Idea Sheets

Rolling Maze

Similar to the idea of a Labyrinth, players must navigate this board by rolling the marble from cup to cup... but don't fall off!
Subjects: Physical Science, Life Science

Roman Numeral Dice

Students can learn alternate number systems by making and using these dice that use Roman Numerals instead of spots or pips.
Subjects: Math, Social Studies

Round Jack

Finding an approximate answer is sometimes more beneficial than an exact answer. Round Jack is fun activity for students to play and learn about rounding to simplify arithmetic.
Subjects: Math

Round and Round with Static Charges

Power an electric motor with only hand generated charges, no batteries needed!
Subjects: Physical Science

Rubber Trumpet

Players of these little noisemakers will never forget that sound is vibrations! Not only do you hear the sound (and annoy everyone around you), but you also feel the vibrations in your lips.
Subjects: Physical Science

  Salmon You Can Count On

Estimating the size of a population of animals, like salmon, is very challenging. The "tag and recapture" technique provides surprisingly accurate results. Simulate this sampling process using colored disks to represent salmon. Use proportions to predict the total population from the distribution of tagged fish found in "captured" samples.
Subjects: Life Science, Math

Kits Available: San Jose 19, Redwood City 9

Salt Slates

This simple set-up will allow students to practice letters and words over and over again, with no need for dusty chalk, dirty erasers, or smelly markers!
Subjects: Physical Science, Language Arts

Sand Art

Make stunning artistic creations by preparing and layering pigmented sand or salt.
Subjects: Art

Sand Timer Primer

Explore properties of flowing sand with this simplified sand timer.
Subjects: Physical Science, Math, Social Studies

Scaling the "g's"

This simple device will allow students to measure acceleration in g's.
Subjects: Physical Science, Math

Scalloped Circle String Art

Use colored string and simple cardboard shapes to create artistic designs based on intriguing mathematical patterns. Every pattern has infinite possibilities! String art is fun for all ages - to fix a mistake or try a new approach, just unwind the string!
Subjects: Math, Art

Kits Available: San Jose 87, Redwood City 25

Scary Sheep

Explore unusual word combinations that might reveal amazing imagery in this fun activity that also provides practice with parts of speech and rules of syntax.
Subjects: Language Arts

Searching for Mr. Meteorite

This activity models the benefits of searching for meteorites at the base of glacier fields in snow-covered Antarctica.
Subjects: Earth/Space Science

Secrets of the Pyramid

This classic puzzle helps students learn visualization, geometry, problem solving and spatial thinking skills as they try to put the pyramid together.
Subjects: Physical Science, Math

Seed Ease

The cover of a bulk CD container is easy to make into a decorative flower-pot. Use them for plant growth activities, or decorate them to give as functional, seasonal gifts.
Subjects: Life Science, Art

Seeing Spots

Students roll for "3-of-a-kind" in this simple game that reinforces counting, simple addition, and comparing numbers.
Subjects: Math

Senet

Play like an Egyptian! Played by royals and commoners alike, this popular strategy game from Ancient Egypt was enjoyed for over 3,000 years! Simple and fun to play!
Subjects: Math, Social Studies

Sensory Finger Mazes

During this activity, young learners develop their tactile sense independent from their visual sense.
Subjects: Life Science

Shadow Play

Head outside to see how the sun creates shadows that change as the sun's position changes during the school day.
Subjects: Physical Science, Earth/Space Science, Math

Shake Table

Building in earthquake country can be a tricky business. Architects and engineers run simulations using models and shake tables to test the integrity of buildings and determine necessary reinforcements. In this activity, students use a very simple, non-motorized shake table to test their structures.
Subjects: Physical Science, Earth/Space Science

Kits Available: Redwood City 2

Shake Your Butter

No need for a huge churn to observe wonderful and tasty changes.
Subjects: Physical Science, Life Science, Social Studies

Kits Available: Redwood City 54

Shape Collage

What's your favorite shape? Use your favorite shape to create a work of art!
Subjects: Math, Language Arts, Art

Shape Lotto

In this game children practice shape recognition and one-to-one correspondence.
Subjects: Physical Science, Math

Shape Skeletons

Use simple materials to investigate regular or advanced 3-dimensional shapes. Fun to create, these shapes make wonderful showpieces and learning tools!
Subjects: Math

  Shape Up with Algebra

Using centimeter cubes, build successive shapes based on a geometric pattern. Compare the shapes at successive stages to find an algebraic functional relationship.
Subjects: Math

Kits Available: San Jose 2, Redwood City 29

Shapes Galore

A small group activity to introduce shapes and their attributes to young learners in a relaxed and playful way.
Subjects: Math

Shiny Stencil Ornaments

Students create quick and easy decorations from stencils for winter celebrations.
Subjects: Earth/Space Science, Social Studies

Show Me the Bunny

Hop to and practice addition with this fast-paced, easy-to-learn game of luck and arithmetic.
Subjects: Math

Shrink Art

Create beautiful, fun art objects by drawing designs on shrink plastic, and then watch them get smaller... smaller... smaller.
Subjects: Physical Science, Art

Shrink Art Ornaments

Create beautiful, fun decorative objects by drawing patterns on shrink plastic, and then watch them twist up and get smaller... smaller... smaller
Subjects: Physical Science, Art

Shrinking Math

Students can use shrink plastic to create beautiful works of art, but also to learn math and science concepts and skills, such as measurement and properties of polymers.
Subjects: Physical Science, Math

Sierpinski Gasket

In this activity, students work together to build the 3-dimensional analog to the popular fractal "Sierpinski Gasket. This 3-D shape is called a Tetrix (also known as a Sierpinski Sponge or a Sierpinski Tetrahedron). The more students that work on the large fractal, the more impressive it will be!
Subjects: Math

Simple Book

No glue, tape, or staples are needed to make this simple "one-cut" multi page book created from a single sheet of paper.
Subjects: Language Arts, Art

Simple Expressions Bingo

Play Bingo by correctly matching algebraic expressions. Get 5 in a row and win!
Subjects: Math

Simple Stethoscope

Listening to the heart is a practical way to teach students about how the heart pumps blood through the circulatory system. The sounds of the beats provide information on heart valves, heart rate, and they reveal the relationship between circulation and respiration. This simple device allows students to appreciate the importance of the stethoscope in medicine and the study of human biology.
Subjects: Physical Science, Life Science

Kits Available: San Jose 41, Redwood City 29

Simple Telescope

See how convex and concave lenses can be combined to magnify far-away objects.
Subjects: Physical Science, Earth/Space Science

Kits Available: San Jose 22, Redwood City 10

Sink or Float

Even if conceptual explanations for why objects sink or float are beyond the comprehension level of young learners, they benefit from this inquiry based activity! It stimulates curiosity about science and provides opportunities to gather data and make predictions.
Subjects: Physical Science

Siphon Sipping

Learn the science behind the operation of a siphon as water flows up and over the edge of a container!
Subjects: Physical Science

Sit Down Count

Counting is hard! This fast paced game gives children the opportunity to practice counting and one-to-one correspondence using their whole body. Best of all, it requires virtually no preparation.
Subjects: Math

Skull of Ball Boy

What if human heads were spheres? In this activity, students are challenged to create a model of the human skull bones on a round, wooden ball.
Subjects: Life Science

Sleep Growth

Measure heights at bedtime and first thing in the morning to see the effect of gravity on the spine.
Subjects: Life Science

Slick and Tactile Letters

Students can trace these slick letters with their fingertips to reinforce letter shapes and sounds, blends, and even for spelling.
Subjects: Language Arts

Slide Rule

These math tools of the past allowed mathematicians and scientists to calculate faster and easier, without batteries! Students of today's electronic calculator age can hone their estimation skills while using these simplified replicas.
Subjects: Math, Social Studies

Slippery Slopes!

How does the slope of a ski path affect the swiftness of the skier?
Subjects: Math

Slope on a Rope

This simple device will help develop students' understanding of velocity, acceleration, and centripetal acceleration.
Subjects: Physical Science

Smoking Bottle

In this demonstration students see first hand evidence of some of the poisonous substances they would expose themselves to if they smoked a cigarette.
Subjects: Life Science

Soak it to Me

This activity will give young learners the chance to become familiar with the term "absorb" and to clarify their understanding of the term as they conduct a real science experiment.
Subjects: Physical Science

Solar Cell Demonstrator

Experiment with a solar "cell", a motor, and a light source to learn about circuits, solar energy, and converting visible light into electrical energy, motion, and light.
Subjects: Physical Science, Earth/Space Science

Solar Cell Sandwich

Create a model to learn about how the most common type of solar cell is constructed.
Subjects: Physical Science, Earth/Space Science

Solar Collector

The Sun provides a daily source of free and non-polluting energy that can be collected and converted. Concentrate sunlight using a reflective collector and explore heating and "cooking" foods and other materials.
Subjects: Physical Science, Earth/Space Science

Kits Available: San Jose 50, Redwood City 10