by: Norman Barstow
When the National Research Council produced the National Science Standards in 1995, they did so without including sets of lesson plans nor did they design them as part of a standard curriculum package. They were written to be used as goals for our students’ achievement in science.
2 Comments | 
Elementary level, energy, experiments, Middle School level, Physics | Tagged: ballons, compressed air, experiments, force and motion, manipulating variables, National Science Standards, phenomenon based learning, scientific method, STEM | 
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Posted by Tami O'Connor
by: Tami O’Connor
Let’s face it, kids of every age love gooey substances! The school year is never complete until you and your students make slime. Depending upon your grade level, the topic you’re teaching, your classroom budget, and the time you have available, there are a number of options open to you.
One of my favorite “recipes” is the ever popular Elmer’s Glue Gak. Aside from the fact that it’s easy to make, it’s rare that you wouldn’t have most of the essential ingredients at your fingertips.
10 Comments | Chemistry, Elementary level, experiments, Middle School level | Tagged: Borax, Dr. Seuss, floam, fun experiments, gak, homeschool, non-Newtonian fluid, oobleck, parent friendly, phenomenon based learning, phenomenon-based science, phosphorescent powder, polymers, polyvinyl alcohol, Slime | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor
by: Ron Perkins
Whether teaching general science, chemistry or physics, one of the first experiments I assigned was to determine the density of a metal using a set of different sized cylinders of aluminum in a tray.
2 Comments | Chemistry, College level, density, experiments, High School level, Physics | Tagged: density, mass, mystery, volume | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor
By: Laurie Neilsen
When many people think of UV lights or black lights, they think of posters in college dorm rooms, or spooky Halloween displays. Ultraviolet light, however, is an important subject of scientific study. Occupying the segment of the electromagnetic wavelength spectrum between 10 nm and 400 nm, Ultraviolet light is invisible to the human eye. UV lights are often referred to as “black” lights because of this.
1 Comment | Biology, Earth Science, Elementary level, High School level, Middle School level | Tagged: blacklights, fluorescence, parent friendly, uv light | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor
by: Tami O’Connor
Although Robert Fulton is usually remembered as the inventor of the steamboat, it was actually John Fitch who built the first successful steamboat in 1787. Unfortunately, John Fitch ran into financial difficulties which opened the door for Robert Fulton to design and test the Clermont, which was the first commercially successful steamboat, in 1807. Since that time, there have been many improvements on the initial design, but the science behind the steamboat engine is fascinating.
Educational Innovations carries Putt Putt Steam Boats that are wonderful reproduction toys,
which can be used to teach many scientific principles. The science behind how they work is rather complex and often disputed. Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | College level, Elementary level, experiments, High School level, Middle School level, Physics | Tagged: phenomenon based learning, steamboats, STEM, thermodynamics | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor
