NASA
A Pictorial History of Rockets
3, 2, 1: Blast off! Take a look at the history of rockets through a camera lens. A set of 41 cards displays more than 2,000 years of rockets, from their use as toys to space flight.Â
NASA
Rocket Races
And they are off! Using Styrofoam meat trays and balloons, individuals build racers that demonstrate Newton's Third Law of Motion. Pupils run their racers three times and make improvements between each trial. To conclude the activity,...
NASA
Water Rocket Construction
What are the basics for building a rocket out of a two-liter bottle? The procedures outline the basics to create an air- and water-powered bottle rocket. Prior to launching the rockets, teams perform safety checks to ensure their designs...
NASA
Missed Messages
Learners investigate the challenges of space communication with a kinesthetic modeling activity. Group members In space must communicate one word to other members on Earth while overcoming barriers such as distance, gravity, and physical...
NASA
Measuring Solar Energy During an Eclipse
Don't leave your classes in the dark! An inquiry-based lesson has young researchers analyze the light intensity before, during, and after a solar eclipse. They use their data to make inferences about the solar energy available during...
NASA
Feel the Heat
Heat water up like a NASA engineer. Using the engineering design process, investigators create a system to trap and move heat through a water-filled tube. Designers participate in a post-activity discussion that highlights the role of...
NASA
Touchdown
Just how do astronauts stay safe during moon landings? Here's an activity that allows investigators to use the engineering process to explore how shock absorbers protect astronauts during landing. Applying knowledge of gravity, force,...
NASA
How Far Away Is Space?
Space is about 60 miles from the surface of Earth. Pupils make calculations to model that distance by stacking coins the appropriate height using scale. They then explore the distance to objects in space such as satellites and the space...
NASA
Make a Planetary Exploration Balloon
Balloons aren't just for parties! An inquiry-based lesson explores the idea of using balloons for space exploration. Learners become engineers as they attempt to control the ascent and descent of a helium balloon using different masses.
PBS
Properties of Matter: Matter's Physical Properties | UNC-TV Science
Does gold really boil? Learn what temperature gold boils at and more using an animated activity about the properties of matter. Scientists learn about the properties of matter including examples of physical properties, the effect changes...
Bonneville
Simple Solar Tracker
Let the solar cells fight each other for supremacy! Given a functional solar tracker that moves toward light, groups copy the design to build their own devices. They use two sets of solar cells that have reverse polarization, so that the...
Museum of Science
Three Colors of Light
It only takes three colors. Using three-colored glow sticks, pupils observe what happens when colors of light mix together. Learners use the material from a red, green, and blue glow stick to mix together. By mixing small amount of the...
Museum of Science
Roller Coaster
Take a marble out for a roll. Using a section of flexible tubing, pupils build a roller coaster that will allow for a marble to act as the car. Learners create a loop, hill, and jump in their coasters by taping the tubing to different...
Museum of Science
Stomp Rocket
It doesn't take rocket science to launch a rocket. A fun activity has pupils build a rocket that launches when they stomp on a plastic bottle. They learn how the escaping compressed gas from the bottle causes the rocket to fly.
Museum of Science
Sound Sandwich
Not all sandwiches are tasty. Scholars use basic materials to build an instrument called a sound sandwich. They see how blowing on the instrument causes rubber bands to vibrate, which produces sound waves.
Museum of Science
Solar Cooker
A warm, sunny day is perfect for eating great food and learning about science at the same time. Future engineers build solar cookers to prepare food using the Sun's rays. They learn how energy converts from solar energy to thermal energy.
Museum of Science
Paddle Boat
Harness the power of rubber bands of all things. A hands-on activity has scholars design and build paddle boats. They learn how the elastic potential energy of rubber bands can be converted to the kinetic energy associated with motion.
Museum of Science
Static Cling
Cling to a lesson on static electricity. Pupils take part in experiments where they see how paper from hole punchers, packing peanuts, puffed rice cereal, and other items react when placed near a rubbed balloon. They learn how electrons...
Museum of Science
Egg Bungee
Think bungee jumping looks scary? Knowing the science behind bungee jumping might make it less so. Using an egg and rubber bands, young engineers model bungee jumping. They test the distances that the egg falls for different numbers of...
Museum of Science
Cloud in a Bottle
Perhaps one day humans will learn to control the weather. Future scientists simulate clouds and fog in a plastic bottle. They conduct an experiment where they place smoke and hot water in the bottle, then squeeze and release repeatedly....
Museum of Science
Design a Submarine
Don't just sink the boat. Using a closed container as a submarine, pupils experiment to see what to add to the container to make it float, sink to the bottom, and hover in the middle. After finding one option, learners see if they can...
Museum of Science
Hot Air Balloon
It is more than just blowing hot air. Pupils first build a hot air balloon out of tissue paper by cutting enough panels of tissue paper to form a balloon shape and glue the panels together. Using a hot air gun, individuals then inflate...
Museum of Science
Wind Turbine
Let the energy blow. Using mostly easily found material such as PVC pipe and fans, pupils build wind turbines. Scholars connect a multimeter to an electric motor to determine the amount of energy generated by their designs. Learners then...
Museum of Science
Cup Drop
Create egg drop soup. Teachers first set up eggs that are held up above cups of water with a piece of cardboard and cardboard tubes. Learners try to determine a way to get the eggs to drop into the cups. Using a broom, the instructor...