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COLORFUL MILK SCIENCE Chemistry
Learn what's actually in your milk and a little about how dish soap works in this quick, colorful activity. Read more... Inspired by: Fortunately, the Milk |
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BUG HUNT! Biology
Learn the characteristics of insects and arthropods, then go on a bug hunt to see how many different types you can identify in your own yard or a local park. Read more... Inspired by: James and the Giant Peach |
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RAINBOW SCIENCE Physics, Optics
Make your own rainbows using a flashlight and a CD, and learn a little more about where rainbows really come from and how they're formed. Read more... Inspired by: James and the Giant Peach |
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HOMEMADE GEARS Physics/Mechanical Engineering
Learn the mechanics and principles of how gears work, and make your own gears using cardstock and a cork board. Read more... Inspired by: Goblin Secrets |
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MAKING RECYCLED PAPER Environmental Science/Chemistry
Learn the basics of how paper is recycled, and make your own recycled paper using old paper (of course), corn starch, and water. Read more... Inspired by: Ida B |
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THE WORLD-FAMOUS MENTOS GEYSER Chemistry/Physics
Use Mentos candy and diet soda to make an impressive geyser! Is there a chemical reaction happening or not? The answer might surprise you... Read more... Inspired by: Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things |
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LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY: SEPARATING PLANT PIGMENTS
Biology/Chemistry Why do leaves change color in the fall, and are those colors there all along? See what other colors are hiding in the "green" leaves around your yard. Read more... Created by: ecologist Heather Hawke Inspired by: The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z |
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LEAF HUNT Biology
Learn to distinguish between three types of conifers, then go on a leaf hunt to see how many different types you can identify in your own yard or a local park. Read more... Inspired by: The Ellie McDoodle Diaries: Have Pen, Will Travel |
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MAKING FOSSILS Paleontology/Geology
Learn how fossils are formed, then make your own fossils using clay, plaster, and whatever you want to "fossilize"--shells, plastic bugs, leaves, etc. Read more... Inspired by: Ivy + Bean Break the Fossil Record |
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BIRD BEHAVIOR SCAVENGER HUNT Biology
Print off the bird behavior list and get outside! See if you can find birds singing, flying, feeding, bathing, chasing, perching...a fun list of behaviors for these fascinating creatures! Read more... Created by: biologist Kate Grandison Inspired by: Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95 by Phillip Hoose |
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DESERT ANIMAL OLYMPICS Biology
Measure, race, and play to see if you can jump as far as a kangaroo rat or lift as much as a leafcutter ant or rhinoceros beetle. Run a scorpion relay race, do a headstand like the headstand beetle, and print yourself a Desert Animal Olympics gold medal! Read more... Inspired by: One Day in the Desert by Jean Craighead George |
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GRAPHING WATER POLLUTION Environmental Science
Using a bag of Skittles as your "water sample", learn where water pollution comes from, how it's analyzed, and what you can do to help! Read more... Created by: Hope Braithwaite from USU Water Quality Extension Inspired by: Flush by Carl Hiaasen |
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THINK LIKE AN ANIMAL Biology
Take a page out of Temple Grandin's book and practice thinking like an animal. See if you can figure out a problem for animals around you, then think like that animal to invent a solution to that problem! Read more... Inspired by: Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World by Sy Montgomery |
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WEIGHT AND MASS Physics
Learn the difference between weight and mass--there really is a difference! Make a balance to experiment with weight and mass and to approximate the mass of objects. Read more... Inspired by: Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary |
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MAGNIFYING GLASS MAGIC Physics, Optics
Learn a little about how a magnifying glass works, then do a cool trick to turn an image upside-down and backwards with your magnifying glass! Read more... Inspired by: The Magic Half by Annie Barrows |
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FIZZY LEMONADE Chemistry
Make your own lemonade while watching a fun chemical reaction and learning about states of matter and what really happens when solids dissolve. Read more... Inspired by: The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies |
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THE SCIENCE OF ICE Chemistry
Learn why ice floats, why it preserves things, and why we sprinkle salt on icy roads with this double ice experiment. Read more... Inspired by: Icefall by Matthew Kirby and Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater |
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SNOW ICE CREAM Chemistry
Learn about states of matter while making tasty ice cream using snow as the main ingredient! Read more... Created by: Chelsea Gambles Inspired by: Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan |
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SNOWFLAKES AND SYMMETRY Physics, Math
Learn about hexagonal symmetry, then make paper snowflakes that actually have six points! Challenge yourself by predicting what the snowflake will look like before you unfold, or by imagining a snowflake and figuring out how to make it! Read more... Inspired by: Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu |
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GALAXY ART Astronomy
Learn about the three types of galaxies, parts of a spiral galaxy, and make your own spiral galaxy art using just paper, pencils, and push pins. Read more... Inspired by: Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow |
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NORTH-SOUTH AND LOCAL NOON Astronomy, Geogpgraphy
Use a golf tee and a piece of cardboard to figure out which way is north and what time is really noon where you live. Read more... Created by: astronomer Laura Cotts Inspired by: Kepler's Dream by Juliet Bell |
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BALLOON ROCKET LAUNCH Physics
Launch balloon rockets indoors with just balloons, straws, and fishing line. Can you make a rocket that goes all the way to the ceiling? Great activity for group or individual work and a little friendly competition. Read more... Inspired by: Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce |
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TASTY CHEMICAL REACTIONS Chemistry
Learn three signs that a chemical reaction has taken place. Then use food items to perform chemical reactions and eat the results...if you dare. Read more... Inspired by: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson |
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MAKE A SUNDIAL Astronomy, Weather
Make a sundial using only a golf tee and a piece of cardboard! A great activity to do multiple times during the year, especially in June, December, and March or September. Read more... Created by: astronomer and physicist Laura Cotts Inspired by: Middleworld by J&P Voelkel |
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ELEMENTAL ORNAMENTS Chemistry
Build models of common molecules using gumdrops, toothpicks, and mini marshmallows. This one can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be! Read more... Inspired by: The Reinvention of Edison Thomas by Jacqueline Houtman |
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FEED THE BIRDS Biology, Math
Build a bird feeder, then observe the birds that come to your bird feeder. Learn to identify species by sight and sound, then make a graph of birds that come to your feeder. Read more... Inspired by: The Year the Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice |
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SOLAR SYSTEM MODEL Astronomy
Make a model of the solar system using things you probably have left over from Halloween. A great lesson for astronomy, but also for talking about size and scale. Read more... Inspired by: How Oliver Olson Changed the World by Claudia Mills |
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A RAINBOW OF ANTS Biology
Feed your insect friends and see if you can make a picture as colorful as this one! Lots of mini project ideas within this one. Read more... Created by: by ecologist Heather Hawke Inspired by: The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand |
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DRINKING JUICE AND MAKING A TERRARIUM Biology
Use a simple juice bottle and native plants from your area for a science project that's easy to make and easy to maintain. Read more... Created by: biologist Helen Boswell Inspired by: The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly |