by: Tami O’Connor
On a field trip with my 5th grade students to a local science museum, we saw one of the science instructors conduct a lesson on sound. It was such a simple idea, with easy-to-find materials, that I brought it home to do with my Girl Scout troop the following week. Since then, I have modified and expanded the lesson so it would fit any elementary or middle school grade lesson plan on sound.
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Elementary level, energy, experiments, Middle School level, sound | Tagged: amplitude, awesome science experiment, easy-to-find materials, PBL, phenomenon based learning, phenomenon-based science, science, sound, sound experiments, vibration | 
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Posted by Tami O'Connor
by: Dr. Helen Pashley
Objectives:
1. Students will brainstorm factors that might affect an animal living on the seashore at high and low tides.
2. Students will identify strategies that shore animals use to survive conditions at low tide.
3. Students will design an experiment to test whether the strategy adopted by their simulated shore animal would be effective in helping it survive low tide.
Focus Question:
Background:
The seashore is an inhospitable place for marine animals to live. Seawater has much less temperature variation throughout the year than air. In other words, during the summer in New York it can be 98˚F but the sea isn’t much warmer than 75˚F. In the depths of winter it can be –10˚F on land, but the water will be 48˚F. Animals that spend all their lives out at sea have a fairly steady environment. Those that are exposed to air at low tide, may face broiling hot temperatures in summer and freezing cold temperatures in winter. They may be soaked in fresh water when it pours with rain, and pounded by rough waves during a storm. Animals that can survive on the shore have to be tough! Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Biology, Elementary level, experiments, Middle School level | Tagged: adaptations, biomimicry, desicate, marine animals, phenomenon based learning, tidal zones | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor
by: Gordon Gore
You Need
2 small, flat plastic mirrors, with suitable vertical supports, 1 piece of plain white paper, letter size
What to Do
1. Hold the mirror vertically. Look into the mirror. Touch your right ear. Watch what the good-looking person in the mirror does. Which ear does he or she seem to touch?
2. Write your first name on a piece of paper. Look at your writing in the mirror. What is ‘unusual’ about what you see? Write your name so that it looks ‘right’ in the mirror.
3. Notice how AMBULANCE is written. Why is it always written this way on the front of the emergency vehicle? Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Elementary level, experiments, Middle School level | Tagged: experiments, mirrors, parent friendly, phenomenon based learning, reflection | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor
by Ron Perkins
At first glance No-Pop Bubbles may seem like any other bubbles. While the bubble solution is a bit more viscous, one blows No-Pop Bubbles like any other bubble. The small bubble wand suspends a bubble film which, when air is blown through it, releases small bubbles into the air.
These bubbles, however, are no ordinary bubbles. No-Pop Bubble solution begins as a regular soap and water bubble solution. Added to this solution is a small amount of a non-toxic water soluble polymer. When No-Pop Bubbles are first blown, the bubbles behave like ordinary bubbles. As the water evaporates from the bubble’s surface, however, an extremely thin plastic ‘bubble skeleton’ remains. It is this plastic bubble skeleton which has the properties for which No-Pop Bubbles are named. Read the rest of this entry »
6 Comments | Chemistry, density, Elementary level, experiments, High School level, Middle School level, static electricity | Tagged: bubbles, phenomenon based learning, science, variables | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor
by: Michelle Bertke and Melanie Bunda
Bubbles are always a fun and interesting activity for kids of all ages. However, bubbles are not only fun, they are also an excellent teaching tool for some abstract concepts such as air density, dissolved gasses, and air pressure. Below is a collection of bubbly activities that highlight each of these topics. Educational Innovations offers a full line of wonderful bubble products!
Different gasses have different densities. The air around us is mostly nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2), which are both lighter than carbon dioxide (CO2). When a heavy gas, such as CO2 is placed in a tank, it will sink to the bottom without mixing. This can be achieved by placing a few blocks of dry ice in a large fish tank or clear plastic bin covered loosely 
with a lid and allowing them to sublime. This will take several minutes. Always use caution when handling dry ice by using proper gloves and safety goggles.
Once full, blow bubbles over the surface of the tank. When the bubbles reach the interface of the two gasses, they will float. If you fill the tank with CO2 unnoticed, have the kids speculate as to why they think the bubbles didn’t reach the bottom, and what might be in the tank.
An alternative is to fill a balloon with CO2 by filling it with baking soda (or an alka seltzer tablet) and placing it over the opening of a bottle filled with vinegar (or water). Lift the balloon so the contents spill into the bottle and react with the liquid, allow the balloon to fill from the reaction, twist and remove. Use it to blow bubbles. Compare these bubbles to those blown with regular air (use a fan, not your breath for best results). Have students compare the two bubbles. Which one falls faster? Which one floats longer? Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | density, Elementary level, experiments | Tagged: air pressure, bubbles, disolved gasses, dry ice, parent friendly | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor
