Children learn how seasonal weather changes affect everything, from the behavior of animals to the way we dress and play.
In this activity, learners investigate how different materials repel or absorb water. Learners use spray bottles to explore how everyday items like sponges, cardboard, feathers, etc. respond to water differently. This activity also introduces learners to the scientific method as learners make predictions about which materials will absorb or repel water.
This 440-page report explores how students in pre-K through grade 8 learn mathematics, with a focus on number and operations, and recommends how teaching, curricula, and teacher education should change to improve mathematics learning. (A 39-page summary, Helping Children Learn Mathematics, is catalogued separately.) The authors identify five interdependent components of mathematical proficiency and describe how students develop this proficiency. The report presents a portrait of mathematics learning: research findings on what children know about numbers before they arrive in pre-K and the implications for instruction; details on the processes by which students acquire mathematical proficiency; what is known from research about teaching for mathematics proficiency and developing proficiency in teaching. Visitors to this website may read the full text online, download a copy (pdf), or purchase a hard copy.
During World War Two, a fierce battle between American and Japanese forces on Kwajalein atoll left a trail of debris on the deep lagoon floor. This lagoon now has one of the largest collections of well-preserved aircraft in the world. In this video, as part of the first ever film crew allowed onto this secret military base, Jonathan explores a B-25, F4-U Corsair and Dauntless dive bomber still sitting on the bottom of the ocean, as if ready to take off. Please see the accompanying study guide for educational objectives and discussion points.
In this activity, learners separate a mixture of pebbles, salt crystals, and wood pieces. They add water and pour the mixture through a strainer. The pebbles are left in the beaker, the wood is caught by the strainer, and the salt stays dissolved in the water. The main idea is that different physical properties of the components can be used for separating them, and that evaporation can be used to isolate a solute from a solution. This activity is currently used in the Nature of Matter Unit in OMSI's Chemistry Lab. Cost estimates are per 100 learners.
Test the buoyancy of an aluminum foil boat and an aluminum foil ball. Why does the same material in different shapes sink or float? This activity explores the fact that the amount of water pushed aside by an object equals the force of water pushing upward on the object.
Investigate a flower's power of marketing by making an imitation flower that successfully signals a bee (or other pollinator of your choice) to visit. Try to determine what characteristics will attract a pollinator to your flower. Also available as an online game.
How long does a baby elephant stay with her mother? What do you call a baby goat? Young children learn some interesting facts about the lives of baby animals in this original video from KET.
In this arts and crafts activity about animals and animal characteristics, learners will design animal hats and role-play as animals. Through this dramatic play, learners will practice and develop problem solving, cooperation, symbolic thinking, language and personal expression skills. Use the suggested open-ended questions to encourage learner reflection about their animal hat and animals in general.
In this video, Jonathan treks all the way to Antarctica to investigate life south of the polar circle. Along the way he dives in the majestic kelp forests of Patagonia, where crabs rule the sea floor. Once he arrives in Antarctica, his adventures continue. He swims with penguins, dives under an iceberg, meets a massive jellyfish 3 feet wide, and has an incredible encounter with a Leopard seal, the apex predator of Antarctica. Part 1 finds Jonathan diving in Ushuaia, Patagonia in Argentina before boarding the ship to Antarctica, then he finally gets to Antarctica and meets some penguins! This program won a New England Emmy Award! Please see the accompanying lesson plan for educational objectives, discussion points and classroom activities.
In this video, Jonathan treks all the way to Antarctica to investigate life south of the polar circle. Along the way he dives in the majestic kelp forests of Patagonia, where crabs rule the sea floor. Once he arrives in Antarctica, his adventures continue. He swims with penguins, dives under an iceberg, meets a massive jellyfish 3 feet across, and has an incredible encounter with a Leopard seal, the apex predator of Antarctica. Part 2 finds Jonathan continuing his exploration of Antarctica including an encounter with a Leopard seal. This program won a New England Emmy Award! Please see the accompanying lesson plan for educational objectives, discussion points and classroom activities.
In this engineering activity, young learners investigate multi-level buildings. Learners observe buildings in their neighborhood and then, using simple household materials, create their own multi-level models. This activity (page 4 of the PDF) is part of the Curious George "Under Construction" lesson plan, which includes several activities that explore building engineering. Activities are connected to fiction and non-fiction books and include family extension projects.
In this "Sid the Science Kid" activity, learners make applesauce to explore irreversible change. Learners compare and contrast apples that have been changed by heat with apples that haven't been changed. This activity includes a "Sid the Science Kid" video showing how to conduct the investigation. Safety note: adult supervision required.
In this video Jonathan visits the New England Aquarium as a volunteer aquarist for a day to learn what it takes to care for thousands of fish in dozens of exhibits, up to the massive 200,000 gallon Giant Ocean Tank (GOT). What he finds is an eye openerŰÓitŰŞs not all fun and games. Maintaining an aquarium is serious work. But it does have its benefits, as Jonathan discovers while diving in the GOT and feeding the sharks. This segment won a New England Emmy Award! Please see the accompanying study guide for educational objectives and discussion points.
This open-ended art project allows learners to create their own colorful ice sculpture by using rock salt and food coloring on a solid block of ice. The entire activity is like a mini-science lesson because it teaches learners the physical reaction of salt on ice.
The ability to ask and answer questions while reading is essential to comprehension. This article discusses instructional strategies used to teach questioning and provides many online resources. The article appears in the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle, which explores the seven essential principles of the climate sciences for teachers in k-grade 5 classrooms.
Squirrels and chipmunks are just two of the animals you might see. Backyard Wildlife, an original KET video, encourages children to explore the world outside their back door.
Squirrels and chipmunks are just two of the animals you might see. Backyard Wildlife, an original KET video, encourages children to explore the world outside their back door.
Experiment with force and pressure by building a balloon rocket. When launched, the balloon will run a track wherever you place the string. All you need is a balloon, clothespin, a straw, some tape, and some string, then get ready for take off!
In the open ocean around the Bahamas, pods of wild Spotted Dolphins frolic in the sunshine. Sometimes, they get bored and approach boats. In this educational video, Jonathan joins dolphin expert Wayne Scott Smith to learn how dolphins interact with each other. Jonathan learns how to play the Bandana Game, a game of -keep away- that the dolphins invented and like to play with Scott. Please see the accompanying study guide for educational objectives and discussion points.
In this activity, learners observe hard parts of sea creatures (shells, molts, etc.) to better understand marine environments. A series of questions is provided to help guide learners through observations, and there are suggestions for adapting the questions to fit older and younger audiences. Background information is provided about gastropods (e.g. whelks), mollusks (e.g. clams, mussels, oysters), echinoderms (e.g. sea stars, sand dollars), and crustaceans (e.g. crabs). The activity is written for use in a science museum or aquarium, but could also be used anywhere you can set out the examples and have learners interact with them. You could even adapt the activity for exploring outdoors at a tide pool or similar place.
In this outdoor activity, learners become beachcombers as they walk on a sandy beach in search of evidence of life. Learners gather examples and consider how the collected artifacts reached the beach. Learners then match their artifacts with the living organism that created each, while also telling stories about how the artifact might have been used. This activity can be done with learners of various ages, but the level of details in identifying and describing what its found can be varied according to age.
The stated mission of this blog is "To make the nightly math problem as common as the bedtime story." Each day Laura Bilodeau Overdeck and her husband John post an interesting fact or scenario about everyday life and related math problems at three readiness levels. They include a page of suggestions for how to use these problems with children. This is a good source of problems for teachers and parents, as well as a model for adapting problems to meet different needs.
As a group, learners investigate three packages which are all the same size and shape, but have different contents. One is filled with foam, one is filled with wood, and one is filled with metal. Learners are introduced to the concept of density, that objects with the same volume but different masses have different densities. Learners can extend their learning using one of the extensions provided: twenty questions to determine contents, determine the volume of the packages, determine mass and densities of the packages. Part of the 21-activity guide published by OMSI, No Hassle Messy Science with a Wow. All activities in this guide use household materials and all lesson plans include preparation directions, demonstrations, procedure sheets, cross-curricular connections, and scientific explanation of content.
In this activity, learners investigate different types of bird beaks using household items which mimic different beak examples. Participants will then learn how beaks are adapted to the type of foods a bird eats.
This is a tape and glue activity in which learners make binoculars that they can decorate and then use to go bird watching. The suggested questions encourage learners to share their knowledge, thoughts and feelings about birds. This resource also includes a brief explanation of how a bird's unique anatomy enables it to fly. Note: these are not functioning binoculars.
In this video, Jonathan joins Charlie Donilon on his shark charter boat in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and learns about how shark tagging has shed light on the biology of and behavior of Blue sharks. Tagging has shown that these incredible swimmers actually migrate completely across the Atlantic ocean. Jonathan tries his hand at tagging a shark and then swims with Blue sharks. We also learn that Blue sharks are not nearly as vicious as they have been reputed to be, and the divers are actually able to pet the sharks! Please see the accompanying study guide for educational objectives and discussion points.
In this activity, learners develop an understanding of cylinders and volume as they compare two sizes of popcorn buckets.
In this activity, learners use their imaginations and experiment with different materials to create bug hats. Use the suggested open-ended questions to encourage learners to talk about what they know about bugs as well as to compare humans and insects. Learners will also discover that insects use antennae to touch, taste, and smell!
This iOS app ($) is a collection of 18 activities providing practice with a wide range of early math skills involving number, shape, and measurement.
Learners make bell bracelets, place them on their wrists or ankles, and then dance to the rhythms and sounds the bells make. Many cultures use ankle or wrist bells to make music during dancing. This is a useful activity in any unit on sound, music, or cultures.
In this hands-on activity, learners make a bridge out of a folded piece of paper and two blocks. Then they test their structure by stacking coins (and other things) on it, discovering how much weight the bridge can support before it collapses. This activity explores engineering, technology, architecture, weight, compression, tension, and balance.
In this interactive application young children become familiar with 3-dimensional shapes by matching a variety of shapes in order to build a sandcastle. There are two levels of play, parent pointers, and hints to help out along the way.
In this activity (on pages 11-14 of PDF), learners cut out pictures from magazines of foods that help make bones strong and glue the pictures to a paper bone. The lesson plan includes information about various activities - including physical exercise as well as diet - that lead to healthy bones. It also includes a list of foods that provide calcium to strengthen bones, including dairy products, spinach, and tofu. The paper bones can be cut out of construction paper prior to the activity.
In this challenge, learners have to figure out in what order to combine five solutions to change the color from clear, to yellow, to blue, and back to clear. The five chemicals are potassium iodide, sodium thiosulfate, sodium hypochlorite (Clorox bleach), soluble starch (Niagara spray starch), and water. The color changes indicate chemical reactions, and the lesson includes some background information about the reactions that create different colors. Suggestions are given for guiding learners through systematic approaches to making the different combinations and observing the results, and for explaining to different age groups what happens when the solutions are combined.
In this sunny day, outdoor activity, learners observe changes in shadows over time. The activity also helps to develop a sense of the Earth's motion. Since this activity requires some passage of time for a noticeable change in shadows, it is best done at the beginning of an event or a series of activities so learners can revisit their tracings after a period of time. At museum or planetarium settings, this might be a good activity to set up at the entrance for visitors to do at the beginning and end of their visit.
This brief article discusses the importance of young children creating their own informal graphical representations of their mathematical thinking and problem solving. As distinguished from formal recording of a completed process, these early markings and symbols enable children to develop understanding and make meaning as well as communicate their thinking. The article includes a list of references, including the authors' research on which the article is based.
This is a deceptively simple game to teach strategy, planning, and pattern analysis. In this game, learners take turns removing tokens from a board, and develop a plan to take the last piece. Through practice, learners can develop a strategy by which they will always win. This activity can be used with a wide range of ages for different purposes. Resource contains game board and ideas to extend the activity for extra challenge.
Break open that used musical toy and squish some Play-Doh over the circuit boards, and you will hear some weird and distorted sounds the manufacturer never intended! In this activity learners experiment with the strange conductive properties of Play-Doh in order to safely short-circuit a musical toy. This is an entertaining activity about basic circuitry, sounds, and short circuiting or "circuit bending" battery powered musical toys. Note: often it is difficult to unscrew the musical toys open, and the insides are delicate. So consider this when turning this into a group activity.
In this "Sid the Science Kid" activity, learners get their hands dirty by playing in a container of soil. Then they compare the effectiveness of cleaning their hands with just a paper towel vs. soap and water. Use this activity to introduce the importance of hand-washing and cleanliness. This activity includes a "Sid the Science Kid" video showing how to conduct the investigation.