Natural vs. Artificial: Can You Taste the Difference? You probably know that cane sugar isn't good for you in large doses, but did you know that many artificial sweeteners can't even be processed by your body?  Supplies: Real maple syrup, pancake syrup containing high fructose corn syrup, cane sugar, artificial sweetener such as Splenda or Equal, honey, honey flavoring, fresh orange juice, orange juice from concentrate, paper, and pencil. Set up the experiment by preparing small samples of each food for tasting, arranging them in sets according to type.

Earth Friendly Birdhouse: Design Process - choosing specific materials for the design in mind and function. You have also been talking about resources and know that conserving resources by recycling, reusing, and reducing waste is important. Now you will have a chance to put what you know to use. Design Challenge:Design and build a birdhouse that will attract a bird in your neighborhood. The bird you plan the house for should be about the size of a tennis ball. Criteria:Your birdhouse must have a door that is big enough for a golf ball to fit through. Have a perch inside. Have a perch outside the door. Be able to hang from a tree or other support for 5 minutes with a golf ball inside. Keep birds safe from rain and wind. Be squirrel and cat proof.

Multiple grade levels can do this project, but differentiation would be required for skill and developmental level. Younger grades would require more help and modeling of project.

Plant a Texture Garden! Create texture rubbings of outdoor objects where you live.  Make as many rubbings on as many squares as you can and watch your garden grow. Supplies: Crayons (all colors), glue stick, scissors, black vellum paper, and pre-cut 3" x 3" squares of white drawing paper.

Indoor Gardening with Kitchen Waste Introduce experiment by talking about the six basic parts of plants: roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruit, and seeds.  Grow a garden by using plant scraps that usually get thrown away. Supplies: 2-3 carrot tops, cut about 1 inch from the top, shallow bowl, pebbles (optional), sand, water, 1 fresh pineapple, pot of damp soil.

Multi-grade project that can you can differentiate according to skill and prior knowledge (experience). Older grade levels can research other possible materials to recycle from the kitchen in other ways.

Make Meringue Science! Use simple experiment to turn egg whites into a delicacy: fancy meringues. Supplies: 5 eggs, 1-1/2 cups of sugar, 8 tsp cream of tartar, 2 small bowls, 1 large bowl, hand cranked egg beater, and cookie sheet.

Sprouting Seeds experiment (K-3) How much sun does a seed need to sprout? (double click PDF file to open)

The Lincoln High Dive: 5th Grade Science Experiment Newton's first law states that an object at rest will remain at rest unless acted upon by an outside force.  This experiment also illustrates gravity. Supplies: A Lincoln penny (or other small coin), a piece of card stoic or stiff paper, a film canister, baby food jar, or other similar size container with a mouth slightly larger than a penny, a pencil or pen, and scissors.

Forecast the Weather with a Weathervane - 4th Grade Learn about Earth Science as well as meteorology through making your own unique weathervane! Supplies: Old business card, 1 straw, ruler, scissors, clear tape, pencil, stickpin, 1 liter plastic bottle, sand, compass, black permanent marker.

Sensational Sounds Projects: Sound Sandwich - 6th Grade All sound starts with vibration, and that vibration can come from just about anything. In this activity, your breath will cause two rubber bands to vibrate. Then, you will see if you can change the pitch, or how high or low we hear a sound.  Supplies:  Download the PDF

Crow Creativity: 5th Grade / Can you solve a problem as creatively as a crow?  Download PDF 1. Build a tricky tube puzzle to find out if your friends can solve a problem like a crow. A clear plastic tube is best, but a paper towel roll, cut down to about 8 inches, will work too. 2. Make a basket out of tin foil. The basket should be big enough to hold a small cookie. 3. Tear some strips off a roll of duct tape. Lay the roll of tape flat on a table and fit the tube inside the center of the duct tape roll. Then use the duct tape strips to tape the tube in place so that the tube stays upright. Tape along the side. Do not cover the openings of the tube in tape. 4. Put a cookie in your basket and drop the basket into the tube so it goes to the bottom of the tube with the handle facing up. 5. Place about 5 twist ties or a piece of long metal wire next to your tube. 6. Find a friend to solve this problem. Tell your friend that there is a cookie at the bottom of the tube. Your friend can have the cookie but has to get the cookie out of the tube first without lifting up the tube. If you are using a paper towel roll, let your friend look inside the tube to see how it's set up.  Supplies: See Downloadable PDF

Upper elementary students to middle school students could create a trick tube or similar experiment that a friend or critter (squirrel) has to solve.

Make Your Own Ant Farm: - Life Science After completion of ant farm, spend days or weeks observing these amazing insects. Supplies: Small glass bowl or jar, glass fishbowl, sand, loose soil, sugar, water, 20 ants (from the same colony), rubber band, cheesecloth, black construction paper, bread crumbs, masking tape, and spiral notebook.

K-3 could do this project, but require more research, writing, or drawings of the project about habitat, colony structure, body-parts and function, etc.

Keep a Horizon Calendar - Earth Science Many cultures used the rising and setting sun to create calendars. Observe the setting sun once a week for as long as you can to come up with your own calendar. Supplies: 11 X 17 inch piece of white paper, pencil, compass, watch, and clear view of the western horizon (where the sun sets)

Construct a Weather Spinner: - Earth Science Intro to Natural Sciences - your child will learn to see details and patterns in atmospheric conditions.  A simple weather spinner provides an accessible tool for your child to improve her observation and analysis ability, important scientific skills she will use for the rest of her life. Supplies: White tag board or poster board, pencil, crayons, markers, or colored pencils, and a metal brad.

Recycled Wire Hanger Bird Feeder - Life Science Science craft project reusing old wire clothes hangers and discarded kitchen fat or peanut butter. Supplies: Lightweight with coat hanger, large lemon, wire cutters, sturdy needle-nose pliers, old junk saucepan, or peanut butter.

Design a Great Glass Xylophone! - science experiment Explore the effect of varying amounts of water in each glass Supplies: 6 tall glass glasses, bottles, or jars (preferably the same shape and size), food coloring or colorful soft drink mix, metal spoon, wooden spoon, or wooden popsicle sticks, jug

Leaf Investigators: Backyard Science - purpose to explore and learn This activity uses categorization skills to sort the leaves by shape, color and size.   Materials: Leaves, small bag for leaves, and magnifying glasses (optional)