r/ScienceTeachers • u/mong00se2 • 9d ago
Science room with no sink
Does anyone have any solutions for a science lab classroom without sinks?
My classroom is an addition to the art room, so we have to walk through art to get to science. Art has two large sinks, but it is frustrating and disruptive for both myself and the art teacher to send kids in or run in to refill water.
I have tried prepping and having large containers but when we do something where temperature is a factor, there are issues that always arise.
Any ideas for what to buy/set up/do for this situation?
**light switches are also in the art room, and I only have one window lol. Classroom or closet, who knows!
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u/electriccroxford Teacher Education | College 9d ago
My first classroom had no sink. My solution was to have a couple of large camping water coolers. I think they were 5 gallons each. For each cooler I had a 5 gallon bucket for drainage. It worked well given the situation
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u/Sequence_Of_Symbols 9d ago
They are stupidly expensive, but we use one of these (it was donated)
https://www.schooloutfitters.com/catalog/product_info/pfam_id/PFAM79759/products_id/PRO89763
It's not a great sink, and it's a pain to empty and fill... but also, it means i have an effing SINK in the room
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u/Ferromagneticfluid 9d ago
Maybe ask admin!
I would be very hesitant to do any physical labs without a sink in the room. Because if something happens and you spill something on yourself then the first stop is typically the sink.
I would probably stick to digital labs or labs that don't use any chemicals or make any mess. This isn't your problem to solve, your district needs to solve it.
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u/mong00se2 9d ago
We’re only 2nd-6th… so it’s alright. However there are a bunch of chemicals and Bunsen burners left over from teachers prior and I have no idea what they did for safety procedures 😳
Admin already said they can’t do anything, but ty!
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u/sillyboinj 9d ago
Middle school science and no sink.i use 3 five gallon buckets for pouring out stuff. I keep one for kids to dunk their hands if they're really grubby.
While dumping the buckets between classes is a pain, it's enabled us to do pretty much anything that doesn't require a hood. (We still some of those outside)
I have one of these on a water cooler bottle and it is a great help.
Water Dispenser for 5 Gallon Bottle, Electric Water Pump for 5 Gallon Jug with Switch and USB Charging, Portable Automatic Water Jug Dispenser for Camping, Travel, Home, Kitchen, Office https://a.co/d/h3VFfum
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u/Any-Alarm982 9d ago
I really luked having a mictowave for quickly warming water, vut a kettle works well to. I also liked having distilled water in a 5 gal drip instead of pour jugs. Also just send them to the bathroom to wash hands/ fill small containers
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u/mong00se2 9d ago
Appreciate the tip of the drip.
My room is within the art room, so they would disrupt her class. Trying to have that not happen
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u/InTheNoNameBox 9d ago
What are you teaching? Grade level? For high school biology and chemistry this would not be considered a safe lab space in my district. (Assuming it is our state law)?
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u/mong00se2 9d ago
Ah no for some clarity I’m teaching 2nd-6th. I just try to make it as hands on as possible, and the room is making that harder than it should be in some circumstances
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u/Epyphyte 9d ago
Oh man that is the worst. I have 5 and one in the fume hood and it’s somehow never enough!
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u/tlacuatzin 9d ago
Yes I have had this problem before.
I used bus basins, which I got from Smart & Final grocery store. Do you know, those gray rectangular tubs that the bus boy uses to clear the tables at the restaurants? I got a dozen of those.
For the water source, I got a carboy and filled it with water . Giant jug with spigot at the bottom.
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u/Kentwomagnod 9d ago edited 9d ago
I’d use those large seven gallon water storage jugs from Walmart. $20 and come with a spout for easy dispensing. Fill couple up each morning. Put them on a rolling cart and you should be good for the day.
Or maybe get some old water coolers. Those are insulated so might keep heat better.
For heating up. If an electric kettle isn’t big enough maybe a large pot with induction burner for quick heating. Then dump into insulated cooler. Or I have a Tiger brand water dispenser. Holds around a half gallon of hot water. Slow cooker?
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u/Fast_Entrepreneur774 8d ago
I had to run a science club (7-8th grade) in a room with no sink, the closest one was down the hallway in a bathroom.
I bought a decent sized water container with a turn-style spigot and put it on a table over a bucket. We used tubs for quite a few of our "messy" activities. I used empty juice jugs as well if I needed to pour water into a container. At the end I would have the students put anything that needed cleaning in the "dirty" tub. Some nights they would join me in the bathroom washing up, some nights I did it myself if their ride was in a hurry.
I had a small coil burner/hot plate and bought a used stock pot from the second hand store, which we used to heat up any water we needed. It's lasted over 10 years and I still use it, although I have an actual science room now. The water from the sink never really gets above "warm".
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u/Purple-flying-dog 8d ago
I have no sink. I prep ahead as much as possible, have a mini fridge and kettle to use as needed, and I have the students take their glassware to the nearby restroom to clean out as part of their lab clean up. I don’t use anything that can’t go down a sink. I use dump containers for anything that shouldn’t go down the sink like excess oil etc, and dispose of it during prep or after school. We make it work. Complaining about it won’t get me a lab room.
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u/mong00se2 6d ago
Mini fridge is a good idea!
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u/Purple-flying-dog 6d ago
The other thing we can do is if I have a lab that does need a full lab room or something like a vent hood, we can borrow one of the lab classrooms on that teacher’s prep. It just takes coordination because I might have to use 3 different rooms for 3 different periods.
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u/Known_Ad9781 9d ago
Electric kettles are great for quickly heating up water. Larger dishwasher bins to collect waste. Large containers for liquid. It can be done with out a sink but takes a lot of planning.