Below I have listed some science blogs and websites that I have found useful and easy for students to follow. These blogs can be used by parents to conduct science experiments and the websites are easy for students to navigate and learn from.
1. Science for Kids Blog: This blog has several different experiments that students can perform at home with few materials and little mess. Some of the experiments include a blubber experiment, surface tension and cloud in a cup. There are extensions for each activity to expand the students knowledge.
2. Discovery Kids: On this website the students are able to explore different areas of science. There is a tab where the students can select to play a variety of games such as building their own inventions. Students can research different labs such as the myth busters under the "tell me" tab. The different labs lay out all the necessary components of the experiment to test the myth. This is a fun and interactive website for all elementary school ages!
3. Interactive Science Website: This website provides students with the option to chose whichever subject they are interested in within the science study. There are a variety of different subjects such as biomes, animal adaptations, weather and etc. The website is extremely easy to navigate. Once the subject is clicked on a new page is opened with choices of games, lessons, or experiments for students to
view.
4. Bill Nye The Science Guy: This is Bill Nye's website which includes all of his videos and experiments. This site is useful for students because they can watch vides about different science subjects at any time. The vides are informational and interesting to watch they are not your typical science video. The videos are relatable and end in a catchy song to help students learn!
5. Brain Pop: This website is a great curriculum based source for students to use. The website allows students to watch videos that introduce new science topics including vocabulary, experiments, and extended activities. The characters on the page put the science discoveries in simpler terms for any age student to understand.
6. PBS Kids: The PBS kids website is an excellent source for students to learn science information while playing games. The games help students to learn the information as they reach towards a goal.
7. Growing with Science: The Growing with Science website is packed with different science resources for elementary age students! There are different categories that students can choose from and within the categories are videos, experiments, links, and books to find out more about that category. Each week there is a new bug posted with an update about that bug and with different pictures. Each week there is a new post with links and activities for students to interact with. I particularly loved this site because there was a section that was just a list of science books that were good for students to reference.
8. Science Bob: This website is a compilation of science experiments. I chose this website because it was easy to navigate and there were countless experiments that elementary school students could perform. I thought it was also helpful for students who were interested in entering a science fair. There is an entire page dedicated to the science fair and how to win, how to enter, and how to be the best. Also included is a list of science fair ideas. These experiments are easy to do at home!
9. Kids National Geographic: The National Geographic website for kids is an interactive way for students to explore science on the earth. This website provides students with different options to explore the different parts of the earth and the animals, plants, and culture from each part. There are options for the students to explore different animals sounds and videos. This website is also helpful for preschool age students to use!
10. Kids Fun Science Blog: This blog had a different approach to science for kids. Students can click on the different links to read about the various topics. Topics include volcanoes, plate tectonics, air pressure, etc. Accompanying some of the topics are different experiments for the students to perform. I thought that this website was helpful because students who want to learn more about science without playing games or performing experiences can read about the topics instead.
Science Lesson Plans
Below are some of the science lesson plans that can be found on a variety of websites. The lesson plans are just a few examples of lessons I would teach in my classroom. The lesson plans can also be incorporated at home!
1. The Brain and Senses: This lesson plan allows students to explore their brain and different senses and functions that their brain can perform. These functions include taste, memory, sight and touch. For the sight activity the students will look at a variety of optical illusions. The brain is constantly trying to fill in the blank spaces and filling them with information. The students will observe the different images that they see in each optical illusion. The materials needed are jelly beans, paper clips, and about eight objects. In the taste activity the students will guess the different flavors of jelly beans without knowing the flavor. Then the students will discuss why their brain made assumptions of different flavors judging by the color. In the memory activity the students will be shown different objects in a minute. Next, the students will have to write down as many of the objects as they remember. This activity tests short term memory and the students will answer whether or not there was an object that all the students didn't remember, or one that they all did. The last activity will be an experiment on touch. In
this activity the students will test pressure points on each others hand using
paper clips.
2. Spaceship Builder:The spaceship builder lesson allows students to create their own spaceship to explore their knowledge of space and building. The students are creating a spaceship that will be safe in space. The students are to brainstorm and design their own spaceship on paper, collect materials, build, and display their creations in class. The students will be able to answer the following questions after their activity:
1. Why did you choose to build this?
2. Do astronauts live in this spaceship and where?
3. What was the hardest part about building your spaceship? What would
you change next time?
3. Sink or Float: In this lesson plan, the students will predict which objects will sink or float. The different materials needed are: a bucket of water, a towel, a cork, pencil, paper clip, crayon, twig, marble, plastic spoon, and a bar of soap. (A literature connection would be to include the book, Mr. Gumpy’s Outing by John Burningham ). The teacher will introduce each material and the students will predict on a recording sheet whether the object will sink or float. After each material is placed in the water the class will reflect on their predictions to see if they were right or not. The students will then answer the question, why did the object sink or float? An at home extension would be to have the students test different objects at home and record whether they float or sink.
4. Pendulum Problems: In this lesson plan, the students will use the scientific process to explore the effects of force on an object in motion. The students will create their own pendulum using a ruler, tape, two feet of string, marble, popsicle sticks, large straw and a meter stick. Using a recording sheet the students will predict what will happen when the pendulum swings and how the ball will react. For an at home extension the students will notice the different forces when driving a car. Students will observe whether or not a car that is driving faster has to apply the breaks harder or sooner then the cars that are driving slower.
5. Planet Power: This lesson plan is extremely easy for students to do at home! Students will need balls (in different sizes such as a tennis ball, Ping-Pong ball, or playground ball), citrus fruit in different sizes, a glass marble, an inflated balloon, and a small pebble. (There should be 10 different items ranging in sizes. The students can start off by sorting the objects whichever way that they want. Then the students will sort the objects like scientists would sort the planet: by size, by weight, or by nearest or farthest to the sun. The students will have the balloon represent the sun and line up the other planets in accordance to their position near the sun. To extend this activity the students will research the following questions:
1. How far away are the planets from the sun?
2. How far is Mars from Earth?
3. How big is the sun?
4. How big is the sun compared to the other stars in the solar system?
6. Liquid Learning : The objective for this lesson is for the students to explore matter, different liquids and their densities. The students will need about five different containers that can be filled with five different liquids. The students will then observe what is in the containers and estimate what each of the liquids is. To introduce liquids the students will observe a glass of water to show a liquid, an ice cube to observe a solid and if available a cup of boiling water to represent gas. Then the students will notice how the shapes of the containers may be different by the type of matter is still a liquid. The liquid form of matter changes shape to fit its container so the volume will be the same for each container. The students will also need 4 clear plastic cups, club soda, food coloring, and salt to observe the liquid densities. The students will fill two cups with water, one cup with salt, and one cup with club soda. First, have the students drop the food coloring into all 4 of the cups. The students will observe the difference in how long the food coloring took to spread throughout the water. The students will observe why the cups look the same but behave differently.
7. How Hot is it Anyway?: In this activity students will demonstrate how heat can be produced by rubbing two objects together. Students will learn how to use different instruments (thermometer) to measure temperature. For this activity students will need a pencil, paper, sandpaper, a thermometer, a block of wood and lotion. The students will first start off by rubbing their hands together. Then the students will observe and record what happened. Next, students will rub the sandpaper and wood together and record what happens. Students will rub their hands together for thirty-seconds and find the temperature afterwards. Finally, the students will put lotion on their hands and rub them together for another thirty seconds and record the difference. This activity can easily be done at home with one student. To extend this activity students could find a variety of objects around the house to rub together and observe.
8. Glacier Guide: For a more advanced activity students will discuss glaciers and how they change the land. Students will need paper, a pencil, newspaper, markers, an ice cube tray, water, sand, two plastic cups, a teaspoon, and paper towels. Students will be demonstrating how glaciers cause dramatic change on the land. First they will put two of the ice cubes in a cup filled with water and two of the ice cubes in a cup that is filled with sand. Then the students will rub the sandy ice cube against the top of the cup using a paper towel and record what they notice about the top. Next the students will repeat the process using the clear ice cube and recording what they notice happens to the top of the cup. The sandy ice cube represents how the glaciers cut depressions into the earths surface.
9. Tornado Time : In this lesson plan the students will learn how to create a tornado using
simple household objects. Students will
need water, a clear plastic bottle, dish
washing soap, and glitter. Students will
fill the plastic bottle 2/3 of the way full of water. Then the students will add a few drops of
dish washing soap and glitter. Students
will screw on the cap and turn the bottle upside down so that they are holding
the bottle by the cap in their hand. Next
the students will spin the bottle in a circular motion and observe if there is
a tiny tornado forming. The mini tornado
is formed because of centripetal force (an inward force directing an object or
fluid such as water towards the center of its circular path). Afterwards
students will brainstorm where other vortexes such as the tornado are formed
such as hurricanes.
10. Balloon Blow-Up
:
The objective of the lesson is for students to understand the impact of
carbon dioxide. Students will be blowing
up balloons using baking soda and lemon juice.
In this activity the materials needed are 1 teaspoon baking soda, lemon juice, a balloon, 40 mL of water, a straw
and a soft drink bottle. Students will stretch out the balloon
before beginning the experiment. Then the
student will pour the water into the bottle. Next, the students will pour in the baking
soda and lemon juice. Very quickly, the balloon
will be placed around the spout of the bottle.
Adding the baking soda to the lemon juice creates a chemical
reaction. The students will observe that
the gas is pushed out of the bottle and up into the balloon. The gas created is carbon dioxide. To extend this activity use soda instead of
the water and Pop Rocks candy instead of the lemon juice and baking soda and
watch what happens to the balloon!
I am a junior attending Shippensburg University and I am majoring in Elementary Education. I always knew that I wanted to become a teacher and I am extremely motivated in my career. I have worked at a daycare for the past four years over the summers. While I am at Shippensburg I work at Child Time Before and After program in the Carlisle school district. I am placed in Carlisle at Bellaire Elementary school. I work with fourth graders this year, but last year I was able to experience second grade. I am a member of Kappa Delta Pi National Honor Society for education, Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Society, Historian for Bridge for Kids, Marketer for Keystone State Reading Association and member of Shippensburg Education Association. I created this Blog for my science methods class to provide different science experiments and books for students. I plan on using this blog throughout my career when it applies.
