The state of molecules is changing. Young actors and actresses perform the process of phase change in front of the class. They assume the roles of water molecules and, as a group, show how the behavior of the molecules in the solid,...

Get close up and personal with a drop of water to discover how the polarity of its molecules affect its behavior. Elementary hydrologists split and combine water droplets, and also compare them to drops of oil. Much neater than placing a...

Take young scientists on a trip through the water cycle with this interactive science activity. After setting up a series of ten stations representing the different places water can be found, children use the included printable dice...

Young scientists know that water is H2O, but can they prove it? Through a simple electrolysis of water demonstration, scholars see the two gases produced as a result of a chemical reaction. Because this reaction doesn't happen...

Tiny bubbles, in my...clouds? Offer youngsters a hands-on, visual learning experience when reviewing the scientific concepts of condensation, water vapor, and the collection of droplets that make up clouds.

Let knowledge of chemistry flow like water. Future scientists conduct two different experiments to investigate the properties of water. They learn about surface tension and cohesion as they see how many drops of water they can place on a...

Discover the properties of water-loving and water-hating surfaces. In the seventh installment of a nine-part series, scholars explore hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces by conducting an experiment. They observe surface coatings,...

The Lotus Effect ... is it not some kind of yoga pose. In the last installment of a nine-part series, young scientists observe the Lotus Effect on lotus leaves and water-repellent cloths. They observe how motion and damage affect the...

Do polar opposites attract? After an introduction on the polarity of molecules, pupils are asked to design a self-assembling model using materials with different polarity. The challenge should motivate learners to develop a workable...

Turn up the heat. Individuals conduct two experiments to observe the difference between heated water and air versus cold water and air. Using food coloring, pupils observe the movement of the molecules in the two temperatures of water. A...

Slime is more than just a fun pastime. Learners study the bonding of polymers using a mixture of glue, borax, and water. They then explore the properties of the slime and learn how the polymers in glue bond with ions in borax.

Sure, your learners know water is made up of two molecules, but watching them separate helps the class see the construction like never before. This resource provides directions on how to build a simple electrolysis device using a...

Help! Someone's trying to take my DNA! An interesting lab experiment has scholars use basic materials to extract DNA. By applying ethanol, cold water, and a protease enzyme, like pineapple juice, they pull strands of DNA from peas,...

Does it feel a little humid in here? Learners assume the role of water vapor in the atmosphere as they explore the differences between warm and cold air. They roll dice to determine their level of energy, which determines if they...

Electrify your science class with this simple electrolysis experiment. After first reading about hydrogen and its potential as an alternative energy source, a demonstration is performed showing young scientists how water molecules can be...

In lab groups, young scientists place aluminum cans with a bubble-solution cap into different temperatures of water to see what size of bubble dome forms. As part of an atmosphere unit in preparation for learning about convection...

Investigate a heated topic in environmental science. Scholars team up to play the parts of gas molecules in the atmosphere. As the teacher moves about, acting as the electromagnetic wave, learners react as their molecules would to the...

What constitutes a good soap bubble? In the second installment of a nine-part series, scholars apply their understanding of surface tension to soap bubbles. They experiment to determine the best solutions to use for the...

Where does the mass for a growing tree come from? Scholars consider a few different hypotheses and guess which is correct. They then analyze data from different experiments to understand which concepts science supports.

Sugar isn't good for you, but it's great for microbes. A simple experiment has pupils investigate the digestion of starch by microbes to produce sugars. They apply two bacterial cultures, an amylase solution, and distilled water on a...

Using helium as an example of propane, physical science middle schoolers experiment with and graph the relationship between temperature and volume in gases. In a whole-class demonstration, they show how molecules behave under different...

Mold your learners into materials engineers. Using glue, Borax, and water, scholars create a viscoelastic material. But your class might know it by another name—Silly Putty.

Seventh grade scientists weigh in on the concept of density. In a nutshell, they participate in the following activities: Measurement of the mass and volume of fruit in order to compare densities Measurement of the mass of oil and water...

Use food coloring in electrophoresis. The last segment in a four-part series mimics DNA fingerprinting by using chromatography. Teams conduct chromatography on food coloring to find colors that use similar pigmentation in their makeup.