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This resource is a neat little activity that shows how plants absorb water using capillary action to transport water and nutrients from the trunk to the highest leaves. The activity involves cabbage and water colored with food coloring. The site gives a look at the cabbage leaves after 48 hours of "sucking" up the water. I chose this because I found it interesting and a neat, grade-appropriate way to explain plant biology to younger students. I would use this resource as part of a unit on plants, with a bonus use of the title if it is close to Halloween time.

This is a fun science activity that helps students discover the physics of air flow by building a "hovercraft" out of a balloon and an old compact disc. I chose this resource because I feel that the explanation can help students think about how some things are powered using air as the primary resource, and I would use this activity in a lesson that focuses on air as a force.

This is a fun science activity that allows students to see how erosion works, and how it affects the world around them. It also has a video to go along with the lesson so that after students see how it works, they can see a huge example of it in the Grand Canyon.

This resource is an exercise in perception with a small nod to biology. Essentially, the activity requires a student to stand astride a 2x3-feet mirror and then, with the leg that is against the reflective side of the mirror, bend at the knee and move it back and forth. This will create the illusion of flight. The idea behind this is not only the reflection of light using a mirror, but it also ties in to basic biology and anatomy by proving that the human body is symmetrical. I chose this out of a desire to find fun light and reflection-based activities that are relatable to younger (K-3) students. I would use this in the classroom as part of a lesson about light and reflection, making sure to give the hat tip to the biology element as well.

I found this fun and easy activity on Pinterest for students to do while learning about sounds and vibrations. It would be a very cheap activity for students to create in the classroom because all they need is a Kleenex box, rubber bands, and materials to decorate their guitar with! I chose this resource because it fits into my standard 1-PS4-1 because it will show students that vibrating materials can make sound. I would use this resource after presenting a lesson to my students about vibrations and how it travels through different objects. After learning, I think that students would enjoy making this guitar because it is fun and also shows them how sound travels through objects.

This resource provides a lesson plan that will help students build an understanding of the concepts of sound (vibration, pitch) through participation in a variety of hands-on experiments. By observing, predicting, and analyzing results, students can actively investigate the science of sound. It says the required time is two weeks but I don't think that much time is necessary to spend on this. It has many activities for students to do that are all hands on and even includes an assessment for the students. I chose this because it fits well with my standard- 1-PS4-1: plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make a sound and that sound can make materials vibrate. I would use this resource in my future classroom by having the students break up into groups and each group would have a different activity to complete and write down their observations.

This is a really cool twist on the typical baking soda and vinegar volcano. The ingredients are mixed together and the students are allowed to play with the Moon Dust before the vinegar is added. While students will be learning about the moon, this will also provide an opportunity for the students to practice making shapes and letters in the Moon Dust. Once the vinegar is added the students see the eruptions taking place and it creates a whole new tactile activity. This is designed for a pre-school or even kindergarten class.

The Field Museum is a science centered museum located in Chicago, IL. This specific tour allows students to investigate how DNA analysis has changed our understanding of the relatedness of life on Earth through hands on activities. The students will be able to extract DNA in a lab and interview scientists. This field trip supports NGSS MS-LS4-2. I chose this location for a field trip because it engages students' learning and furthers their knowledge of DNA through hands on activity. I would take the students to participate in this DNA extraction after we finished our lesson on DNA. This way, they would be able to be even further engaged with questioning and answering with the scientists and apply our textbook knowledge to the activity.

This activity, designed by ZOOM, allows students to help the environment by cutting down their paper garbage, and recycling it themselves into a new piece of paper. The instructor must gather the materials for the students, and must be available to help the students throughout the process. The students must follow step-by-step instructions on how to transform their original piece of garbage paper, into a brand new piece of paper. I am a strong advocate of recycling. I can see myself using this activity in my future classroom to show students that anyone can save our planet, and have fun in the process.

This is a lesson plan all about DNA. The students will use a banana and extract DNA from it and observe it under a microscope. I think that this is a cool and fun, interactive way for students to obtain a better understanding of DNA.

DNA is so abstract that I think it would be better recommended for 6-12 than K-12.

In this activity, Students will try extracting DNA from a banana by following the simple instructions and can take the activity further with the use of a microscope. It is a fun, interactive way to get the students thinking about structure. I would consider incorporating this activity into my classroom because it involves very little cost (1 banana would provide enough DNA for a classroom-wide experiment). Also, the experiment is totally sanitary--you are not working with human/animal DNA, you're working with food. Finally, anytime you bring food into a classroom, healthy or not, the students are interested. It's a win-win-win-win. This is a great lesson because it can be easily modified and adapted based upon the grade level and needs of the students. I believe this lesson would provide a nice introduction of DNA to a Middle School science classroom. However, if the instructor would like to increase difficulty for an older grade, it is easy to do. The students could compare and contrast DNA from different fruits, research in-depth, etc.

This resource is a lesson for 2nd grade, rainforest diversity. I specifically wanted to show step 2: Literature and Discuss. This step uses a children's book activity to engage students in the various elements of a rainforest habitat. I selected this resource because it shows an excellent activity that I can use with 2-LS4-1. I really like that this focuses on the rainforest and could be used to compare/contrast with other types of habitats such as deserts and oceans.

This website provides a hand on activity for students. They will all grow their own sunflowers, under different conditions. This website gives you all the different variables. It also provides extensions to the project. I found this website to be useful when talking about the life of plants and what they need to grow.

This is a fun computer activity for students to practice their knowledge of the periodic table. They can practice the spelling of the elements or the recognition of them. Teachers can incorporate this as part of a center activity or advise students to practice with this computer activity at home.

Learn about evaporation, condensation, precipitation and collection. In this activity students will discover how the water cycle works as well as how evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection are conducted. During this activity students get to control the water cycle as they learn about the important process. I believe that this activity can support students in memorizing the water cycle as well as understanding why the process is important.

To show students the affects of air pressure. Sixth Acquire data through the senses. (3)(B) classify matter and forces, organisms, actions, and events from the environment according to similarities and differences. Show the students a bottle that has a mouth that is too small for an egg to pass through. ______________________ This activity sparked my interest because ever since I was little, I watched a TV sitcom which explored this concept. How can an egg fit into a container with an opening smaller than the egg?! Using heated air at the bottom of the container, the air pressure sucks the egg in. This particular activity attached goes into using a piece of plywood and paper as well to demonstrate the weight of air. One of both of these demonstrations could be used when explaining air pressure to students. This is more of a complex concept, therefore I think this activity would be best suitable for older ages. I would use these demonstrations at the beginning of the unit to make them want to know more!

This activity is used in conjunction with a field trip to the zoo. Before going on the trip, students are given a clipboard with pictures of different animals on them. Once arriving at the zoo, the students are responsible for locating each animal on the list. I chose this activity because I believe that all field trips should be executed with a specific purpose in mind. This scavenger hunt provides structure and classroom connection to the trip. I also chose it because it can be modified depending on the grade level. For older students, the pictures can be replaced with specific animal facts or attributes. I would use this activity when going on a field trip to the zoo or aquarium, making sure that the animals presented on the list were ones that had been previously studied in class.

Enjoy our range of fun science experiments for kids that feature awesome hands-on projects and activities that help bring the exciting world of science to life. Plant Seeds & Watch Them Grow Learn about seed germination with this fun science experiment for kids. _____ The link posted is a site about planting a type of seed and watching it grow over time. I like the idea behind the seed germination activity because it would allow students to see the development of a plant from its original stage. I would incorporate this experiment at the beginning of a unit on the growth of plants as my way to capture my students attention. This activity could be used for K thru 5th (ish) grade. In the early grades, students could observe the growth of a plant from its seed. In later grades, the students could compare the growth pattern of different types of seeds. We could either plant one or a few seeds as a class, or each student could be responsible for their own seeds.

This activity will be done at the end of our plant unit. For this activity, students will label the four different things that plants need to grow. Each need can be revealed by flipping up the leaf. I chose this resource because plant needs is a very important concept in first grade. We will spend a lot of time discussing the different needs, so this project will be a great review at the end of the unit. It is valuable to me because it allows me to see if the students understand the needs of a plant. While some of the components of this activity cost money, I will instead replicate it myself by copying the pattern. Once these projects are completed, I will display them in the classroom.

Good choice for the end of the unit, once students have learned through doing what plants need.

This resource contains an insect activity that must be downloaded. Once downloaded, the PDF includes a chart with two columns (insect, not an insect). There is also a page of 14 animals that can be colored, cut, and pasted into the two columns. This resource also contains a follow up worksheet about insects. I selected this resource because I feel like it is an engaging activity for the lower elementary grades. I can see myself using this as a science center activity some day in my future classroom.

This is a lab activity where the students cut out the shapes of the planets and hang them from string making a solar system mobile. I chose this source because I like the hands on learning aspect it brings to the classroom.