Bubble and Boyle

Even middle schoolers still enjoy experimenting with bubbles! They execute a series of experiments enabling them to distinguish between convex and concave surfaces, explore the properties of buoyancy, surface tension, and density,...

Students comprehend the physical properties of pressure and Boyle's Law by designing a depth gauge. They construct a capillary depth gauge and calculate the calibrated depth marks of the capillary tube. They determine the margin of error...

Focus on inquiry-based learning in your science class with a series of activities designed for middle schoolers. A helpful packet samples four different texts, which include activities about predator-prey relationships, Earth's axis and...

Build a floating vessel capable of carrying cargo. Groups create a vessel that floats and can carry at least 10 pennies to model a mass transit system. After learning about buoyancy, density, and energy, they redesign their vessels in...

Solid, liquid, or gas? Or all three? Young chemists make observations of dry ice and measure the pressure associated with its triple point. Pre-lab exercises include drawing Lewis structures and explaining bonding theories. An...

Physical science learners conduct a simple experiment using the heat of their hands to affect the fluid pressure. They place a balloon atop a freezing cold bottle and observe what occurs as it warms up. Both activities demonstrate how...

Students use materials found at a resource table to design simple devices that will house instruments to take water samples from a tub of water. They design 3 instruments, each varying in density so that one will float, one will hover...

Students design and build a floating vessel with its own propulsion system that will carry cargo across a wading pool.