Students apply their knowledge of friction, drag, mass and gravity as they design, build, and test mini-bobsleds.

Students, working in groups, design and create a model of a playground shelter, based on specific criteria. Student designs must include research and analysis into weather conditions, safety factors and the cost of the finalized project.

Get a little batty with life science! This fun simulation game replicates how bats use echolocation to hunt moths in their native Hawaiian habitat. After creating blind folds and discussing some basic principles of echolocation, students...

Students describe how shoe design, manufacturing, retailing, consumer use, and disposal impact environments and societies. They discuss ways to reduce, reuse, or recycle resources in the life-cycle for a shoe product.

Young scholars create with sticks and stones. In this early childhood lesson plan, students use their problem-solving skills to make houses out of items they find outdoors.

Learners investigate house structures by examining photographs.  For this architecture lesson, students read the book Houses and Homes, analyzing the different structures and materials.  Learners utilize mud to create model...

Illuminate your playground with chaulk images. Young aratists use the web to research the work of Keith Haring. Groups then design their own piece of visual art and recreate their images on the school sidewalks of blacktop.

Learners map their playground as if it were an archeological site. They locate objects on the playground and determine their location using coordinate points. A related instructional activity is Coordinate Grid: Mapping an Archeological...

Fourth graders examine the types of garbage that they collect on the playground. They collect the information in a spreadsheet and create a graph that displays the number of types of trash found. They design and monitor a playground...

Learners explore stress and strength in engineering design. In this engineering lesson plan, students become familiar with terminology associated with stress and strain on building material. They will have a class discuss about how their...

Students study and identify different types of simple machines and how they work. They design a simple machine.

Learners create bleached designs with the sun's bright light. In this early childhood science instructional activity, students use their observation and prediction skills as they explore the sun's bleaching power.

Students investigate what materials allow them to slide down a slide the fastest. They set up test procedures and carry out an experiment.

Get your learners up and moving, all while reviewing numbers on the number line! For this activity, learners are grouped in teams outdoors. The teacher will have already created number lines on the ground (with chalk, tape, etc.), and...

If you can find Tinker Toys™, then this may be a fun assignment for your physical science class. Using the construction set and a few other toys, they examine the forces involved when it they are being played with. For each, they...

Class members simulate a watershed with a painters drop cloth, placing objects underneath to create landscape variation, making "rain" with a watering can, and using red drink mix powder to track the path of precipitation. They observe...

Elementary schoolers examine the uses of rulers, scales, and measuring cups. They determine the criteria for the use of each tool and visit different areas of school to find items that can be measured with these tools. Everyone takes...

Students explore wind energy by making a pinwheel to model a wind turbine. They experiment with their turbine by placing it in different locations for optimal energy.

Students explore two-dimensional and solid shapes. In this shapes and patterns geometry lesson, students work with a partner to create identifiable objects using tangrams. Students describe the attributes of their shape and their partner...

First graders build a terrarium in order to observe animal and plant life dynamics. In this biology activity, 1st graders compare how organisms survive in different environments. They write their observations and analysis in their journal.

Students discover what simple machines are and identify a gear, a pulley, and a lever. In teams, they build at least two models each of simple machines and challenge them with specific instruction cards. Finally, students present and...

Students examine how water travels in and out of houses through pipes. They discover how water is treated and discuss the importance of the treatment centers. They participate in an experiment with different size piping and water.

Learners create multi-sensory scavenger hunt worksheet to be used on a scavenger hunt throughout the schoolyard habitat area to introduce students to concepts of biodiversity and interdependence within a habitat.

Students explore the properties of matter. In this properties of materials lesson, students examine wood, metal, rubber, Styrofoam, and plastic. Students identify the attributes of each of the materials.