Activity
Museum of Science

Straw Bridges

For Teachers K - 6th
There is never a bridge too far. Using common items, class members build bridges to span an opening. Pupils test different geometric shapes to determine which is the strongest. Learners use pennies to find the strength of their bridges...
Activity
University of Waikato

Observing Water's Thin 'Skin'

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Keep the tension up in the classroom. The class first observes as the teacher creates a dome of water above a glass by adding paperclips into an already full glass. Classmates then work in pairs to see how many drops of water can fit...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Gratitude and the Environment

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
A class discussion begins a two-part lesson about gratitude and the environment. In part one, learners watch a video then share their feelings about its most memorable moment. Delving deep into the meaning of gratitude, scholars create...
Activity
Las Cumbres Observatory

Return to Earth: Build a Lander

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Earth to all instructors: Here's a resource to use about spacecraft. After learning about gravity and air resistance, scholars create landers with padding to help capsules land safely on Earth. They test their creations by placing a raw...
Lesson Plan
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NASA

Natural Resources on Earth

For Teachers K - 6th
Natural resources do not always occur so naturally. Lead classes through a thorough set of lessons investigating the natural resources important for plants. Learners complete a series of worksheets as they explore the information and...
Activity
Las Cumbres Observatory

Astronaut Training: Dexterity

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
How do astronauts do anything with those gloves on? Learners mimic what astronauts need to overcome as they complete puzzles while wearing multiple gloves. They time themselves and use the information to draw conclusions about the...
Activity
Las Cumbres Observatory

Astronaut Training: Taste

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Gravity isn't the only thing astronauts lose in space. Learners investigate why astronauts complain about a loss of taste while in space in a hands-on activity. They taste test foods while limiting their other senses and rate each food...
Interactive
Las Cumbres Observatory

Down2Earth: Making Impact Craters

For Students 3rd - 10th
Is the sky falling? Learners use a simulator to modify the mass and velocity of asteroids and collect data on how they influence the diameter and depth of the impact crater. They use their results to draw conclusions and make predictions...
Activity
Las Cumbres Observatory

Play Bingo with Charles Messier

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Let's play an out-of-this-world Bingo game! Using pre-made Bingo cards and an online randomizer, host a game of Bingo to practice identifying the objects of the cosmos. Pupils must match a picture shown to a similar picture on their...
Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Modeling Eclipses with Size and Distance Scales

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Size within the solar system is a difficult thing for pupils to imagine. Using everyday objects, they build models to show the scale between the sun, moon, and Earth. They situate their props in proportional distances between the objects...
Activity
California Academy of Science

Paper Cup Planetarium

For Students 2nd - 6th
Bring the night sky to your classroom! Using simple materials, learners create flashlight constellations on the wall. They then use their imaginations to create their own star patterns that tell a story.
Activity
University of Waikato

Water Runoff

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Teachers demonstrate water runoff on a hill and its effect on soil erosion. Pupils observe as the instructor changes the steepness of the hill and see whether vegetation covers the soil. Learners then use their observations to make...
Activity
University of Waikato

Buoyancy in Water

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Change where an object floats in water. Pupils experiment with a Cartesian diver by squeezing on the side of a plastic bottle. Learners pay attention to the bulb of the pipette as the bottle is squeezed to determine what is happening...
Activity
University of Waikato

Investigating Sea Level Rise

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Find an explanation for the sea level rise. Pupils investigate the difference that melting land ice and sea ice have on the sea level. Groups create two models—one with ice on land and one with ice in the water. As the ice melts, teams...
Activity
University of Waikato

Growing Soil Microbes

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
View how microbes grow in soil. Class members first create a Winogradsky column to grow bacteria. They then set up the column of mud in a plastic bottle and include a food source for the microbes and observe the column of mud over the...
Activity
University of Waikato

Make and Use a Hydrophone

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Using a home-built hydrophone, pupils investigate how things sound in water. Learners listen to sounds created in air and then compare that to the same sound picked up by the hydrophone. Individuals compare the loudness and the pitch of...
Activity
University of Waikato

Density

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Will the block float? Pupils take measurements to calculate the volume of various blocks of different materials. Using a scale, they determine the mass of each block and then calculate their densities. Scholars finish by ranking the...
Activity
University of Waikato

Investigating Bubbles

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Bubbles are not always trouble. Pupils investigate surface tension in water and bubble mixtures by blowing bubbles and recording observations. Learners then create bubble wands of different shapes from pipe cleaners and observe the shape...
Activity
University of Waikato

Groundwater Contamination

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Scientists study how pollution occurs in hopes of minimizing its effects. A quick activity shows how point and non-point source pollution enters groundwater and aquifers. Learners mimic the phenomenon with models that show how rain...
Activity
University of Waikato

Hubbub Estuary

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Estuaries attract people—and that can mean trouble. Learners use video and article resources to learn about the struggles of specific estuaries. They follow their discussion with an analysis of an estuary by identifying possible threats.
Activity
University of Waikato

Constructing an Aquifer

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Rainwater doesn't stay where it falls. Learners use modeling to demonstrate how rainwater disperses once it hits the ground. The activity includes an investigation of the height of the water table in an aquifer and how it is affected by...
Activity
University of Waikato

Ocean Acidification and Eggshells

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Eggshells and seashells have a lot in common. Learners use the similarities to conduct an experiment that models the effect of ocean acidification on marine animals. Using varying levels of acidic liquids, pupils make observations on the...
Activity
University of Waikato

Building a Water Cycle

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Bring the water cycle to life with in the classroom. Young scientists use household materials to create and monitor a water cycle model. They record changes in the water levels and make observations of where and how fast precipitation...
Activity
University of Waikato

Looking at Water - Solid, Liquid, or Gas

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Here's a tip: only one substance is commonly found as a solid, liquid, and gas. Learners use that knowledge as they investigate the properties of water in each state. They interact with water in each of its three phases and record what...