Almost 2 weeks ago my first years started their IA investigations. When we started sending students home my first thought was to put it on hold, I've now changed my mind. With my vast experience of 2 days teaching from home I can see that there is much more interaction with me when students are doing practical activities.

"OK you need to get a bucket".

"bucket?"

" yes, there's one by the SMARTboard"

"No the other side."

"Yes, that blue thing"

"Aaah, bucket"

Some experiments can easily be done at home using buckets, bathroom scales etc. but some need special equipment. This morning I wrote to all my first years with the options available. Some students can take the apparatus home, like the track in the photo but some apparatus is too expensive / heavy. I have told those students to leave their apparatus set up then under their instruction I will record data for them. I will only do this for students who have already set up their apparatus and taken some measurements, building apparatus for students is a step too far.

One of my students needs a variable voltage source, why not simply connect AA batteries in series? Two are dropping objects into measuring cylinders, how about using old florescent tubes? A bicycle wheel instead of a rotational dynamics apparatus, coins instead of masses, toy cars instead of smart carts.

What is that saying? Necessity is the mother of invention.

Over the coming days we will be going through the activity pages on this website adding suggestions as to how the practical work  can be done either at home or remotely.