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When it comes to kids and bugs, there's some kind of magnetic attraction. While they may seem ho-hum to adults, for example, pill bugs have a way of curling and uncurling that can keep a kid mesmerized; while a ladybug can charm a whole crowd.

Here's a great idea for recycling those 2-liter soda bottles. Create a mini plant habitat with your kids and learn what it takes to make an ecosystem work. Explain to your children that they'll be providing the water and sun for the little world they're making-its survival is in their hands! Don't be surprised if feelings of eco-responsibility start sprouting right before your eyes.

SCI.4.3.4 2010 Describe a way that a given plant or animal might adapt to a change arising from a human or non-human impact on its environment.

Yeast are one-celled fungi that multiply by "budding". They multiply quickly, and as they grow they produce carbon dioxide. Because of this special attribute, yeast is very important in baking and fermenting-we wouldn't have bread without it! In this simple experiment, you'll get to know this fascinating micro-organism, learning what it likes to eat and just how gassy it can get.

On your mark, get set, pour! Your first grader has probably already noticed that some liquids, such as pancake syrup, pour slower than liquids like water. While this topic is always fun (and a little sticky) to explore in the kitchen or at mealtimes, it's good first grade science, too. In fact, a common core topic in early elementary school science is the difference between solid and liquid states of matter. And you don't need any fancy lab equipment to learn about it. Use the activity below to help your budding scientist become familiar with the properties of liquids and solids.

SCI.4.4.3 2010 Investigate how changes in speed or direction are caused by forces: the greater the force exerted on an object, the greater the change.

SCI.6.4.1 2010 Understand how to apply potential or kinetic energy to power a simple device.

Practice percentages in this competitive card game! Race to calculate the answer as cards are flipped over. For each correct answer you give, you'll earn a card. Whoever earns the most cards, wins!

In this simple and social activity, children use size comparison skills to find objects in nature that are bigger, smaller, longer, shorter, taller, wider, and narrower. These concepts are not only important for kindergarten math, they also encourage children to become better scientific observers. So find a space to roam-a sandy beach, a wooded park, or a lakeside shore, all offer ample materials to help your child understand size comparison words.

This two-player game is a fun way to practice multiplication facts! You'll use a pair of dice to determine the numbers you will multiply with. The product determines whether you've hit a single, double, triple, or home run! Help your third grader improve his confidence with multiplication by reviewing facts in this fun new way.

Games are a great way to ease your fifth grader's fear of new math concepts. Kids are always more willing to attempt a new skill when it's presented in a fun, non-threatening way! "The Amazing Equation Race" is an interactive, fast-paced game that will make your child feel more comfortable with simple equations. Although the terms "variable" and "equation" are unfamiliar now, a few rounds will turn them into household names.

Your first grader probably doesn't know that before we had watches and clocks, people used shadows to tell time! These "shadow clocks" were called sundials, and used the measurement of the shadows to tell what time it was. Introduce your child to the science of sundials by making your own shadow clock. It's a fun way to play with shadows, and will help improve her time-telling skills, too!

It's one thing to learn that cave formations are created when dissolved minerals are deposited as water evaporates, but your budding earth scientist can do it herself. Encourage your child's interest in the world around her with this hands-on activity.

Here's a simple experiment you can do in your own home, to help your second-grader understand how temperature can affect states of matter. Your child will have a more solid understanding of these important scientific concepts after she does this experiment in a baggie! Not to mention, this activity ends with a refreshing treat and is perfect for those warm summer days.

Science is fun for kids of all ages. Experiments that dazzle, models that demonstrate, and activities that fascinate are fun for children to watch and participate in. But scientific explanations are often difficult for early elementary students to grasp. By third grade, students are familiar with the scientific process, and are ready to learn the "why" behind science. Here's a quick and easy science experiment that helps to add a visual element to the science of sound. What causes sound? In this activity, your third grader will find the answer. He'll see it for himself!

Next time you bake a cake, consider this. The cake dough is not really a cake, but when it's heated in the oven, a chemical reaction occurs and new bonds are formed. How does heat change things? When it comes to heat changing a chemical reaction, there are two types. One is "exothermic," a reaction that produces heat, and the other is "endothermic," a reaction that takes heat in. When you make a cake, you a producing an endothermic chemical reaction which changes batter to baked!

Fossils are created when something is preserved over many years resulting in an impression or outline in or on a rock. Some fossils are over a million years old! In this fun activity, kids learn how to make fossils of their own, and get lots measurement and fine motor skills practice along the way.

I do a similar activity with store bought Play Doh, but these look more authentic and I like the practice with measurement.