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Schools with little funding often lack the science resources other well-funded schools have. What kinds of experiments can be done with everyday materials or lower-cost materials that are still fun and engaging for students?

Hi Ashley -- You dont' really need a lot of expensive equipment to engage students in science investigations. There's a lot you can do with hand lenses (studying rocks, insects, leaves, etc.), toy cars and ramps (motion, friction), string for pendulums, blocks, paper or plastic cups to grow seeds, a hand-made journal for writing, modeling clay. Take a look at the articles in Science and Children, and you'll see many specific activities that use materials you may already have or that you can find in a dollar store if your school can't purchase them. 

The Frugal Science Teacher is an NSTA publication with selected articles from Science and Children that use simple materials. I'd recommend it. See also the blog No budget or low budget science. 

Mary B.

Hi Ashley,  I agree with Mary that spending money on a simple handlens is a great way to expand children's science investigations by expanding what they can observe. My favorite is a 'dual lens' magnifier with both a 3x lens and a smaller diameter 6x lens. Consider how any materials you collect or purchase can be used in more than one investigation. Those milk cartons from the lunch room can be washed and sanitized before being used as building material for engineering activities or containers for growing plants.

You can read a sample chapter of The Frugal Science Teacher, PreK-5 here.