Group items tagged

This activity could be used at the end of a unit on rocks, minerals and the layers of the earth. Students build their own structures made out of mini marshmallows and toothpicks. The students then place their structure on top of the jello that's sitting in an aluminum pan. The students then shake the pan to see what structures survive the "earthquake". I chose this activity because I thought it would be a great hands on experiment for students to see the damaging effects of what can happen to buildings after an earthquake. Another plus to this activity, is possibly sparking the interest of future architects.

An engineering design challenge!

This is multiple lesson plans that are combined to make a unit all about the Sun. Within this unit, many different experiments and activities are combined to make students understand the sun and all of its jobs. One great activity I really enjoyed was the shadow sun. Students would draw shadows of partners at different times during the day. The students would then discuss the activity and hopefully understand the movement of the sun from the different shadows. Along with this activity many more are included to help the overall lesson of the sun become instilled in the students.

I found this lesson to be an extremely fun way to get my students involved and excited to learn about what our blood contains. I remember learning this material in 9th grade, but this is a very great way to just cover the true basics of the concept. The fact that it provides a hands on, sensory motor activity totally grabbed my attention. I loved that the prep time was short and the materials to purchase we cheap and some were reusable. Each material represents the red and white blood cells, the plasma, and the platelets. In the classroom for younger students, I would probably read from a book during a read aloud and then I would do a vocabulary introduction and definition game, and finally, I would provide this activity to help give a visible example and assist with building a better understanding of what blood is made out of.

For this activity, you would use a sensory tub to create "blood" by using red water beads for red blood cells, white ping pong balls for white blood cells, and felt pieces for platelets. This activity is great for visual learners so they can "see" what blood really looks like and what it is made of. Having students put their hands in and feel the different pieces of blood gives them experience learning. Once you are finished with the tub, I would have students draw what they saw and label the different objects as red/white blood cells and platelets. Then look at a magnified picture of real blood and compare!

"How do you get your food? How would your eating habits change if you didn't have a microwave? Would it change if you had to grow and prepare all your own food? Why?" I think this is a wonderful idea for a field trip as it would get students involved and excited to learn more about animals and their habitats. A trip to the zoo may seem like a simple class field trip, but many kids have not had the opportunity to go to a zoo and see the many different kinds of animals. I think this would be a great learning experience for students as they are able to observe the animals first-hand and take notes on what they notice about the animals in their habitats.

"Learn about the forces of motion and gravity with a new painting technique by exchanging the paint brush for a swinging pendulum. Engage your child with the combination of art and science for a STEAM learning activity. STEAM is the combination of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math." I found this experiment/activity fun and interesting because it combines science and art. During a unit on forces of motion and gravity, you would discuss how a pendulum works. I would do this activity outside and use the washable chalklike paint they give a recipe for on the site. I would have students predict what kind of a pattern they think the paint will go in based off how the pendulum swings with no paint. Once we have done the first paint pattern, we would try to see if different patterns would occur if you pull it back further. The results are very interesting!