In chemistry, the term physical change implies that a substance is changing form, like when water freezes to form ice. The water has not changed its identity, only its appearance from a liquid to a solid. Physical processes like shaking, hitting or even chewing can help things change their form. For example, when we chew […]
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Teaching Acids: Shine Your Pennies with Lemon!
Ever had a lemon? Or anything sour? Then you have eaten an acid. Acids can be harmful like battery acid, but most acids are safe to eat like lemons, limes, and vinegar. In this activity students will explore how the properties of acids can be used to help clean objects. When acids are mixed with […]
Continue readingWhat makes Blue plant Oils Blue?
Answer: Azulene Have a look in your schoolyard and backyards, and see if you can find the Wild Flowers, Stones and/or Marine Life that contain Azulene (the chemical compound that would make them blue). Azulene is an organic compound, an isomer of naphthalene. Even though naphthalene itself has no color, azulene is dark blue, hence […]
Continue readingWhite Buffalo, a Most Interesting Mammal
White Buffalo are extremely rare, and are actually named American Bison (American buffalo). Different from brown or water buffalo, The White Buffalo is considered to be a sacred sign for Native Americans, and thus have Great Spiritual importance for Prayer and Sacred Ceremony. Buffalos are normally brown in color; white buffalo come out of their […]
Continue readingCreating a Platylope
How about a “platy-lope” – an animal that is half platypus and half antelope? This week, have your students create a new species, and write about and draw a picture of their animal. Have them examine the qualities of different species, and combine them into what they think would be the most adaptable survivable animal. […]
Continue readingKepler 10b: Exoplanet Discovery in Search for Earth-like Worlds
Astronomers have discovered the smallest planet outside our Solar System, and the first that is definitely rocky like Earth. In September 2010, the 4th planet of the Red Dwarf star Gliese 581, appeared to be the best known example of a possible terrestrial exoplanet orbiting near its home star. An extrasolar planet, or exoplanet, is […]
Continue readingCreate a Weather Chart for Your Elementary Classroom
Your grade school / elementary age children have a natural curiosity about the weather, so why not spend some time teaching them about it? It’s especially helpful if you create an activity that is heavy in visual excitement. One idea that fits the description: Having the kids create their own weather chart. To do this, […]
Continue readingTeaching Your Class About Mammals
Want a fun way to teach your elementary kids about mammals? Here’s a plan of teaching tips that your class will find entertaining and you will know is educational. To do this, you’ll need: 1) several pictures of mammals 2) index cards 3) books or websites about mammals, and 4) some mammal take-home sheets Once […]
Continue readingCreating an Ocean Theme in Your Elementary Classroom
When it’s time to teach your elementary kids about oceans and sea life, it’s a great idea to decorate your classroom in an ocean theme. There are lots of ways of doing this. Here are a few favorite ones: Give the children a preview of the types of sea creatures that they’ll be learning about […]
Continue readingTeaching Through Natural Inspiration
For learners to become lifelong learners and well-rounded happy people in society, it is important for us to work with them. Finding innovative ways of teaching that will produce effective results is a challenge that every teacher faces in the classroom. Integrating learning with games simply makes teaching and learning fun. In some cases where […]
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