Activity
Teach Engineering

Household Energy Audit

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Do you have an energy hog in your home? Individuals pick at least one room at home to determine the amount of energy the appliances consume. Using that information, pupils fill out a worksheet to determine the cost of running each...
Activity
MENSA Education & Research Foundation

Pi Day Fun!

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
In this multi-faceted introduction to pi, participants perform a bevy of pi-related activities. Ranging from measuring household items to singing pi songs and reading pi stories, this fun and non-intimidating resource serves to bring up...
Activity
PBS

Parachute Parade

For Students 3rd - 7th
Sail to the ground with a parachute activity! Kids construct parachutes out of household items and a toy figure, after brainstorming the best way to reduce drag. Once they test their parachutes, they can adjust their projects to...
Activity
NOAA

It All Runs Downhill

For Students 3rd - 5th
Examine how pollution makes its way into an ocean with help from a model watershed. Scholars use household items to recreate a mini-watershed, equipped with pollutants, that when mixed with rain drain into a model's body of...
Activity
DiscoverE

Make Your Own Glue

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
You won't regret being stuck with this activity. By mixing a variety of household items, pupils create their own glue. They test the tensile strength of their glue and compare it to that of other adhesives.
Activity
PBS

Primary Source Set: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
What did Jo write her stories with? How did the March sisters dress? A primary source set designed for Louisa May Alcott's Little Women prompts learners to look over images of household items and clothes from the 1860s before...
Activity
DiscoverE

Arts and Engineering Activity Packet: Grades 3-5

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Art and science sometimes go hand in hand. A set of four activities for learners in grades 3-5 teaches engineering concepts as part of art projects. Class members build homemade robots, elastic puppets, musical instruments, and...
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DiscoverE

Everyday Engineering: Water Pollution Clean Up

For Students K - 12th
Water, water, everywhere, but pollution is a major problem. Scholars design a filtration device or process that removes dirt and other particles from water. They use various household objects such as marbles, cotton balls, or coffee...
Activity
Smithsonian Institution

How Would You Design a Lighthouse?

For Teachers K - 3rd Standards
Guide the way to a better understanding of lighthouses. Young scholars first read a story about lighthouse and consider the problem that lighthouses try to solve. They then identify parts of a lighthouse and draw daymark patterns. As a...
Activity
PBS

Reading Adventure Pack: Music

For Parents K Standards
Music is the focus of the reading adventure pack. After reading, pupils complete hands-on activities. Scholars use household items to make shakers and cymbals. They listen to eclectic music by turning on the radio, borrowing music from...
Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Guess That Spice

For Teachers 1st - 7th Standards
From medical treatments to cooking, people have been using herbs and spices for thousands of years. Perform a blind smell test of household herbs and spices to engage students in learning about ancient spice trading. Research the history...
Activity
PBS

Predicting/Making a Hypothesis

For Teachers 6th - 12th
As an introduction to the hypothesis and testing method of investigation, young history detectives engage in a special investigation of a family artifact. After watching a short video that demonstrates the method, they develop a...
Activity
Grand Erie District School Board

Model Cell Project

For Teachers 6th - 8th
If you're finishing up a unit on cells, here's a great project to get kids collaborating and recalling what they've learned in a fun and tangible way. Small groups create plant or animal cells out of materials they have at home. They use...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Those Who Have Come Before Me

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Class members are transformed into explorers as they work in groups to locate hidden items and map their journey along the way. They then leave clues for other groups of students to follow, and ultimately discover how past explorations...
Activity
Teach Engineering

Watt Meters to Measure Energy Consumption

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
It used watt amount of energy? This resource investigates the power usage of small household appliances. Using a watt meter, groups measure the actual wattage used by an appliance and then calculate the energy used daily. 
Lesson Plan
UAF Geophysical Institute

Carbon Footprint

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Your young environmentalists can calculate their carbon footprint and discuss ways to reduce it with a worksheet about climate change. After reading a handout about what impact one's carbon footprint can have on the environment, kids...
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1
1
Teach Engineering

Red Cabbage Chemistry

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Using the natural pH indicator of red cabbage juice, groups determine the pH of different everyday liquids. As they work, pupils gain an understanding of pH that may help deal with contaminants in the water supply. 
Activity
American Chemical Society

Exploring Energy

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
When asked to list everyday objects that require energy, most people list technology that use batteries or electricity. Through hands-on exploration, young scientists discover energy is much more than just circuitry. They play with...
Activity
5280 Math

Interesting Times

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Gain a little interest in functions with a real-life task. Young scholars analyze home loan data with a geometric sequence and series. They use the models to make predictions about the total loan payments at certain intervals in a...
Activity
Digital Public Library of America

The American Whaling Industry

For Teachers 6th - 12th
When thinking about the American whaling industry most imagine Moby Dick and Nantucket sleigh rides, harpoons and scrimshaw, whale-oil lamps and baleen in women's corsets. But it may come as a surprise that the industry was also...
Activity
IMAX

Hubble

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Explore what it takes to service the Hubble telescope. In the set of three activities, groups investigate several aspects of the Hubble telescope, including robotic arms used during repairs, spacesuits, and extravehicular activity (EVA)...
Lesson Plan
Space Race

Sensory Detectives

For Teachers Pre-K - 2nd Standards
Test your learners' sensory awareness with three hands-on activities that ask pupils to use their other senses to identify and describe everyday objects hidden from sight.  
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1
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Teach Engineering

Density Column Lab - Part 2

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
Groups suspend objects within layers of liquids to determine the densities of different liquids and compare them to the densities of objects calculated in Part 1. The groups then carefully test their calculations by layering the...
Activity
PBS

Pbs Kids: Science Rocks: Air Lift

For Students 3rd - 8th
Through this experiment, students are challenged to lift a book (and other items) with just air. Requires simple household items, gallon-size, zipper-lock plastic bag, book, pencil, drinking straw, and tape.