This little demonstration is so simple and cheap! All you need is a clear glass, water, and a pencil or straw. Place the pencil in the water. Does it look like it may be broken? I would do this at the beginning of a lesson that is covering light. With having a discussion about the topic and the students having a visual in their head, it should help them remember the topics discussed.

This is an activity to demonstrate the life cycle of a butterfly using pasta! The materials are very simple and the activity will help the students by having a visual aid. The students can get a little creative and you could even try to hatch butterflies to go along with the activity. How fun would that be?!

Mr Bones is - an interactive presentation geared toward an elementary school audience. A discussion of the human skeletal system presented by a physician, medical or graduate student using human skeleton model to demonstrate skeletal system anatomy and physiology. Common injuries and disorders of the skeletal system will be discussed as well as ways to keep the skeletal system healthy. This field trip would be a great opportunity for the students to learn about their body from the professionals. It would get the students out of the classroom and into a different learning environment for the day! I would try to plan this field trip to be before starting an anatomy or body system unit in middle school science.

Composting is the oldest form of recycling. It provides an opportunity for students to observe the decomposition process and energy cycle at work; produces a valuable soil supplement; and reduces the amount of organic material requiring a landfill or incineration. This is a neat hands on lesson that can last up to the whole year! The students get to understand the process of composting and will learn that there we can use other methods of eliminating our trash. My favorite part is that they get to physically see what is happening in the soil. I would start this activity towards the beginning of the year. The students can volunteer to bring in items from the materials list to help feel involved in the prep. I would have the students keep a journal about the chances they see when we check on the compost bin.

If you have a hard time getting your child to brush his teeth, it might be time to try the Egg in Soda Experiment and its companion, the Egg in Vinegar dental health experiment. In theory, a hard boiled egg's shell works similarly to the enamel on a child's tooth. I picked this activity because I worked in the dental field for two years and I want my students to know how important their teeth are! I think this activity really gives the students a visual to how harmful some things can be to our teeth. I would use this during dental health month, during a time when we are learning about healthy eating. It would be neat to see what happens if we left the eggs in the cup over a weekend!

A foundation in geography begins with an understanding of the terms geographers use to describe the features of Earth. Help students grow their vocabulary and learn to recognize common landforms such as islands, lakes, peninsulas, gulfs, straits, and isthmuses in a hands-on lesson using soft and squishy slices of bread! I love this because the students get to visually make the landforms when learning about them. It keeps the students involved in the lesson. I would use it when first learning about the landforms to help the students better remember them.

Off the Rail is an exciting app that let's kids build and enjoy their very own roller coasters in a virtual environment. The fun is in the on the fly building while they are riding the coaster. With varying difficulty levels and extras to add lots of interest to each coaster, this app is one that will have little creative minds going for hours. I like this app because it will get my students creative minds thinking! It really encourages the students to use STEM! This app could be used when students finish their work early or it could even be used as a center.

Help your students better understand how pollution gets in our rivers. Read and act out the story as a class. Follow up with a discussion about the pollutants left in the water. I picked this activity because it gives students an image of what happens to our water when we do not keep it clean. I think it is important to teach them early on the importance of keeping our earth clean. I would use this activity close to earth day when we are learning about the earth and pollution.