Idea Sheets

Whenever a can of mixed nuts is opened, the brazil nuts tend to be on the top. This phenomenon seems counterintuitive, because the brazil nuts are more massive than the peanuts, cashews and other nuts in the can. How can this be?
Subjects: Physical Science

Provide students with opportunities to create a basic circuit, build a portable version, and explore parallel and series circuits!
Subjects: Physical Science

In this logic game, a player uses clues to help them break a hidden code in as few guesses as possible.
Subjects: Math

Explore polarized light using polarizing filter material. The displays of many common electronic devices are covered with a polarizing filter to cut glare.
Subjects: Physical Science, Life Science

Students explore how organic materials break down and decompose in this lab experiment that investigates materials, environmental factors, and variables.
Subjects: Life Science

Each day in your life you breathe in and out approximately 20,000 times, usually without thinking about it. Here is a chance to discover how breathing works.
Subjects: Life Science

Use Algebra to figure out the price to charge for a one pound bag of mixed coffee beans.
Subjects: Math

How strong can a bridge be made using a limited set of materials?
Subjects: Physical Science

Thermally sensitive paper can be used to create some stunning artistic effects. This activity is a fantastic exploration of a thermally sensitive chemical reaction.
Subjects: Physical Science

Use a water filled cylinder and a bubble to create convex and concave surfaces. Make light rays move closer together (converge)or move apart (diverge).
Subjects: Physical Science

Students observe dramatic changes in the states of matter in this activity.
Subjects: Physical Science

Create a pooter, or "bug vac" to gently collect and study small creepy crawlies.
Subjects: Life Science

Wooden cubes can be used for a variety of building activities that develop spatial skills and mathematical reasoning. In this activity, students make a 3-dimensional shape using a given number of cubes.
Subjects: Math

Building with foam pieces, blocks, and boxes will help young learners explore elements of design, construction, and the scientific process in an open-ended way!
Subjects: Physical Science

Explore how scale affects volume in this hands-on, pyramid building activity.
Subjects: Physical Science, Math

This activity for larger groups provides practice in team creation and rapid building.
Subjects: Physical Science, Language Arts, Art

Simple marble games can be a great introduction to the study of motion ... or just a great way to spend an afternoon!
Subjects: Physical Science

Balls are popular playthings for people of all ages. They help develop hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills, and they appeal to tactile learners. In this activity for students of all ages, foam balls are made that can be safely used in the classroom for a variety of learning activities. Bumpy Balls are easy to create, fun to make, and even more fun to play with!
Subjects: Physical Science

In this easy art project, students can design and make their own butterfly bushes.
Subjects: Art

Give this little noisemaker a whirl to learn about the effects of air passing over a taut rubber band. As it vibrates, the rubber band can generate a surprising range of deep rumbling tones. How can the pitch be changed? Experiment to find the answer!
Subjects: Physical Science