Plant growth experiments offer rich, cross-curricular learning opportunities that can really excite and engage young learners. In this series, children work in pairs planting, measuring, and comparing the height of bean plants in order...

Youngsters test magnetic strength by measuring the mass of paper clips that they "hook" with a magnet. Your first and second graders should love the hands-on activities associated with this plan. The reproducible materials are quite good...

Whether you have your class plant seeds or begin when sprouts are visible, math skills are used here to predict and track growth over time. Straw bar graphs show plant height on a given day while the graph as a whole shows changes over...

Students experiment to find out how rain is measured. In this rainfall measurement lesson, students experiment to observe the effects of rainfall and how much of it fell.

Primary learners participate in activities that help them explain how different things are measured. They create their own access number chart.

What better way to learn about plant life than by creating a class garden? Young botanists start with a brief discussion about radishes before planting seeds and watching them grow. To determine the importance of water,...

With instructions to adapt the activities for any grade K-12, any teacher can incorporate the concept of scale into the classroom with a simple, yet effective lesson.

How many potatoes tall are you? Unearth this rich resource! A reading of John Coy’s Two Old Potatoes begins a cross-curricular exploration of potatoes. Class members read, write, weigh, measure, and experiment with potatoes. Additional...

There's nothing quite like a glass of ice-cold, freshly squeezed lemonade. Lesson seven of this series explains how the water humans need to survive can come in many forms. Teach your class about how much water humans require every day...

Students observe, measure, and record the properties in making objects stick together using science tools. In this science lesson, students explore with their senses while mixing flour and water. Additionally, students share their...

Students plant and maintain a garden. In this plant lesson, students are responsible for a class garden. Students video the growing process. Students also record the growth results on a class chart. 

Immediately capture the attention of your class with the smell of freshly popped popcorn in the sixth lesson of this series on the needs of living things. Young scientists first use their senses to make and record observations of...

Physical or life science learners measure the amounts of water eliminated by intestines and the urinary system, and the amounts lost via respiration and perspiration. In doing so, they discover that the body's water must be replenished...

Students explore the physical properties of eggs. In this scientific observation lesson, students define characteristics of eggs, measure eggs vertically and horizontally, and use the scientific method to perform simple experiments using...

Students construct a weather vane using their knowledge of some geometric shapes. In this weather activity, students work in pairs to create a weather vane in order to measure wind direction. Students follow precise...

Students study wind speed and collect wind speed data. In this wind speed activity, students visit a website to learn about the local wind speed forecast for their week. Students discuss wind and wind speed. Students collect wind speed...

Students build and program a car to drive a specific challenge distance.They must at the end of the lesson plan, have the car that stops the closest to a challenge distance.

Learners estimate and determine the number of cents (pennies) that are needed to equal the mass of a variety of common objects. They develop a process for measuring and explore concepts related to units of measurement.

Turn your classroom into a greenhouse with a lesson on plant growth. First, investigate the different parts of seeds, identifying the seed coat, cotyledon, and embryo. Then plant the seeds and watch them grow! Measure the new plants...

It's time to roll up those sleeves and get a little dirty in the second lesson of this series on the science of food. Investigate where plants and animals get the minerals they need to live in this two-part exploration of soil. First,...

With a partner, youngsters measure their pulse and breathing rates, both at rest and after running in place for a minute. While this activity is not novel, the lesson plan includes a large-scale classroom graphing activity and other...

Students collect and sort rocks based on visible characteristics.  For this statistics lesson, students determine adequate sample size and categorize rocks based on characteristics.  The book Everybody Needs a Rock is read to...

Students explore botany by conducting a sunflower growth experiment. For this plant life lesson, students identify the anatomy of a sunflower plant and the essential nutrients it requires to grow. Students utilize compost, soil, garden...

First graders go on a water walk, collect weather data, and measure rainfall for a month. They examine the water cycle in this series of lessons.