Idea Sheets

Reinforce the correct order of mathematical operations by playing this fast-paced game of algebraic H-O-R-S-E. Figure out the leader's chosen mathematical expression of operations and numbers.
Subjects: Math

Charge up this plastic tube with a quick rub and watch the little balls dance!
Subjects: Physical Science

Challenge your students with these wonderful, complex, historical knots! Not only do knots have their place in history, learning to tie knots using visual directions appeals to the visual as well as the kinesthetic learner, and helps develop spatial skills.
Subjects: Math, Social Studies

Children work together to create a giant dot to dot design by rolling a ball of string to one another following an alphabet letter sequence.
Subjects: Language Arts

Students connect letters with their related sounds and will enjoy creating and learning new words with this engaging activity.
Subjects: Language Arts

In the polymer Olympics, this substance would win a gold medal! It can soak up and hold up to 3000 times its weight in water! Observe the polymer "grow" as water is absorbed. Explore the effect of salt on the polymer's efficiency.
Subjects: Physical Science

Geometry, design, architecture, creativity, science... This activity has it all! In this activity, students get the opportunity to design and build a home for magnetic "pet worms", and then enjoy bringing their worms to life.
Subjects: Physical Science, Math

Get a statistical snapshot of a population using simplified versions of the random, systematic, and stratified sampling techniques commonly used by researchers around the world!
Subjects: Physical Science, Math

In this unique interdisciplinary activity, students use science, math, and art skills to create a drawing on a curved grid. The coordinates used for the drawing on the curved grid are the same as they would be for a square grid. This anamorphic drawing appears distorted from the original and can be difficult to recognize... until it is viewed with a cylindrical mirror! A recognizable image "magically" appears when science, math, and art are mixed together.
Subjects: Physical Science, Life Science, Math, Art

Gain a deeper understanding of the structures and functions found in animal cells by creating a model from repurposed materials.
Subjects: Life Science

Match the animals in this great identification game for young students.
Subjects: Physical Science, Math

This fun activity will give students the opportunity to create basic animations that can help them understand how motion pictures and the human eye work.
Subjects: Physical Science, Life Science, Art

Apples make a wonderful, fall theme for pre-school or kindergarten classrooms. This game plays like Concentration: students turn over apples showing number equivalents to find and collect matching pairs.
Subjects: Math

Graph a curve and derive a quadratic model from experimental data in this wet and wonderful activity that demonstrates how math and science flow together!
Subjects: Physical Science, Math

This popular activity plays like the card game "War", but with a new twist. Players estimate, and then measure, the area of shapes by covering them with centimeter blocks. With practice, they internalize the concept of area and learn to estimate it. This activity can also be used to learn about perimeter. Adding more layers of blocks introduces the concept of volume.
Subjects: Math

The human body is complicated, with amazing ranges of motion. Explore the difficulties in recreating a life-like body by examining action figure toys.
Subjects: Life Science

Make a cloud "mirror" and use to do small scale observations of the clouds and sky.
Subjects: Earth/Space Science

Atomic structure becomes clear when using these magnetic pieces to represent protons, neutrons, and electrons.
Subjects: Physical Science

Students who enjoy puzzles will find this activity very intriguing. This provides opportunities for both "logical" and "visual" thinkers to shine!
Subjects: Physical Science, Math, Language Arts

Explore heating with sunlight using a solar collector that is easy to make and store.
Subjects: Physical Science, Earth/Space Science