Here it is – a water cycle diagram for kids. Ok, this project totally happened by accident but it was amazing and the students totally understood the water cycle at the end. This project is all about bringing the water cycle for kids down to a child’s level. It is tied into our author study … Read more
Boo! Stir up some spooky fun with Halloween science. These quick and easy experiments keep the focus on academics but are full of spooky fun. Science is a terrific subject to delve further into during Halloween. Halloween science is full of mysterious concoctions, strange spooky sounds and sets a great stage for either demonstrations your … Read more
Everyone knows the alka seltzer rocket experiment, but not everyone has seen a ghost fly! Scare up your lesson plans with an easy example of a chemical reaction. This Halloween activity is so easy, and nothing is more fun than watching your students’ faces when the first ghastly ghost takes off into the air. It’s … Read more
Sir Isaac Newton would be proud: Can you catch the Boo Bomb or will you use too much force and break it? Newton’s First Law of Motion: An object in motion stays in motion unless an external force is applied against it. There’s a lot of ways to teach this, but nothing is as fun … Read more
How can you make teaching the water cycle for kids really fun? Use a song, a simple explanation of the water cycle, and make a fun project that showcases their learning. This is the stuff kids love and remember. When we make it fun, even difficult topics become easier. Science projects are a great way … Read more
What could be more fun when finishing up a unit on clouds than painting them with puffy paint? This cloud naming lesson is so much fun, and really shows if the students have developed a strong metacognition about the topic. One of our content strands is the atmosphere. It’s huge, so by necessity we have … Read more
Even our youngest geologists can understand core sampling cupcakes! Inquiry skills and deductive reasoning form a sweet hypothesis children will not forget. Core sampling is what geologists do when they are trying to “see” beneath the surface of the earth. They take a variety of samples from different locations using coring devices made of metal. … Read more
How delicious! Make an edible sedimentary rock formation that tells a story from the time of the dinosaurs. Geologists classify rocks according to where they come from and how they are formed. One of the most fun types of rocks for the younger crowd are sedimentary rocks. These are the rocks you will find fossils … Read more
Rock cycle hands on activities for the elementary classroom, including a song and video explanation. Teaching kids how rocks can change into other types is a messy business because it can be really confusing. When I moved to third grade so many years ago, I found myself having to learn about the rock cycle. I … Read more
Rocks and minerals facts and information, plus a great lesson your students will love to take a bite out of. Minerals are the building blocks of rocks. Minerals will look the same both inside and out. Rocks, on the other hand, are made from minerals and may not look the same on the inside as … Read more
Ready to take an abstract concept into a fun-filled hands on science activity? Rocks and minerals for kids lets students be geologists by exploring candy! Give a kid a box of different types of rocks and minerals, and they are completely entertained for hours – if you give them the right activities. Minerals are inorganic, … Read more
Fun and easy lessons about geology lesson ideas that any elementary science classroom can use. I can’t believe I once thought rocks and minerals would be boring! This is one of my favorite areas of science. There is just so much we can do to make geology a fascinating subject for our students. It is … Read more
Plant adaptations are fascinating – when young kids realize that many plants eat meat, smell like poop and have needs much like our own, they instantly turn into little botanists that want to know more! For example, here is the lovely rafflesia, one of the largest and smelliest plants in the world. This 24 pound … Read more
Animals in the arctic have so many adaptations, but why don’t they freeze? Many of them have developed a special “blubber mitt” that you can recreate with your class. Do your students think that polar bears have blubber? They don’t! Kids are often surprised by the unique adaptations cold weather animals have. Animals who live … Read more
Here’s a great introductory lesson to the adaptations of animals for elementary classrooms, including a song, concept map and tree map for brainstorming. What are adaptations? Adaptations of animals are special physical or behavioral characteristics that enable an animal to survive in its habitat. For example, animals in the Arctic have specially designed … Read more
Art and windowsill science activities for preschoolers – bringing inquiry skills into the pre-k classroom! I’m not just a teacher – I’m a mom of three boys and one of them is still in preschool. I have loved watching all my children exploring science through inquiry based strategies and learning about the world around them … Read more
Science lesson plans that are inquiry based, meet Common Core State Standards and are easy for classroom teachers to use. Science activities for kids cannot happen without scientific inquiry. This is critical for learning diverse ways to explore ideas, theories and make meaningful discoveries, as well as developing 21st Century Skills. There are five skills … Read more