Lights, shadows, action, and inquiry await your artistic scientists. They explore the way light travels, absorbs, reflects, and transmits through shadow play. They create folktale-inspired shadow puppets, explore the science of light,...

Students explore the solar system by conducting Earth science experiments. In this Sun lesson plan, students identify the different seasons on Earth and discuss their purpose and cause. Students create a sundial and observe the changes...

Students participate in activities related to sight, sound and observation skills during science. In this science lesson, students listen to A Girl Named Helen Keller before trying to write their names with their eyes closed. They...

Students create a town model and analyze the type of greenhouse gases their town emits. For this earth science lesson, students build greenhouses to investigate how trapped heat causes temperature change. They relate this activity to...

Young scholars explain the complexities of environmental decisions, rather than to recreate the actual circumstances and outcome of the original case. They simulate a real environmental case a regarding the Pine Barrens of Long Island, NY.

Design and construct buildings with rooftop gardens. Junior engineers work in groups to build two buildings and then perform experiments to determine whether or not a garden affects the building temperatures. They graph and interpret...

Teens experience natural selection firsthand (or first beak) in an activity that has them act as finches foraging for food. Using different household items  to act as different beak styles, your little finches will collect as much...

Could a flux capacitor really work? An engaging simulation encourages scholars to investigate Faraday's law. They experiment with various speeds, magnitude, voltage, and different-sized coils. Hopefully experimenters will be able to...

Role play community members who are both for and against the construction of a dam. Research the pros and cons and then hold a classroom debate. This activity ideally follows a series of stream studies, links to which are included. Use...

Learners plan a mock mission to Mars. For this space science lesson, students work in cooperative groups and select one experiment to take on their mock mission. Learners create a mission plan form and send a proposed experiment to NASA.

Links to two different versions of this mapping activity are available. In "The Small Version," youngsters design a town, keeping the water supply in mind. In "The Large Version," they also design a town, but they consider services and...

How did Rutherford determine that the nucleus was the center of an atom? Take a look inside the famous Gold Foil Experiment with an interesting interactive. Learners fire a beam of alpha particles at a nucleus containing variable...

Students investigate what a controlled group is by creating an experiment.  In this plant growth lesson, students identify the different parts of a plant and discuss what is needed for a plant to be successfully grown....

Have you ever stretched out a Slinkie so much it wouldn't go back to its original shape? Slinkies, like all springs, follow Hooke's Law. A simulation uses springs and masses to demonstrate kinetic, potential, and thermal energy. It...

Students experience both playing a musical instrument and driving a car. The two experiences tied together by one engineer. The score appears as a road, with twists and turns representing the composer's suggested shifts in mood. This...

Students explore energy by researching fuel usage on Earth. For this fossil fuel lesson, students define fossil fuels, the energy created by burning them, and the impact on the environment when using them. Students conduct pollution...

Students discover how molecules are in constant motion. Through a simple experiment of water containing food coloring, they observe the drops of coloring move even though the water is still. Role-playing as molecules, students stand up...

Students experience, through a "dig," the historical discovery of fossils which increasingly link whales to earlier land-dwelling mammals. They encounter the intermediate forms which show changes that lead to the modern whale.

Students participate in a class demonstration to see how many Americans are affected by cancer in their lifetime.  In this public health lesson, students are placed in situations that allow them to experience how relevant cancer...

Students explore critical thinking by conducting a reaction time experiment. In this human brain lesson, students utilize a timed Internet worksheet activity to research how fast their brain works when answering questions. Students share...

Students are involved in activities that give them experiences predictingthe likelihood of certain events occurring. They become aware that certain outcomes are equally likely, more likely,or less likely than others to occur. Students...

Students examine how gravity affects launching rockets into space. In this physical science lesson, students review the concept of gravity and use an interactive online site, "Gravity Launch," to simulate a rocket launch.

Students identify the challenges encountered by astronauts in operating a planetary rover. For this space science lesson, students create a rover using their team members. They follow a command sequence from the driver and navigate...

Students explore the Carbon Mitigation Initiative by playing the Wedge Game. In this environmental science instructional activity, students discuss different strategies to reduce carbon emissions. They evaluate their strategies and rate...