Great resources for science activities

Here is a list of great science resources that both teachers and parents can use with their students:

1.http://www.sciencebob.com/experiments/index.php On this website there are lots of great science activities. Each one is explained throughly and also explains what happened as a result of the experiment. Also included with each experiment is a set of questions that each students should be able to answer as a result of completing the experiment.

2.http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiments Steve Spangler's website is a great science resource for multiple ages of students. This website even includes videos of some experiements and also includes science fair ideas for students to use.

3.http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments.html On this website there are many great science experiements that are great for teaching concepts. These include mixtures using oil and water, demonstrating gravity using water, and using oranges and eggs to teach density.

4.http://www.billnye.com/for-kids-teachers/home-demos/ Bill Nye's website is a great resource for both parents and teachers. It organizes the experiment into science categories such as space science, chemistry and earth science.

5.http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/activities/funscience/ These experiments are specifically meant for students to enjoy. Each experiment even explains what occurred during the experiment and why it happened.

6.http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/crafts-by-type/educational-craft-activities/science-projects/ This website is a great resource for teachers and parents. It includes a variety of experiments and activities for all ages of children. Each experiment lays out exactly how long it will take and what materials that you will need.

7.http://www.education.com/activity/science/ There are very interesting experiments included on this website that you might not consider typical science experiments. This includes how to make beeswax lip balm, determining how old a tree is, and making a fossil out of glue.

8.http://www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2011/01_Jan_css/pg05.html Dr. Jean's website is a great resource for teachers looking for science experiments. it includes a variety of science activities.

9.http://www.candyexperiments.com/ This website is a really interesting and uncommon resource. All the science experiments and activities on this website have to do with candy! Most students love candy so this is a great way to keep them interested.

10.http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/ This website is a great website for students or teachers. Some experiments on this website students can look at and complete on their own. They can even vote on some of the experiments to say whether or not they enjoyed it.

Mixtures

Mixtures are an inportant part of every day life because we find them everywhere. They are the things we eat, the things we drink, and the things we use. Below are a list of great activities that students can do involving mixtures.



Activities:


- Have students make Oobleck! Combine water, cornstarch, and food coloring...This activity is a great way to discusss mixtures and even solids and liquids. The Oobleck is both a solid and a liquid as well as a mixture.

-Make a lava lamp with students. Combine food coloring, oil, an alka seltzer tablet, and water in a bottle. See the reaction of the mixture when the tablet is added. An instant lava lamp!

- Combine glue, borax, water, and food coloring to make flubber! This is an interesting mixtue because it starts out as a liquid and quickly becomes a solid as you stir and play with it.

All about plants and seeds!



Here are some great books for teaching children about plants and seeds.

1. Time For Kids: Plants! By Brenda Iasevoli

This book is from the editor of TIME magazine. It explains how a seed grows, how it gets water and it also shares some amazing pictures of varieties of plants.

2. The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds: A Book About How Living Things Grow By Joanna Cole

The Magic School Bus books are always great resources to use for science lessons. They don't just have a great storyline to them, they give accurate facts. In this one children get to see an up close view of the inside of a flower. A lot of children might not have ever experienced this before.

3. From Seed to Plant By Gail Gibbons

From Seed to Plant offers children a chance to experience step by step the process in which a seed grows into a plant. This book also discusses how plants pollinate and reproduce.

Activities:
Along with these books to use as resources I also came across a few activities to do with children about seeds and plants.


-This activity is growing grass from grass seed through a nylon stocking and turning it into a grass head person. Children put soil and grasseed in a their stocking and tie a knot in the end. The then place their "head upside down into a empty yogurt container that is filled with water. The water serves as a source of water for the grasseed. Children can glue on eyes and a mouth. They watch their grass seed grow and learn what it takes to take care of a plant by making sure their is enough water in their container.

-This activity is all about seeing how a seed begins to sprout and what the sprouts look like. Children place a wet piece of fabric or absorbent paper cut to fit inside of a CD case. Children then add seeds to the inside of a recycled CD case and watch them sprout! Eventually when the sprouts are to big for the case you can remove them and replant them.

-This is another great experiment to do with children! It is very similar to the activity above but children use a bean. A bean is placed inside a jar that has wet paper towels in it. Over time children can see how the bean sprouts and how long it takes for it to do so.

Floating and Sinking

While creating my science investigation box (in the post below) I came across some great sinking and floating books. I found 2 in particular that I decided to use. They are:

1. Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen
2. The Magic School Bus Ups and Downs by Joanna Cole

Both of these books are great resources to begin talking to students about sinking and floating. The Magic School Bus book mostly deals with what does it take to sink an object and what does it take to make an object float. The students in the book try to sink their school bus to get to the bottom of a lake. They then want it to float again so they try to figure out a way to do that. Who Sank the Boat is about different animals trying to get into a boat. The story keeps you guessing until the end while you are trying to figure out which animal sinks the boat. After putting these into my investigation box I also found these great books:

3. What Floats? What Sinks?: A Look at Density by Jennifer Boothroyd
4. Float and Sink by Robin Nelson

These 2 books are great for giving students real life examples about what sinks and what floats. Both books use real life objects to engage children. They look what which objects float and which sink. Float and Sink also uses photos to show children what each object is.

Floating and sinking activities:

In a investigation box that I created I had 2 activities that children can do that relate to floating and skinking.

http://educationiseverything513.blogspot.com/2012/03/science-investigation-box.html

-The first one was simply a does it float or sink exploration activity. In this activity children take a variety of objects and a container of water and test them to see if they float or sink. Children can make predicitions about which ones they think will sink and which ones will float.

- The second activity that I included was a game called sink the lid. Use a simple plastic container lid that have raised up edges on them. Have children place glass stones one at time onto the lid. See how many it takes to sink the lid!

Both of these activities are great ways of reinforcing a sink or float lesson. They also teach children how to make predictions.

Human Body Books

Below are a list of 3 books that are great resources when talking about the human body and its functions. Although all 3 books approach the human body in a different way they are all beneficial read for children in a classroom or even at home.



1. The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body by Joanna Cole

• Although this book is fiction it is a great resource for learning about the human body. In this book children learning about the digestion system, blood, bones, and muscles.

2. My First Human Body Book by Donald Silver and Patricia Wynne

• This book is a great non fiction read for children. It shows clear, drawn images of different parts of the human body along with explaining how they work.

3. Human Body by DK Publishing

• Human Body includes real photographs of people, organs, and even cells. This is a great non fiction read for learning about the human body and its functions.

Activities:

Children are naturally curious about how their body works. Below are some great activities to help them learn all about the human body!

-During this activity children are learning all about the heart. Have children put their hand over their heart to feel it beating. After they do that put on some music and let them dance around for a minute. When they are done have them feel their heart again. Children learn that the faster we move the faster our hearts have to beat.


-Make a model of the lungs! Use a 2 liter bottle, a  balloon, piece of latex, 2 elastic bands and a strip of construction paper to construct a model. Children blow through the top of the bottle to inflate and deflate the lungs. This is an awesome way for children to see how the lungs work.


-Digestive System- Make a brown grocery bag shirt to wear as a model of how the digestive system works. Children can draw their own organs on the bag and label them. Cut a slit into the back of the bag and wear it as a shirt! Its a great way to show the concept of where the digestive organs are on children's own bodies.