Bridge12

Use a balloon to light up a light bulb: Students build up static electricity with a comb or a balloon and touch a light bulb. Use this activity to begin a lesson on the transfer of electricity.

Students go outside to measure the wind with objects found around the house. This activity would be good for a small group of students and an adult.

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)

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.

Students make a garden view box where they can see plants grow below and above the surface of the soil.

Write in a science notebook. make predictions and observations about the bubbles. Gather data and record in notebook.

Awesome activity to shows students about sound. This site has video tutorials and 3 links that provide a concept map, instructions to perform activity in class or in after school activities, and websites that allow students or educator go deeper in their understanding of sound. You can essentially make your own assessment for the activity. 

There's no better way to learn about metamorphosis than to observe the life cycle of a living creature up close. This activity allows students to see the life cycle of mealworms.

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.

Adaption: SEE "MOON PHASES ACTIVITY-PHRASES FOR PHASES: A MOON TUNE. Extensions: You can extend this activity for 6th grade my having them creat a model of the moon and it's phases and demonstrating their understanding through a presentations. ( I would group them and have each person write about their part of the demonstration and that it what they present) You can extend it you younger grades by having them draw the phases of the moon and with parents (as homework) go outside at night and dermine which phase the moon is in and drawing a picture of that phase on the claendar. 5.2.4 Use a calendar to record observations of the shape of the moon and the rising and setting times over the course of a month. Based on the observations, describe patterns in the moon cycle. 5.2.1 Recognize that our earth is part of the solar system in which the sun, an average star, is the central and largest body. Observe that our solar system includes the sun, moon, seven other planets and their moons, and many other smaller objects like asteroids and comets.

Adaption: goes along with the "fruit for phases" activity...as adaption for ELL and special needs students. It's a song to help them learn the phases of the moon.

Students will learn to identify the four stages of a butterfly's life cycle.

This is a great way to spice up a common simple experiment demonstrating the three forms of water.

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.

Students explore the differences and similarities between rocks and minerals by investigating samples of these earth materials, performing a series of tests similar to geologists' field tests, and reading about rocks and minerals and how they are used.

Students will help create a fake classroom garden out of craft materials to help them understand the design of a plant. They will have to understand the different parts a plant and how to put the parts together to create a plant. Post-It (diigo would not let me place a post-it on this pdf page): Students can work in pairs to construct their plants (high ability with a low ability student). Advanced students could put labels on thier plants' parts. Students in higher grades could construct certain species of plants and descibe what makes their plant unique.

This activity deals with pressure and condensation by crushing a soda can with only air and water. Students can experiment with different variables like temperature of water or type of can.