Activities, with a few suggestions, to add to your resources for teaching light. I presented this information at a workshop at the OSTAstate conference. The Evidence Statement for NGSS 1-PS4-2 suggests observations in a dark room, a pinhole box, or a video of a cave explorer. Objects in darkness can be seen only when illuminated. I don’t have those resources available so I cut a small hole in one end of a box and asked a child to look through the hole and tell me what is seen in the box. He can’t see anything because there’s so little light in the box …
Here’s a great collection of activities, with explanations and elaborations, that I hope will enrich your resources for teaching sound. I presented this information at a workshop at the OSTA state conference. One example in the Evidence Statement for NGSS 1-PS4-1 suggests using a tuning fork to show vibration. That’s a fun demonstration and you might add to the demo by showing a slow motion video of a vibrating tuning fork that touches water. Another video you might choose was created by the SloMo Guys. I like their videos but suggest you turn off the sound and discuss what’s seen because …
You’ll find this inexpensive product at my TpT store – students balance a butterfly. It can be a quick science activity, a take home activity, or an event for a family science night. Maybe you need an activity to add to your sub folder? You’ll need some cardstock, scissors, and pennies with tape or large paperclips. My product includes a PowerPointâ„¢ with copyright-free images of balancing objects. If you just need a pattern, you can find it here. Students could easily extend the activity using a bit of imagination and an index card to create a new object that balances easily. Then they share their …
It seems there are many at PBS who enjoy the month of Halloween like I do. Check out fourteen different fun lesson plans and videos that focus on math, problem solving, science, social studies, and literature using Halloween as the theme for kids PreK-12!
Astronaut Don Pettit created a series of videos called Saturday Morning Science that you’ll want to check out! He performs experiments, usually with water, in microgravity on the International Space Station. This resource could work for children of any age.
Here’s a channel with a short version of each video. My kids especially like seeing what happens when you add an effervescent tablet to a large bubble of water, how you can “eat” tea with chopsticks, and the behavior of a bubble of water in a bubble of air inside a bubble of water.
I just posted a new product Resources for Teaching about Buoyancy. Here’s the link that I included in the product. Check out the condiment diver, it just needs a pop bottle with water and a packet of ketchup. Families love the activity. Floating and sinking paperclips on a sheet of foil* can be a great way to start the year with a simple science activity. You might use this as a team building activity, practice for following directions, or that always fun open house with families as we start our school year. You just needs foil, paperclips, and dishpans of water. …
Let me make it easier if you’re planning to teach about the different kinds of rocks. I’ve created a product* that includes a website <= just click on this link and you’ll find activities, vocabulary, idioms, and suggestions for non-fiction books to add to your Earth science unit. * Included in the product: copyright free images, a glossary in English and Spanish, short texts that have been recorded, word walls with two sizes of paper and both English and Spanish terms, math worksheets for practicing basic computation, mazes, rules and game boards for playing mancala, and writing prompts.
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 …
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 …
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 …
