Idea Sheets

Red cabbage juice is amazing! Acids and bases make it change color!
Subjects: Physical Science, Life Science

Cryptography was important more than 4,000 years ago as a way to protect the interests of kings, military leaders, and other dignitaries. It is important today because of the vast amounts of personal, financial, and medical data stored in computer systems worldwide. Students will appreciate cryptography in terms of math and history by encoding and decoding messages using a technique similar to that used by the Roman general Julius Caesar!
Subjects: Math, Social Studies

Illusions are wonderful student motivators! When people realize that sometimes they cannot believe their eyes, they often want to know why. It took scientists months of research and many experiments to figure out why this simple pattern of black and white tiles outside a cafe in Bristol looked like a bunch of wedges.
Subjects: Physical Science, Life Science

When John Napier, a famous mathematician, invented his "Bones" or "Rods" in the early 17th century, modern calculating was born. With this simplified recreation, students can multiply large numbers quickly, with little effort and no electricity!
Subjects: Math, Social Studies

Use transparent layers to diagram and represent different map details of California.
Subjects: Earth/Space Science, Social Studies

Noticing small details not only helps birds find bugs, it helps inventors spot creative opportunities! While doing this activity, students will see the benefits of taking a closer look at the world around them.
Subjects: Life Science

A journal for day or overnight camp
Subjects: Language Arts, Art

Students independently rearrange letter tiles to spell words and then take turns drawing and discarding tiles until one person has no tiles left and wins the "hand".
Subjects: Language Arts

While normally only used to create molded candles, palm wax granules can be easily melted in hot water and used to make small dipped candles in a few minutes.
Subjects: Physical Science, Social Studies

Explore rhythms using these simple maracas in an activity that appeals to both auditory and kinesthetic learners.
Subjects: Physical Science, Art

Watch water travel "uphill" to provide constant moisture for seed germination.
Subjects: Life Science

Model cars teach students about motion along inclined planes, friction, gravity, momentum, and potential vs. kinetic energy. The models do not need to be complex in design. These model cars consist of a simple chassis and a straw-based axle system (simple machine) that produces minimal friction and allows the cars to roll with little energy input, making them ideal learning tools for students of all ages.
Subjects: Physical Science

Although carnival games are designated games of skill, winners are usually determined by chance. In this carnival-style game, skills in arithmetic are required just to play... so in the game of math education, everybody is a winner!
Subjects: Math

Take turns flicking a bottle cap from a launching square toward the center and then add the numbers for the region landed on to obtain a score. Bumping is permitted!
Subjects: Physical Science, Math

Learn about wheels and axles while making a vehicle that can really move!
Subjects: Physical Science

Students can build and manipulate these tiny catapults to learn about motion, the history of science and technology, and the scientific method.
Subjects: Physical Science, Social Studies

Sometimes word work is all pencil and paper. Keep kids engaged by allowing them to experiment and randomly find letters that can be used to make words and build vocabulary.
Subjects: Language Arts

Strengthen observational skills, build persistence, and provide the joy of discovery as students work to find a way to cause a falling ring to end up tied to a loop of chain.
Subjects: Physical Science, Math

This quick and simple model may help your students appreciate living with lung disease... and possibly convince them to stay away from smoking.
Subjects: Life Science

Learn how an anemometer works and use one to make wind speed measurements.
Subjects: Physical Science, Earth/Space Science

A piece of chenille stem creeps along a track, moved by vibrations and friction.
Subjects: Physical Science

This game gives students practice measuring in centimeters. This game can also be used for estimating length.
Subjects: Math

There are many different combinations of coins that add up to any particular amount. This game illustrates this concept of coin equivalents in a fun game challenge.
Subjects: Math

Students create a costume out of paper grocery bags that reveals their level of comprehension about characters they are reading about.
Subjects: Language Arts, Art

The first electrical experiments were based on static electricity. Students can create motion, light, and sound relatively easily, on a small scale, with static electricity.
Subjects: Physical Science

Go "shopping" using checks to pay for products and learn techniques to accurately keep track of checkbook balances.
Subjects: Math

The necessity for food preservation was just the beginning for this dairy staple.
Subjects: Physical Science, Life Science, Social Studies

It would certainly be easier to just gulp our food whole, so why is it an advantage to spend all that time chewing?
Subjects: Life Science, Math

Model the Egyptian mummification and burial process using a chicken tender to represent the "recently deceased". This activity provides an opportunity to practice observation and measurement skills.
Subjects: Physical Science, Life Science, Social Studies

Students can practice Chinese calligraphy by making these dice that use characters instead of spots or pips.
Subjects: Social Studies

Using hanging file folders to make durable paper lanterns as decorations for Lunar New Year celebrations such as the Chinese New Year and the Chinese Lantern Festival.
Subjects: Social Studies, Art

Use water to separate the different colors used to create the "black" in black markers.
Subjects: Physical Science, Life Science, Art

A board game that can teach whatever you choose!
Subjects: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth/Space Science, Math, Social Studies, Language Arts

Learn about electricity and electrical components by building a flashlight circuit!
Subjects: Physical Science

Controlling the flow of electrons provides us with heat, light, power, entertainments, and communications over vast distances. Bulbs, batteries, and wires can help students build a basic understanding of electrical circuits.
Subjects: Physical Science

Fill the pages of this clipboard journal with thoughts, drawings, poems, plant rubbings, and observations from day or overnight journeys to the great outdoors.
Subjects: Life Science, Earth/Space Science, Language Arts

Students create a 3-dimensional representation of the closest stars in this activity that demonstrates the scale and structure of space and our Milky Way galaxy.
Subjects: Earth/Space Science, Math

Learn to use the universal codon table to assemble a wearable amino acid chain!
Subjects: Life Science

Young learners experience the joy of discovery while they experiment with mixing colored water. An enjoyable activity for tactile learners and also visually pleasing!
Subjects: Physical Science, Life Science, Art

These little disks are polarizing filters that have tape adhered to them. When two are held up to a light source, wonderful, color mosaics are created.
Subjects: Physical Science

Students match colors and color words as they play this easy-to-make game.
Subjects: Physical Science, Math, Language Arts

Children will create secondary colors by mixing primary colored (safe-to-eat) "pudding" in a reclosable bag.
Subjects: Physical Science

This kaleidoscope has no tube or object chamber and thus is much simpler to put together. A turning colored disk is the source of the reflected patterns.
Subjects: Physical Science, Math

We live in a colorful world! Beautiful, colorful things, like seashells and opals, seem to shimmer in the light, producing an array of bright colors. In this activity, students can produce colors on cardstock, using the same principles of physics that oysters and abalone use to make their pearls or colorful shells.
Subjects: Physical Science, Life Science, Art

Expose this wonderful paint to water and the sun. "Sun- masked" paint fades and "sun-exposed" areas become dark, creating wonderful sun-imprinted images.
Subjects: Physical Science, Art

Mix colors easily by spinning. The resulting color will exist only in your mind!
Subjects: Physical Science, Life Science

White light is actually a combination of different colors. This easy-to-build spectroscope creates a rainbow pattern (spectrum) by separating incoming light into its component colors. The interesting patterns it displays can be used to identify different sources of light. Experiment with a variety of colored filters and see how the images change!
Subjects: Physical Science

Challenge a group of students to make attribute connections with objects so that they are able to "link" the random items together into a circle.
Subjects: Physical Science, Math

Demonstrate the commutative property of multiplication by arranging the same number of "chocolate chips" on two different batches of "cookies".
Subjects: Math

Corral a compass rose and allow a needle to rotate smoothly by using marbles!
Subjects: Physical Science, Earth/Space Science