Table Of ContentFROM THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
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SCIENCE
ACTIVITIES
PROM THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
MORE
SPENCE
ACTIVITIES
GALISON BOOKS
GMG PUBLISHING, NEW YORK
AND
SCIENCE LEARNING, INC.
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND
CONTENTS
Ginger Ale.......................................................................... 11
Boats Afloat........................................................................ 15
Flash Dance........................................................................ 19
Fancy Plants........................................................................ 23
Just Plane Wings............................................................... 27
For The Birds...................................................................... 31
Mud Pies............................................................................ 35
Night Moves...................................................................... 39
A Matter of Taste............................................................... 43
Kaleidoscope................................................................... 47
Karate Chop Veggies........................................................ 51
Shoo Fly Fruit Fly............................................................... 55
Greasy Kid Stuff................................................................. 59
Rockets Away................................................................... 63
Marbleized Paper............................................................. 67
Ice Cream Machine.......................................................... 71
Skydiver............................................................................... 75
Science Magic................................................................... 79
Color & Light...................................................................... 83
Crystal Radio...................................................................... 87
INTRODUCTION
Science and technology touches nearly every facet of our lives today By the 21st century our
society will demand that all its citizens possess basic competencies in the fundamentals of
science and the use of technology As science increasingly becomes the dominant subject of
the work place, it is important to begin developing within children an understanding and
appreciation of science early in their lives.
Learning can, and does, occur in many places and many situations. Learning occurs in school, at
home, and on the trip between home and school. This book provides suggestions for interactive
science activities that can be done in a variety of settings, using inexpensive and readily available
materials. Whether the activities are done in a classroom or in a home, they will provide adults and
children with increased opportunities to explore natural phenomenon in an engaging and exciting
way Included are experiments, activities, crafts, and games that allow you, whether teacher or
parent, to learn science along with your children. The only requirements for success are the
directions provided with each activity a few common household items, a little bit of time, and
some curiosity and imagination. The activities in this book are designed as curricular materials,
educational guides for you to use in teaching science.
SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR TEACHERS
The activities in this book should be used as supplements to your normal classroom science
curricula. Since they were originally developed for use in out-of-school situations, they may
require some minor modifications to permit a larger number of children to participate.
Nonetheless, you will find that these activities lend themselves well to a fun-filled science lesson
for all participants.
An increasing number of school districts are exploring the use of "take-home" lessons in order to
build stronger learning partnership bonds between parents and teachers, home and school. These
materials have proven to be an excellent source for such "team-building" efforts. Both teachers and
parents find these activities rewarding ways to provide quality learning experiences for children.
SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR PARENTS
One of the most important jobs that you have, as a parent, is the education of your children.
Every day is filled with opportunities for you to actively participate in your child's learning.
Together you can explore the natural world and make connections between classroom
lessons and real-life situations. You will learn the value of asking good questions, as well as strategies
for finding answers to those questions.
FOR BOTH TEACHERS AND PARENTS
The best thirds you can brins to each activity are your experience, your interest, and, most
importantly, your enthusiasm. These materials were desisned to be both educational and
enjoyable. They offer opportunities for discovery, creative thinkins, and fun.
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
The science activities in this book can be successfully implemented by any interested adult,
resardless of his or her science backsround. Accordinsly, the above have been desisned so
there is no one "correct" solution and no "risht” way to do it. Do not be afraid to say "I don't
knew!”
There are twenty activities in this book; since every classroom and family is different, not all
activities will be equally suitable. Take the time to browse throush the book and find the ones that
seem to make sense for your class or family There is no prescribed order to these activities, nor any
necessity to do all of them. Once you have selected an activity to do, take the time to read throush it
before you attempt to do it.
At the besinnins of each activity is a list of all the materialsyou will need to do the project. Try to
assemble all of these items before you besin. The procedures have been laid out in an easy-to-
follcw, step-by-step suide. If you follow these directions, you should have no difficulty doins the
activity Once you have completed the basic activity there are also sussested variations that you
can try, now or later. At the end of each activity is an 'Afterwords" section. This section is for you, the
adult. It is intended to provide additional information, not on how to help children but for the
interest of an adult participant—take some time to read it for your own enjoyment.
ASKING QUESTIONS
Encourase your children to ask questions, even if you don't know the answers. The essence of
science is askins questions, and then try ins to find out the answers. Some of the answers can
be discovered in books, some throush observation, and some, at present, are unanswerable
by anyone. Ask questions like:
(before you start)
"What do you think is soins to happen when we do this experiment?"
(durins the activity)
"What do you see?"
"Does this remind you of anythins else you've ever seen?"
(after the activity is completed)
"What do you knew about X now, that you didn't know before we started?"
