Teach your students about safety in the science lab by asking them to make safety posters for the classroom. Provide large pieces of poster board, markers, crayons, paints and glitter and ask students to create informative, eye-catching posters to hang in the science lab. You might ask students to work in groups, or ask each student to create a poster for a specific area of the classroom. For example, a student making a poster for the sink area might list proper hand washing techniques, or how to use the eye wash.
Quiz students on their safety knowledge with a lab demonstration. Perform a mock science experiment for the class that includes obvious safety errors, and see if your students notice your mistakes. For example, during your demonstration, do not tie back your hair, roll up your sleeves or wear goggles. Eat a snack in the lab area, and ignore the directions of the experiment. As you present, ask your students to take notes. At the end of the presentation, ask your students if they noticed any errors. Give a prize to the student who noted the most safety errors. Discuss the potential hazards of the safety errors in the experiment.
Use a hands-on activity to stimulate visual and kinesthetic learners. Ask students to work in groups to create a short safety presentation to share with the class. The presentation might include a safety demonstration, such as the proper way to use an eye wash or wear gloves and goggles, or a visual presentation with posters and hand outs. To avoid overlapping information, give each group a specific topic to explore.
Use a safety contract to teach your students about the importance of safety in the science classroom. After teaching your students about different safety procedures, ask them to write out a contract listing the steps they will take to be safe in the science lab during the school year. Provide a template for students to follow, with spaces for dates and signatures. Once students have written their contract, sit down with each student individually and ask them to read their contract out loud. If their contract is complete, ask the student to sign it, and then add your own signature. Make a copy of the contract and keep one copy; ask students to keep the other copy in their lab notebook.