BTS Sale
We have seven great back to school products on sale for less than half price that will make it easy to set up your classroom for the new year. Choose from space alien kids, fabulous fish, or super heroes. Enjoy!
Category: Classroom Clues
Ideas, strategies, and resources that can make teaching easier and more efficient.
Christmas in July sale!
Just a heads up if you are interested in saving on new resources. TpT is having a Christmas in July sale that continues for just a few more days. I put my 24 “Resources for Teaching about …” products on sale for just $1 each for the next three days! At TpT I’ve had to use categories to narrow my search for new resources to add to my collection and I’ve found so many fun choices. Enjoy!
Quick Science: Bernoulli’s Principle #3
Another fun demonstration to add to a science unit, use for a science night, or show students just for fun. No prep time or materials? Use the videos at the end of this post to prompt a conversation about science! Depending on the age of your students this could be demonstrated by a small team of capable students. All you need is two balloons of the same size, about a meter of string, and a drinking straw. The materials are so common students will be able to repeat the activity at home. 🙂 Inflate two balloons to the same size. Tie …
Quick Science: Bernoulli’s Principle #2
Need a quick thought provoking demonstration that inspires a conversation in your classroom? Perhaps another activity to demonstrate air pressure that will enrich your weather or physics unit? All you’ll need is a wooden spool, an index card, and a thumbtack. Take a deep breath and exhale slowly to show students the power of air or let Dr. Boyd F Edwards demonstrate it for you! Trim a 3†x 5†index card in half to create a 3†x 2.5†card. Push a tack into the center of the card.  Place the point of the tack into the tube in the center of a wooden …
Quick Science: Bernoulli’s Principle #1
It’s April, almost May. Need a quick activity to punch up the enthusiasm in your science class? This activity could be part of a weather unit with air and wind. It could be added to a physics unit about force and air pressure. It’s a great demonstration that students can share with family members at a science night or open house. Â Turn on the hair dryer and aim the flow of air up. Carefully balance a ping-pong ball in the stream of air. Gently tilt the hair dryer. How far can you tilt the hair dryer before the ball …
Quick Science: Toys in Space Videos
Here’s an amazing resource I added to the Newton’s Laws web page – sixteen short videos posted by NASA that you’ll want to show your students. Each video introduces a common toy and demonstrates how it’s used on Earth and then on the International Space Station.
Check It Out! Paper Helicopters
Cut and fold paper to create a helicopter that spins as it’s dropped to the floor. Create a second helicopter but this time change the size or mass of the helicopter. It can be hard to time a helicopter as it drops so consider dropping the two helicopters to determine if the change affects how the helicopter falls to the floor. For more about this activity, check out these resources: eGFI Dream Up the Future or a FREEBIE created by Bryce Hixson. My students enjoy this activity so much I included it in my Pushes and Pulls product at TpT.
Check It Out! Leaning Tower of Pasta
Here’s another activity to consider that requires less common materials, raw spaghetti and miniature marshmallows. You’ll want to set aside time if your students love this activity like mine do. Suggested grade level is sixth. Younger students might struggle with being patient and handling small materials. If you have younger students you might use tape instead of marshmallows to create towers. After your students complete their structures consider, if space allows, leaving them out on a shelf. As the marshmallows dry the structures remain intact. Kids love seeing their work displayed in the room! You might view this TED talk to find out why kindergarten students are better at this kind of …
Check It Out! Build a Tower
Need a quick activity that requires only newspaper and tape? Maybe an activity for a family science night? www.flickr.com/photos/vinzcha/ / CC BY 2.0 Consider this online resource adapted from PBS that combines science and engineering. It includes a clearly written procedure, vocabulary, background, and suggestions for an assessment. It could be completed by teams of engineer/scientists in your classroom! My students love this activity. The site suggests 20 minutes but my students always ask for more time to try variations they’ve seen other teams attempt. That’s what scientists do right, build on each other’s work?
Resources for Snowflakes
Learning about snowflakes is an easy way to integrate math, science, and art. It’s been snowing where I live so I decided to publish a new product for TPT: Simply Science, Resources for Teaching about Snowflakes. To thank you for following my blog, I’m sending you the link to the web page that was created just for this product. You’ll find online sites that let kids cut out their own snowflakes and then they can save, email, or download their snowflakes for printing. No scraps of leftover paper! Also, there’s information about the science of snowflakes and suggestions for making large paper …