Tag Archives: demonstrations

143 science and STEM projects

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caliThis is one of my favorite finds – thanks Cheryl!  Great for rainy days or about any days.   If you only find one out of the bunch that you can use then it’s worth your time – – but my bet is you’ll find a dozen or so that fit your teaching methods and ages.

Mostly elementary through middle school, but adults like many of these too.

Each one has a short VIDEO and full instructions with color photos for building and use.   From the nice folks at the  Watsonville Environmental Science”Workshop.

http://www.cswnetwork.org/projects/index.php?survey=optout

or just http://www.cswnetwork.org/projects

Science Toy Maker

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This guy is a middle school teacher.  His site has about 40 carefully-selected science toys that can be easily made for cheap or even free.  Each one has instructions, images, and most have videos and animations.   Everything is explained which makes YOU look like the expert!

http://www.sciencetoymaker.org/

Class-opener demos for any age (almost) from the Exploratorium

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The Exploratorium in San Francisco is literally the mother of the modern hands-on inquiry musems (we have five of them here in Oklahoma!).

They have oodles of resources for science teachers and here is one:  Over 100 quick demonstrations and activities.   Some require advance  preparation and some do not. They call them “Snacks”.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/

Toys from Trash – 100’s of cheap and easy activities.

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This is a wonderful science education site from India.   There are literally several hundred easy little toys to make from paper and other scraps.   He does not go deeply into the science of each however you, the trained professional, could easily have them modify different variables and you have an instant STEM, STEAM, or EDP activity.

Many of them also have short videos.   Don’t overlook the opportunity to teach cultural diversity as the language, etc are slightly different from here in rural USA.

With several hundred activities you could literally have one per day – as if you had THAT kind of time!

Appropriate ages?  Use your professional judgement.  Most are intended for upper elementary but with the proper presentation I have used some up to grades 9, 10 and even in college!   When working with the little ones though be aware of safety hazards.

http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/toys.html

Steve Spangler

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Steve puts out a regular email where he describes an experiment you can do or a demo.  These are usually flamboyant, attention-getting, and the kind your kids will upload videos of you doing.   You can also find on his website a list of many of these favorites, along with videos and hints about how to do it and what can go wrong.  He is an educator by heart and this is an A+ list to get on.

Up front though, Steve is a businessman and he sells two things – science equipment and himself.  Both are quality products and he is not going to twist your arm for a sale – in fact he is the first to tell you that there are cheaper alternatives to some (not all!) of the products he offers.  He genuinely wants you to bring these experiences into you classroom and wants to help you do that.  But he will cheerfully sell you the materials, too.

Sign up for his mailing list on the link on the right-hand side of his website http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/