Mystery Minerals

Young geologists discover the important role that rocks and minerals play in our everyday lives through this series of hands-on activities. Starting off with a lesson that defines the difference between plants, animals, and minerals,...

Take young geologists on an exploration of the rock cycle with this six-lesson earth science unit on rocks and minerals. Through a series of discussions, demonstrations, and hands-on investigations your class will learn about the...

Students identify and describe rocks that contain records of the earth's history and explain how they were formed. They formulate questions about and identify needs and problems related to objects and events in the environment, and...

Get things cooking with the first lesson in this series on the science of food. Working in small groups, young scientists make and record observations about different mystery foods. These descriptions are then shared with the class and...

Students explore the importance of vitamins and minerals to the body. In this nutrients instructional activity, students conduct an experiment to find out what happens to bones if they don't get enough calcium, solve vitamin mysteries,...

Send youngsters home to survey how they use water in their homes. Then bring them together to discuss which uses are essential for our health and which are not. A helpful video offers teaching tips for this lesson, and a presentation...

Fourth graders describe the difference between minerals (composed of the same substance throughout) and rocks (composed of two or more minerals). They recognize that there are three classes of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic

Turn a nighttime toe stubbing into an informative discussion about the properties of matter. An intriguing physical science video encourages learners to use their knowledge of matter and mass to identify a mystery object based on...

Students review the properties of rocks and minerals. In this geology lesson, students distinguish between rocks and minerals. Students also classify the rocks as igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary.

Students examine water and what causes it to become hard.  In this water lesson students use the soap test and determine the mineral content and hardness of a sample of water.