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Since Fall is right around the corner, literally, I thought this would be a cute activity to show students how the leaves change colors. With simple items you can find at the store students can participate in this hands-on activity that shows them how a trees leaves changes colors. Students can either do this activity by themselves or in groups (older grade levels) and younger students can participate alongside the teacher.

Weather is a science game for students in grades 4-9 to learn how to calculate front movement, trace patterns, make observations, create weather maps using symbols, and predict weather three days into the future. _______________________________ This is a link to an interactive game for students studying weather. Students can play this game while they predict and report weather. This type of activity is important because students can learn about weather while using technology and having fun. If I used this game in my classroom, I would use it as a learning center. I would divide my class into groups, have about 4 hands on activities taking place, and give each group a certain time amount at each center. This learning center lesson would be used after the weather unit as a review day. I also like this website because it includes resources for teachers such as a list of vocabulary words and a pre/post test on the topic.

Looks good!

Three Lessons About Energy I designed these three little lessons a long time ago to support a third-grade science curriculum (the particular textbook is now lost to us--or in other words I can't remember the name of it), but they could be used with any elementary students who are studying energy in science class. I like this lesson because it allows the kids to get up, move around, and become a part of the lesson. I would have the students start by slowly walking around the room, making sure to be careful not to run into anyone or anything. If I told them I was adding energy, they would speed up a little bit, and if I told them I was removing energy, they would slow down a bit. If I told them I was removing a lot of energy I would tell them that they need to stop and hold hands with anyone near them. At first the students wouldn't know exactly what they were supposed to be demonstrating. I would later reveal to them that they were water molecules and the energy I was adding and removing was heat. When they were moving slowly they were a liquid, fast they were a gas, and stopping they were a solid. This is a great example of learning by doing.

Learn More & Get Involved The Lower River Cam, located in Katmai National Park and Brooks Camp, Alaska, is where the Brooks River meets Naknek Lake. It is a favorite place of mothers and their young cubs, females and young adults until September when as many as 100 bears descend on the area to feast over a two month period. ______________________________________________________________________________ This is a GREAT website! This website allows viewers to observe animals in their natural habitats (my favorite are the elephants). Some of the animals include elephants, bears, sharks, penguins, and many more. These animals are found everywhere around the world, and cameras are put in their habitats (both in zoos and in the wild) so viewers can observe the way these animals act in their natural habitats. I chose this resource simply because I absolutely love it. I've heard nothing but good things about this website. My brother has used this website in his kindergarten classroom and his students really enjoyed observing the different animals. I also like how the website provides a wide range of animals, which helps peak every students' interest. This resource could be used during any science lesson about animals. If students are learning about animals and their habitats, this website would be very resourceful and would be a great visual to show the different habitats animals live in. Overall, I think this resource gets students interested in animals and can be used at any grade level to peak students' interest.

I found this and thought it would pair well with the Clouds in Jars I posted earlier. Both these activities could be used as part of a center day during a unit about weather. This page includes two experiments on how to create lightning. The first one sounds kind of involved and from what I read it did not have great results. I would probably used the second one. All the students would need would be a balloon and a metal spoon and, depending on the age of the students, they would only need minimal supervision. The students would be creating static electricity by rubbing the balloon on their hair and then touching the spoon to the balloon. This is really cool and really simple. This could also serve as a filler activity on a day when you need something quick to fill up some time. I could also see this activity being used during a unit on electricity as well. I would probably use this activity with students between kindergarten and third grade.

In this motions and mass lesson plan, which is adaptable for grades 1-4, students use a free online science game to explore the principles of physics, mass, force, and motion. Interactive whiteboard Computers with internet access for BrainPOP This lesson plan uses a free online game called SpaceForce.

This online activity will be done at the end of our science lesson on different environments. This game requires that students place the different animals, plants, and objects that would best survive in each given environment. Based on what the students have learned about different environments, they will be able to correctly place each object given. I selected this resource because animals and their environments is a huge content area in first grade. This online game will be available for students to play during centers. Whoever is at computer centers that day will be able to play this game. Having such a fun interactive game will allow them to be very engaged, but still learning at the same time.

This site shows different activities and "labs" to show or work through to demonstrate the first law of physics. I feel like depending on what activities you choose to do this could easily stretch across multiple grades levels.

Great lesson idea for teaching about plant and animal cells. Watch this video for an overview of this biology lesson and how you can bring it into your classroom. Lesson plan print out is also available. This lesson helps students see a cell in a way that they can understand, which involves food! I think that when students make something they are more likely to understand what they make.

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!