Actually, I'll ask Fedi's advice here. What would you recommend for a bright 11-year-old who is interested in chemistry and ready to go beyond baking soda and vinegar experiments? They've expressed curiosity about the periodic table and why it is the way it is. They are very good at soaking up and remembering facts, but their reading is a little shaky.
Oct 15, 2026, 6:47 AM
@eruonna We homeschooled both kids, and got quite far with a quality home science kit and just general hackery. We got this one, but there are lots.
https://www.homesciencetools.com/product/complete-introduction-to-chemistry-kit/
I also second Scott's suggestion of Khan. That helped a lot.
@eruonna A bit of first-hand advice: it’s fine to love chemistry but not be good at it. One of my BA’s is in chemistry, but I sucked at it. I kept in on it for the whole degree because it was interesting. The world is safer because I didn’t pursue it as a job afterwards.