Science Activities

1. Soil Erosion Experiment

          Essentially, in this experiment, you cut three identical plastic bottles and hot glue them to a board of some kind, the opening of the bottle hanging over the edge as shown in the picture. The first bottle is filled only with dirt. Bottle number two is filled with dirt and debris (bark, leaves, dead roots) is placed on top. Seeds are sown in the third bottle and grown. Once the third bottle's seeds have taken root, place the bottom of three cut bottles on the mouth of the bottles (acting as buckets). Next, students will poor water in the bottles. Students will then analyze the water that has ran out of the bottles into the buckets that are hung on the spouts.
           This is a process experiment that can be down over approximately two weeks. It could be adapted for any grade, depending on how the teacher has students analyze the water (using a recording sheet, writing a paragraph, creating a hypothesis, etc). Looking at standards, this could be used in several grades, teaching measurement, life science, etc.



2. Rain Rain Go Away
           This is yet another wonderfully simple activity. A great complement a unit on weather or the rain cycle, this activity demonstrates precipitation and what happens when a cloud becomes too heavy.
           The processes is simple. You take a clear glass and fill it with water. Next, you cover the top with shaving cream, as if a cloud. Taking your blue food coloring, drip the liquid until the "cloud" becomes too heavy to hold it and it begins to "rain" into the water below. That's it! Simple.




3. Mining for Magnets!
           A fantastic activity to do in a unit on magnets, all you need are some dried beans, a magnet wand, steel ringed chips or something else magnetic, such as paper clips, and a dish to pour it all into. Let the children begin to "mine" the objects out of the bin. This activity incorporates a sensory experience with science. You can even incorporate math by having students sort, count, or pattern the objects they mine.





4. It Feels...

           This is a fantastically simple activity for young children (pre-k or kindergarten). You could create this chart, of simple have different materials, such as these ten, for children to feel. You could even incorporate literature with this science experiment, by reading a book about touch. This activity would be a fantastic addition to any 5 Senses unit!



5. What Will Freeze First?

          For this activity you will need various liquids. They used ranch dressing, dish soap, chocolate syrup, milk, water, vinegar, and apple juice. You will also need an ice-cube tray, a freezer, and some form of a timer. This is an observation-based activity, meaning that you will set up the ice-cube tray, place it in the freezer, and set the timer. Every so often you will have the students check the ice-cube tray, making observations on which is freezing, how difficult they are to stir, etc. I think it is important to have students make predictions, first, before the tray is put in the freezer. In the end, you may have students write in their science journal what their final observations are.


6. Nature Color Hunt


         For this scavenger hunt, you will need an ice-cube tray or an empty egg carton, construction paper, and an outdoor space. First, have children cut out colors and line each section of their carton. After lining their carton, allow children to hunt for matching colors to place in that compartment. This is fantastic for sorting, incorporating science and math. You can also have students write about what they find, discussing attributes.



7. How to Make a Rock

          Fantastic for any geology unit, in just about any grade, this activity only needs sand, glue, pebbles, and a plastic cup. Taking your materials, you layer the sand, pebbles, and glue in the plastic cup. The hardest part of this activity is waiting for the glue to harden so you can see your awesome rock!



8. Make a Fossil from Glue!
        Appropriate for just about any grade level, this activity requires modeling clay, branches, seashells, bones, or any type of hard natural objects, and glue. It's best to have students collect these natural objects themselves, incorporating the power of choice. Using the objects, make an impression on the modeling clay. Remove the objects. Fill the impression with glue. The deeper the impression, the longer it will take for the glue to dry. Once the glue has dried, peel the glue from the clay. This dried glue is now your cast or mold of the original object!




9. Walking on Eggs

         This physical science activity focuses on how pressure is applied. You will need a plastic table cloth, 4-8 dozen eggs, and towels (just incase you have a few eggs break!). To set up the area, place the plastic table cloth on the ground, taping down the edges. Next, inspect the eggs for any cracks and turn them pointy side down into the carton. Sit the cartons on the plastic table cloth like a mini-runway. It is important to explain to your students how evenly distributed pressure will not break the eggs. This is different than when you crack an egg on a bowl.


10 Elephant Toothpaste

        A fun, potentially messy, science experiment, it's a good idea to wear a lab coat and goggles for this one. For Elephant Toothpaste you will need, 6% hydrogen peroxide, food coloring, yeast, warm water, dish soap, an empty plastic bottle, a funnel, and a large bowl to sit the bottle in.
        First, pour the peroxide into the bottle. Second, add the food coloring to the peroxide. Third, add dish soap to mixture and swish around. Fourth, combine water and yeast in a separate cup, mixing for about 30 seconds. Fifth, using the funnel, pour the yeast into the soap mixture and let the fun begin! The mixture is safe for children to touch. It will be warm because of the chemical reaction (water, oxygen, and soap).

Good Reads: Using quality literature in science

1. Neurology: The Amazing Central Nervous System by April Chloe Terrazas

         This book, along with the rest of Terrazas's books, focusing on everything from astrology to chemistry, breaks down science so that everyone (ages 0-100, says the cover) by comprehend. 

2. A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long

          Aston and Long have several books of this design. They are poetic and are beautifully illustrated, while being informational. 

3. Ouch! by Richard Walker

          "From blistering bee stings to pus-filled pimples, this eye-popping book takes readers on a virtual tour of all of the grossest, gooiest, and most fascinating events that bodies have to endure. This whole new take on the human body reference follows an average kid through a day of body mishaps. Featuring incredible 3-D graphics that reveal the action and body's response in microscopic detail, Ouch! Combines kid-friendly gross-out value with cutting-edge anatomical and biological expertise." --Goodreads

4. Autumn Leaves by Ken Robbins

            Ken Robbins presents readers with thirteen types of leaves with his hand-tinted photography. Simple captions compliment the pictures used.

5. The Story of Snow by Mark Cassino and Jon Nelson
             "How do snow crystals form? What shapes can they take? Are no two snow crystals alike? These questions and more are answered in this visually stunning exploration of the science of snow. Perfect for reading on winter days, the book features photos of real snow crystals in their beautiful diversity. Snowflake-catching instructions are also included." --Amazon

6. The Wolves Are Back by Jean Craighead George and Wendell Minor
             This is the true story about how wolves were persecuted in the United States until almost the point of extinction and how they were eventually bred and reintroduced into nature. The book discusses how wolves are important to the ecosystem. The illustrations are beautiful, as well.

7. Almost Astronauts by Tanya Lee Stone

             "What does it take to be an astronaut? Excellence at flying, courage, intelligence, resistance to stress, top physical shape — any checklist would include these. But when America created NASA in 1958, there was another unspoken rule: you had to be a man. Here is the tale of thirteen women who proved that they were not only as tough as the toughest man but also brave enough to challenge the government. They were blocked by prejudice, jealousy, and the scrawled note of one of the most powerful men in Washington. But even though the Mercury 13 women did not make it into space, they did not lose, for their example empowered young women to take their place in the sky, piloting jets and commanding space capsules. ALMOST ASTRONAUTS is the story of thirteen true pioneers of the space age." --Goodreads

8. Living Sunlight by Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm

             The focus of this book is the energy that we share with all living objects from plants to animals. It discusses how sunlight contributes life to living things.

9. Guess What Is Growing Inside This Egg by Mia Posada

             This book provides facts about eggs, how parents care for their eggs, and what kinds of animals lay eggs.

10. Bones: Skeletons and How They Work by Steve Jenkins

             Not only does this book discuss what bones are and what they are in our bodies for, but it also compares human bones to animal bones. The book is very visually appealing and is never tiring to read.

Science Blogs and Websites

1) Science for Kids
Science for kids is a blog ran by Sue Cahalane, an pre-K to 4 teacher with several science degrees. Her goal of this blog is simply to share science activities and ideas to teach children in a hands-on and fun approach. A lot of Mrs. Cahalane's activities are easy and use everyday household objects.



2) Smithsonian Education
The Smithsonian Education site is a great free resource for teachers, parents, and students independently. They provide lesson plans, games, and online activities for several subject areas, including science and technology.








3) A-B-Seymour
Created by a first grade teacher, A-B-Seymour is not only a blog created for science and technology activities, but for activities across curriculums. Ms. Seymour created her blog to promote fun and hands-on activities for her students. One science experiment she did while teaching her students about penguins involved them sticking their hands in a baggie of Crisco (blubber) which rested in a dish of ice water. She then asked her students if they could feel the cold. They all said they couldn't, demonstrating how penguins stay warm in the icy waters. Activities like this one help students visualize concepts within their own world.

4) Inspiration Laboratories
A play based-science blog, Inspiration Laboratories is ran by Trisha. Although not currently a teacher, Trisha has tons of great activities for young students from measurement experiments to science experiments incorporating ice and snow. Her blog is easy to navigate and is the perfect resource for classroom and at home activities, especially for the younger grades!

5) No Time For Flashcards
This is absolutely one of my favorite blogs to find science activities. Founder Allison McDonald's goal is to create fun in learning. Looking through all of her activities, I think she reached her goal. Her activities are engaging for both students and the adults directing them.



6)Discover Explore Learn
A website for the use of both teachers and parents, Discover Explore Learn was founded by Sharon Nelson. The goal of her website is to create cheap, engaging, and simple activities for exploration.


7) Buggy and Buddy
Under "Discover & Explore" you can find tons of science activities for children. Some of these experiments include an egg drop, observing bulb growth, and even dissecting beans. Founder Chelsea creates hands-on and engaging science experiments that can be used and adapted for any grade.





8) Fireflies and Mudpies

Melissa's page "Kids in Nature" is a wealth of resources for outdoor and nature activities. Several of these activities incorporate math, as well and can be done at home or at school.

9) KinderLearningGarden
This Pinterest page is loaded with excellent science activities. Their activities are organized by months, making it super easy to look through and plan with. KinderLearningGarden also has a blog with loads more goodies.

10) Little Miss Hypothesis
This website is LOADED with resources and activities for teachers. There are fantastic ideas for tools, such as "magnet investigation tools" which consist of a round magnet glued onto the end of a popsicle stick! How awesome. There are several investigation box ideas, as well. Some of these are about magnets and describing properties of objects.

A good motto for any science class, young or old.

Welcome!

Over the next few weeks, or perhaps much longer, I will be using this blog as a portfolio for a science and technology methods course. Please feel free to use the resources posted.

Enjoy!

P.S. Here is a picture of my adorable puppy for your viewing pleasure.