Students label six cups with distilled water, salt solution, baking soda solution, sugar solution, vinegar, and lemon juice, then build a simple conductivity tester using a battery, LED or bulb, wires, a switch, and electrode probes. The results table asks them to note whether the light turns on and to rate conductivity as strong, weak, or none, making this a strong fit for grades 5 through 7 in a homeschool chemistry or physical science unit. Each observation column also has space for written notes, so students are not just checking boxes but explaining what they see.

The electrical conductivity of different solutions lab works well as a standalone lesson on ionic versus covalent substances, and it fits naturally into a broader unit on solutions, electrolytes, or electrical circuits. Four analysis questions push beyond the data: students identify the best conductor, name non-conductors, hypothesize why some solutions carried current, and consider how dissolved substance concentration might affect results. A printed safety reminder at the bottom of the sheet flags that no solution should be tasted and that hands should be washed after the experiment.