A year of the pandemic has changed how we learn, and there’s perhaps no discipline that would benefit from an at-home, hands-on approach than chemistry. Chemistry is the study of chemicals, but it’s also the study of life. On the most basic level, our lives are shaped by the billions of chemical reactions happening within and around us every moment of the day.

That means chemists have an endless world to explore. And means that just reading chemistry textbooks and following lessons can fall a little flat. So if your child is experiencing some learning fatigue, don’t worry – there are plenty of ways to get hands-on experience doing chemistry experiments at home.

Read on to learn about chemistry kits that work for kids at any age group, so you can bring your kids’ science lessons to life – even if they’re still socially distancing.

The Magic School Bus is all about immersing your child in science, and this chemistry lab is a great science kit for younger kids. Designed for children age 5 and up, this kit comes with everything you need to make bubble structures, and learn about the chemistry behind them, plus learn about acids and bases, and how they interact. Use the kit to follow along with the Magic School Bus Netflix series for multimedia learning.

​Available at Amazon:​ The Magic School Bus Chemistry Lab

This chemistry kit is a must-have. Designed for kids age 5 to 8, it has a little bit of everything. It comes with lab equipment and chemicals to perform 12 safe chemistry experiments, exploring everything from making solutions to understanding pH. And it also comes with a periodic table chart, so your kids can learn about the elements that make up the world around them – along with relatable examples, so your kids can see at a glance that lithium helps power batteries. Unlike many science kits, it even comes with its own lab book, so you child can record their results just like a real scientist.

​Available at Amazon:​ Ben Franklin Toys Chemistry Lab Pad Science Kit

Chemical reactions between compounds too small to see with most microscopes can be hard to conceptualize, so this color chemistry science kit helps bring chemical concepts to life. Colorful dyes make chemistry experiments eye-catching, and this kit has everything you need to create a volcanic eruption, make sticky slime and craft colorful glow worms. It’s ideal for kids ages 7 and up.

​Available at Amazon:​ Crayola Color Chemistry Set For Kids

Cooking is a series of chemical reactions happening in the kitchen – and if you’ve got a child that loves cooking, this is the ideal kit to teach them about the science behind their favorite meals. The kit outlines how to set up experiments using basic kitchen items, like milk and dish detergent, to learn about chemical principles like surface tension. With 52 experiments covering chemistry, biology and physics, and options suitable for toddlers to older kids, it’s a must-have for the whole family.

​Available at Amazon:​ Kitchen Science Lab for Kids

Soda, but make it science. This kit-in-a-bottle comes with 79 science experiments, so your kids can learn all about chemistry at home, and even dip their toes into other disciplines, like physics and weather science. Mix (safe) chemicals to turn the bottle into a fun DIY lava lamp, which doubles as a lesson into what happens when oil and water mix – or don’t mix. Pick this up if you need a well-rounded chemistry kit for kids age 8 to 12.

​Available at Amazon:​ Pop Bottle Science Kit

As kids get older, they can handle more intensive experiments. And this extreme chemistry kit is a great place to start. With fun experiments like making crystals – which works as a stealth lesson on supersaturated solutions and lattice structures – and creating slime, this kit feels more like a toy than a game. But it’s also comprehensive, with over 40 chemistry experiments kids can perform with the included safe chemicals and household items. It’s ideal for keeping middle schoolers occupied all summer.

​Available at Amazon:​ Discovery Extreme Chemistry Science Kit