Sand Collection

It's very simple to start a sand collection - every time you visit a beach or other sandy location, collect a small sample in a zip-top bag.  Ask your students to do the same on their travels, as well as colleagues and family members.  It won't take long and you'll have a variety of sand samples to compare and contrast. 

You can keep your samples in clear plastic bags and use a magnifying glass to observe, or if you've got the resources, you could store the samples in magnifier boxes.

The diversity of the samples will provide a variety of discussion points.  What is the sand made of?  Why is the sand the color that it is?  How large the grains of sand?  Why? 

For instance, the above sample was photographed (because one should never remove anything from a national park) at Acadia National Park.  You immediately notice, with the naked eye, that the sand is very coarse.  You'll notice that many of the pieces of sand look like crushed shells - for good reason, that's exactly what they are!  You'll also notice lots of different colors in the sand. 

I'm particularly fond of the blues, purples and greens.  The blue and purple pieces are crushed mussel shells.  The green "spikes" are bristles from a sea urchin. 


Along the same lines, retired science teacher Charles Lindgren has created the Science of Sand website.  He has solicited sand samples from across the country and world and photographed the sand at a 9X magnification. 

His samples are organized by state and country, and you're welcome to use the images for a virtual sand lab.  In fact, he's also included some lesson ideas. 

He's also always looking for new samples, so if you live or travel near sand, consider collecting a sample for him. 

And take a look at his site - the pictures are gorgeous, much better than mine!

Water Cycle: The Incredible Journey

This is adapted from the ProjectWET curriculum guide.  I've seen this adaptation in several different locations, so I don't know whom to officially credit.  Regardless, it's a great activity and I hope you and your students enjoy it!

If I ask you to describe the water cycle, what comes to mind? 

I'll bet your picturing the image from your textbook: the clouds raining over the mountain, the water moving down the mountain into the ocean/lake, the water evaporating from the ocean/lake to form clouds.  Maybe there's a tree in there somewhere, releasing water into the air as well.  You know... this one....

That's the easiest way to explain the water cycle, right? 

But, you're all smart people; you realize the water cycle is more than a simple circle.  There are any number of different paths that water can take. 

How do you get your students to understand that? 

The ProjectWET folks created The Incredible Journey, in which students travel between 9 different stations: clouds, oceans, rivers, lakes, plants, animals, soil, glaciers and ground water.

Each station is set up with an identifying sign (it could just be a large sign with the word on it, it could be a painting representing that station, or it could a collage of pictures representing that area), a large die (see instructions below) and a tub of pony beads (one color per station).

The original version of the activity has students write down where they travel, but to make things more fun and memorable, the adaptation has students use the beads to create a keychain/bracelet to document their travels as a water drop.

Each student begins with a pipe cleaner (loop over one end so the beads don't slide off) at a station of their choosing.

The student picks up bead from that station and slides it onto the pipe cleaner. 

The student then roles the die and travels to the station the die directed them to.  At the new station, the student picks up a bead and adds it to the pipe cleaner and roles the die.

If the student roles a "Stay" he or she remains at the same station, picking up another bead representing that station and roles the die again.  It is possible to remain at the same station for a number of roles, which would be represented by several of the same color beads in a row. 

After the students have had the chance to visit ~24 stations, bring the group back together and talk about what happened.  Use the strings of beads to question the students about where they began, where they went next, etc.  Ask the students how they would have gotten from one place to another. 

For instance, my journey began as a drop of water in an animal.  From there I traveled to the ground.  How would I have gone from being in an animal to the ground?  Well, the animal probably urinated; other answers could include slobber/drool, sweat, etc. 

How would I have gone from the clouds to the ocean? Rain (or another form of precipitation). 

A nice way to close the activity is to have students write about their journey - a first-person narrative of their travels and how they moved from one location to another. 

The Dice:

To make the dice:

Use square boxes to make the dice, label the sides (see below), and cover with packing tape (just to make them last longer). 

OR

Cover wooden blocks with masking tape and label the sides (see below).

For each station, label the sides as follows (make sure you mark your dice as to which station each belongs to):

SOIL:
Plant
River
Ground water
Clouds x2
Stay

PLANT:
Clouds x4
Stay x2

RIVER:
Lake
Ground Water
Ocean
Animal
Clouds
Stay

CLOUDS:
Soil
Glacier
Lake
Ocean x2
Stay

OCEAN:
Clouds x2
Stay x4

LAKE:
Ground Water
Animal
River
Clouds
Stay x2

ANIMAL:
Soil x2
Clouds x3
Stay

GROUND WATER:
River
Lake x2
Stay x3

GLACIER:
Ground Water
Clouds
River
Stay x3

Eating without Teeth

Gather several green leaves (look for ones that have fallen to the ground).  Place them in a resealable bag and seal. 

Hold the bag between you hands and rub the bag between your hands 25 times.  Observe the leaves.

Now add several small rocks the bag. 

Rub the bag together 25 more times.  Observe the leaves.

You'll find that the leaves without rocks did not change much at all.  However, the leaves in the bag with the rocks were crushed.

Rocks found near the rib bones of some dinosaur skeleton suggest that those dinosaurs swallowed rocks to aid in the digestion of food in dinosaurs who lacked grinding teeth.  Modern chickens swallow gravel to grind food inside their gizzard.

Teaching the Constellation Stories

These are the props I used this summer, when doing constellation programs at some local libraries. 

We did a quick review of what a constellation is and then I started to "quiz" them.

First, I showed them a picture of some stars and they had to decide what picture they might see in those stars.

Then I showed them those same stars with the "dots connected," and asked them again what picture they might imagine from that shape.

And finally, I showed them a picture that had the stars and lines drawn in. 

At that point I shared some of the stories associated with each of the constellations.  We incorporated as many different culture's variations on the myths and legends as I could find, which helped the children understand that the people making up the stories were using images and themes that were part of their everyday life.

We also discussed the great use of imagination in some of the constellations.  It was a good reminder that we were talking about groups of people for whom this was a form of evening entertainment - there weren't televisions or computers or iPods available.  There weren't even books readily available to some of these groups of people. 


Here's another set:

Which Way Does a River Flow?

Downhill, of course! 

But, in every classroom there are students convinced that all rivers flow south.  Blame it on wall maps that hang vertically and our knowledge of gravity.  Blame it on the directionality of our largest river.  Blame it on ignorance.  But then do something to correct the misconception.

Each group will need:

-A sheet of freezer paper

-A pan or tub in which the paper fits
-Water-based markers: Blue, Brown, Purple, Black
-Spray Bottle filled with water

To begin, each group will create a unique landscape by crumpling up the piece of freezer paper.  The paper is then opened part-way to reveal mountains, valleys, crevices, etc. 

Place the paper in the pan, making sure all of the paper is contained in the pan.

Use the brown marker to mark the ridges and high points of the landscape.

Use the blue marker to mark the low spots, where the students think the water will collect.

Students then need to decide where they think the best place to build roads would be.  They then draw in the roads using the black marker. 

Each student should choose a site for a house and draw that in with the purple marker.  They may also wish to draw in other municipal buildings. 

Finally, add a compass rose to the upper right hand corner.

Now you're ready for it to rain....
Using the spray bottle, mist water all over the landscape and watch what happens to the water - where it flows, where it collects, etc. 

How did the roads fare?  How about the houses? 

Did all the water flow in the same direction?  Which way did it go?

Tornado: Make Your Own Tornado Tube

I'm sure many of you have seen the little tube/connectors you can use to connect two 2-liter soda bottles to make a tornado tube.  Like this:


I've wondered at various times, whether one could create the tornado tube without that little plastic connector, which I don't happen to possess, and while quite inexpensive, have never gone ahead and purchased.

I was pleased to find instructions for creating my own tornado tube in Janice VanCleave's 202 Oozing, Bubbling, Dripping, and Bouncing Experiments.

The materials you'll need:
--a flat metal washer - one that's the same size as the mouth of the bottles
--duct tape
--two 2-liter soda bottles

Fill one of the bottles half-way with water (feel free to add a little food coloring and/or glitter, if the mood strikes you).

Dry the mouth of the bottle well.  Place the washer over the mouth of the bottle.

Place the second bottle upside down, on top of the washer.

Tape the bottles together with the duct tape - don't skimp, make sure things are secure!

Turn the bottles upside down.  With one hand on the top bottle and the other on the bottom, move the top bottle in a small circle.

Set the bottles down and watch the tornado vortex form.

I was pleased with how well the tornado formed.  However, despite my best taping effort, some water leaked out every time we used it.  If it's something you're going to do repeatedly, it's probably worth a couple bucks for the special coupler.  If it's likely a one-time thing, this definitely works and is less "stuff" to have around the house.

Summer Science Camp: Volcano Eruption

I'm re-posting this activity, because it works well for a science camp.  Curriculum and time constraints may prevent you from actually building the volcanoes during the school year, but summer camp provides the perfect opportunity to take on such things.  Kids always love to make and erupt volcanoes - doesn't matter how many times they've done it before!

You can find all sorts of volcano making/exploding kits to buy.  (If you're interested in buying, each of those words is a link to a different product).

But you can save your money and have a little more (messy) fun by making your own.

Start with an empty bottle - a Snapple bottle or soda bottle works well.  Tape it to a paper plate - makes it sturdier and easier to work with.

Mix up some paper mache.  There are all kinds of recipes out there.  I'm partial to just flour and water - cheap, easy to procure, and easy to clean up.

Dip strips of torn up newspaper in the paper mache and start applying them to the bottle.  Build up the shape of the volcano as you wish.  Make sure you keep the top of the bottle open!

By making your own model, you have the chance to make it the shape you want... make it a shield volcano, a cinder cone volcano, a composite volcano.  Even if you don't have a sepcific plan, it gives you a chance to review and discuss those types of volcanoes and how they're formed.

A cinder cone volcano

Allow your volcano to dry - the amount of time this takes depends on the weather and how heavy-handed you were with the paper mache.

Once the volcano is dry, you can choose to paint it. 

Or you can just get on with the exploding part.

Put some baking soda in the bttle.  You can add some red food coloring, for effect, if you wish.  Pour in some vinegar and stand back and watch!

And, if you're too impatient to build the volcano and just want to get to the exploding part, you can just put some baking soda in an empty bottle, add some vinegar and watch.  It's a good demonstration of a chemical change, even if you aren't studying volcanoes!

Space: Constellation Stories

If you spend any time studying space, there's probably a good chance you at least touch upon constellations and the legends and myths they are the subjects of. 

A great way to incorporate some more writing into your science curriculum is to have your students "discover" their own constellations and then write a story/legend/myth about that constellation.

There are a number of ways you can go about constellation creation. 

Version 1:
Provide each student with a blank star map.  I've got an old copy that I can photocopy, but truth be told, I'm having a hard time finding a blank star map (without the constellations already drawn in) to print.  But, if you can find a blank star map, this way is a lot of fun because, at least in theory, the students should be able to find their own constellation in the night sky.

The students "connect the dots" to form some sort of image from the stars. 

Version 2:

Each student is provided with a piece of paper and a specified number of star stickers.  The students place the stickers on the paper as they desire.  They then draw in the lines to complete the picture.

Version 3:

The teacher places star stickers on a piece of paper, as the student had done in version 2, but without drawing in any lines.  The paper is then photocopied, so each student is given the same arrangement of stars.  The students then draw in lines to create they image the want from the given stars.  It's kind of fun to see the different pictures students come up with from the same set of stars.

Regardless of how the constellation is created, the students then write a story about the constellation. 

A nice idea is to photocopy the finished stories and constellation pictures and bind the whole class's work into a book.  It's easy enough to create a single copy for the classroom.  If you have the time and resources available, you might even consider making a copy of the book for each student in the class.

Moon: Impact Craters

Do some hands-on exploring to learn about the ways in which craters are formed.

Prep Work:
Fill a tub or box (a dishpan or shoebox work well) with an inch or so of flour.  If desired, you can sprinkle a layer of cinnamon, paprika or cocoa on top of the flour.  Doing so may increase the visibility of the craters.  Ideally, plan for one tub/box for every 2 students.  If you find yourself needing to put more than 4 at one tub, I'd recommend splitting the class so half do the activity while the others work on something else and then swapping. 

You may wish to cover the table you'll be working on with newspapers.  It might be wise to keep a damp cloth nearby as well, for wiping up any small flour spills.

Gather several different sizes of marbles. 

Procedure:
Drop a marble straight down into the flour.  Drop a different sized marble from the same height and observe the craters they made.  Pay attention to the rims and any of crater radiating away from the center.  Note any differences between the two craters. 

Then, let the true experimentation begin... there are so many different variables that can be explored.  Write down what you try and note how the resulting crater is both the same and different from the other craters you've seen thus far. 

Drop the marbles from different heights.

Drop the marbles (same size) from the same height, but give one of the marbles an extra push. 

"Throw" the marble into the flour at an angle. 

Use a non-spherical object to make a crater. 

When finished, draw some conclusions about crater shapes and sizes and the objects that formed them.  Summarize your conclusions in a paragraph. 


Note:
You can find lots of people's versions of this activity by searching "impact crater activity" or something along those lines.  If you desire, you can readily locate ready-to-use worksheets and formal lab sheets. 

Make Your Own Play Doh

If you've been following this blog for awhile, you know there are several different activities in which Play Doh is a featured supply.  If you're beginning to find it expensive or inconvenient to have Play Doh on hand when you need it, you can make your own. 

It's so simple and quick, you can do it in the morning before you go to school!

You'll need:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1-2 tablespoons cream of tarter*
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• food coloring

*cream of tarter is found in the spice section of the grocery store.  Without it, your Play Doh will not set up properly - it will remain a gloppy mess. 

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the flour, salt and cream of tarter.

If desired, add the food coloring to the water.  This is the less-messy way to color the play-doh, but your batch will all be one color.  If you want to split it into multiple colors, you can wait and knead in the coloring at the end.

Place the pan over medium heat and stir in the (colored) water and oil.

Stir the mixture constantly.  When the mixture forms a ball around your spoon, remove it from the heat. 

Remove the play-doh from the pan and knead it slightly.  This is the point at which you could divide it and add coloring to each portion. 

When you're finished, you'll have a nice sized lump of play-doh.  It's probably equivalent to about 3 of the large containers of Play-Doh.  (That's a guess, it might actually be more than that). 

Here are some of the things you can do with your newly-made Play Doh:
Mixing Colors: The Play Doh Version
What's Inside?
Mapping: Make a Topographic Map
Moon vs. Earth: Volume Comparison
Plate Tectonics: A Look Inside Folds and Faults