black paper
Day 128 materials needed based on project chosen – could need toilet paper roll, something to print, clay, ribbon, aluminum foil, twine, styrofoam–I think you could use thick cardboard and string, paper towel roll, toothpicks, rice/corn, cardboard

Modern History Theme — Levels 1 – 4

Art – Modern History:

Day 8 flour, butter (or salt instead of butter)
Day 28 acrylic paint
Day 138 sticks, yarn/thread, hole punch, construction paper

Modern History:

Day 88 yellow felt or construction paper, safety pin

Physics and Chemistry:

- Day 1 small piece aluminum foil
- Day 7 two cans, string, nail, hammer or disposable cups, thumbtack, paper clip
- Day 10 bar of ivory soap, microwave
- Day 11 some sort of cord, like string or just a cord from a vacuum or something
- Day 18 handheld mirror, pencil or straw
- Day 19 metal spoon
- Day 22 salt, sugar, magnifying glass, 3 cups sugar, jar
- Day 25 at least 20 pennies (or any coin)
- Day 26 cup of water, coins
- Day 27 O-shaped or ball-shaped cereal, milk, bowl, water, oil, dish detergent
- Day 29 container–empty 20 oz. (.5 liter) plastic bottle will work, 3% hydrogen peroxide, packet active yeast, liquid dish washing detergent, warm water, food coloring (optional)
- Day 30
  
  seltzer water or just regular water, bleach, food coloring
- Day 33 piece of string (around 12 inches) and a straw, you can make substitutions for these
- Day 34
  
  coin, small bag of coins (as small as possible — could be coins tied up in saran wrap) or coins in a wrapper from the bank, etc.
- Day 36 straw, cup of water
- Day 37
  
  balloon, empty 2-liter bottle
- Day 39
  
  balloon, straw, fishing line or strong thread or something similar, tape
- Day 41
  
  Styrofoam tray (like from an economy-size pack of meat), paper clips — you need to trace and cut something about 10 inches long
- Day 46
  
  baking soda (1/2 cup or more), you don’t have to have all of these, but if you use them anyway, now might be a good time to have them on hand: ketchup, lemon (or lemon juice), tomato (or tomato juice), mustard, pickle juice, orange (or orange juice), honey
- Day 47 r
  
  ed/purple cabbage, disposable cups
- Day 51
  
  chicken bone, vinegar (enough to cover bone), maybe jar with lid to keep in the smell
- Day 52
  
  Diet Coke or other carbonated beverage, salt
- Day 53 piece of liver, piece of potato, hydrogen peroxide (I asked at the local hair dresser), liquid dish detergent
- Day 57 fizzy drink in bottle
- Day 59 one cup of cornstarch, 1/2 c. water
- Day 61 slice of bread, water, cooking oil, dish soap, tall clear glass jar, 3 glasses
- Day 62 bowl of water
- Day 63 cups, paper towels, food coloring–optional 6 or more wooden blocks
- Day 71 vinegar 1 liter/.25 gallon, baking soda
- Day 72 1/2 c. milk and heavy cream and salt, 1/4 c. sugar, vanilla, 2 c. ice, qt. size ziplock bag, gallon size zip lock bag
- Day 74 baking powder, ingredients for any quick bread you like
- Day 75 lemon, potatoes, tiny light bulb, galvanized nail — coated with zinc, copper wire —or copper pennies, 3 alligator clip wires–with clips on each end of a wire–
  POTATOES WILL BE INEDIBLE AFTERWARDS
- Day 79 two alligator clips, 9 volt battery, mini light bub – like from Christmas
  decorations
- Day 80 comb, tissue
- Day 85 long iron nail, copper wire, 9 volt battery, paper clips, aluminum foil
- Day 90 7-9 in. balloon, yard/meter stick, large spoon–tablespoon works
- Day 92 battery, mini light bulb, 3 alligator clip wires, aluminum foil, metal paper clip
- Day 93 one battery and one mini light bulb (or something similar), items to test ideas – piece of clothing, key, spoon, pencil, paper, piece of cheese (also needs added to course itself)
- Day 96 salt, pepper, cornstarch, flour, oil, juice/milk, a clear cup, spoon — just a small amount of each
- Day 97 salt, sugar, flour, cornstarch, small pot, spoon for stirring in pot, clear cup, spoon
- Day 98 at least 1/2 cup of salt on hand, small pot, measuring spoons
- Day 104 two gummy candies of different color, toothpicks
- Day 111 rubber band, plastic eating spoon (of some quality), balled-up aluminum foil or mini marshmallows or something else little and light, 2 thumbtacks, base — small wood block or something firm and heavy
- Day 117 balloon, spill-proof sports drink bottle cap (the kind with the little part on top that pulls out and pushes in), old cd you can get rid of, super glue/tape
- Day 126 straw, thin cardboard, brass fastener
- Day 127 spool of thread, string, pencil
- Day 138 bridge building materials
- Day 142 either newspapers and tape or gumdrops and toothpicks
- Day 144 paper clips and straws
- Day 151 at least two 6-foot (183 cm) sections of 1-1/2 in (about 4 cm) diameter foam pipe insulation (another option: toilet and paper towel rolls), marble (There’s an online roller coaster activity if you can’t build one.)
- Day 153 two glass jars, white paper, black paper
- Day 157 butter or margarine; anything small to stick in it; wooden spoon, plastic spoon, metal spoon–spatula, etc. just something with a handle
- Day 160 one large size pizza box for the oven, several feet of aluminum foil, 1 sheet black construction paper, 2 1/2 feet of clear plastic wrap, 4 feet of masking tape, 2 feet of string

Modern History Theme — Levels 5 – 8