Activity
Las Cumbres Observatory

Calculating the Age of Solar System Objects

For Teachers 6th - 10th
The number of craters on the surface of solar system objects has a direct correlation to its age. Learners use the concept to determine the age of several objects in the solar system. Using satellite images, they count craters within a...
Activity
Las Cumbres Observatory

Craters in the Classroom

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Laws of motion apply both in space and on Earth. Young experimenters model object impact on the Earth and moon. They use data to determine the effect mass and velocity have on the resulting craters and how that relates to the energy of...
Activity
Las Cumbres Observatory

Create a Hubble Tuning Fork Diagram

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Add a little color to the universe. Learners recreate images of the galaxies using real data and Photoshop software. They display their images in a Hubble tuning fork diagram by classifying and categorizing their shapes.
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

Plotting an Asteroid Light Curve

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Data can tell us a lot about celestial objects that are just too far away to study otherwise. Learners examine data on the brightness of an asteroid to predict its rotation rate. Graphing the data reveals a periodic pattern that allows...
Activity
Las Cumbres Observatory

Plotting a Supernova Light curve

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Supernovas burn for a short time but can give scientists extensive information about the universe. Learners analyze given data about the change in the light magnitude of a supernova. They look for patterns in the data and use them to...
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Fighting Dinos

For Students 6th - 12th
A famous fossil of fighting dinosaurs holds as many questions as answers. Scholars first analyze the fossil itself by virtually highlighting the specific bones of the dinosaurs and read about their function and importance. They then test...
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

What Do You Know About Virtual Water?

For Students 6th - 12th
Did you know you can conserve water by drinking tea instead of coffee? Learn about other products that use larger amounts of virtual water in an online lesson. Pupils complete a series of questions to test their understanding of the...
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

The Amazing Mundo

For Students 6th - 12th
Rocks and minerals are great on their own, but they also turn into some pretty amazing stuff! An online lesson explains the different types of materials we get from rocks and minerals, including glass, plastic, and coins. An embedded...
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Anatomy Adventure

For Students 6th - 12th
Sometimes science is puzzling. Using an online animation, individuals manipulate skeletal bones of an ancient species to recreate its skeleton. Learners complete the skeletal puzzle and learn about the process of paleontology in person...
Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Buried Bones

For Students 6th - 12th
Patience is the name of the game. Using Plaster of Paris and chicken bones, learners simulate an archeological dig site. They excavate the chicken bones over a period of several days using tools and a large amount of patience.
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Pterosaurs: The Card Game

For Students 6th - 12th
Piecing together the past is a challenging endeavor. Learners get a taste of that challenge as they play a game that incorporates several components such as trophic levels, geological time periods, and catastrophic events. Pairs work to...
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

What Do You Know About PaleontOLogy?

For Students 6th - 12th
Believe it or not, some dinosaurs are not extinct. Discover this and other interesting facts about dinosaurs in a 10-question online quiz. As individuals answer questions, the resource provides them with feedback and additional facts...
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Journey to the Bottom of the Sea

For Students 6th - 12th
Properties of water make it essential for the life of marine species. Learners complete an online game to answer questions about the role water fulfills for organisms in ocean habitats. The game emphasizes the properties of water and how...
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Brain Power

For Students 6th - 12th
Did you know it's possible to train your brain to work better? Learners use brain games to try to do just that. The games test vision and memory and give them the opportunity to improve their scores. The lesson works as an in-class...
Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Web of Life Game

For Students 6th - 12th
Get caught in a web of learning. Classmates play a game to build a web to model the interaction of species that live in a specific ecosystem. They each assume the role of one species and work together, passing a ball of twine to indicate...
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

Melting Glacial Ice

For Teachers 6th - 12th
There are many factors that affect how fast the glaciers are melting. A lab investigation has learners examine how the surrounding water affect the rate glaciers melt. They collect data from two samples of ice to determine how quickly...
Activity
University of Waikato

Testing Water for Nitrate

For Teachers 6th - 12th
How much is too much nitrate in the water? Young scientists discuss the question after they run their own nitrate tests. They also consider sources of nitrates and offer explanations for the levels.
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

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...
Activity
University of Waikato

Build a Marine Food Web

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Dive into a lesson on marine ecosystem interactions. Individuals learn about and devise a marine food web. The resource provides organism cards and pupils use article resources to discover interactions before modeling them in a food web.
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Life in the City

For Students 6th - 12th
Believe it or not, biodiversity exists even in areas of disturbed habitat. An interactive activity challenges learners to look for species with a magnifying lens in an image of a city habitat. Pop-up images and descriptions explain how...