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For this activity, I would have my students predict how many pennies they think they can put in a full glass of water without letting any leak over the edges. You can also use other liquids, such as: oil, syrup or juice. I would have my students record their predictions and their results as they are putting the pennies in the clear, glass cups. This allows critical thinking, and allows every student to participate in the activity, because I would put them intro groups of four and give them each a job. This is a great way for them to learn how to work together, and record data.

Most of us probably remember the classic science experiment of cleaning a penny with a mixture of vinegar and salt. This website demonstrates stepping that up a notch and experimenting cleaning a penny with different types of substances. This activity allows for the students to make inferences and predictions on what liquid will make the penny cleaner or shinier and what liquid or substance will make it duller.

This is a fun, very easy experiment for students to try when learning about the laws of motion. Students are able to see first hand Newton's first law of motion. Students can do this experiments in groups and discuss why the penny doesn't fall.

This activity shows students how strong the hollow bones of birds are. Students roll computer paper into a hollow tube (3 of them), tape a paper plate to the top of the rolls (which are standing up), then add pennies to the plate to see how strong the "bones" are. This is a great activity to help explain to students that birds' bones are hollow in order to allow them less weight for flight and hollow bones require less food for the bird. But their bones are still strong! I like this activity because it's hands on and I think it would be engaging for children learning about birds and their bones. It's also an easy activity to put together.