Let’s begin with some fun hands-on experiments to learn about science. Each of these experiments is followed with the scientific explanation of what happened. Have fun.
Bacterial Terrarium At this site learn how to make a bacterial.
Sun Spots: Learn about sun spots and mapping them
Rain Stick: Learn how to make your own rain stick
Bubble Bomb: You can pop a plastic bag with the power of Fizz
Bubbularium: Make an observatory to see the amazing color of bubbles
Outrageous Ooze: This stuff can’t make up it mind - is a solid or a liquid
Black Magic: Discover the colors that are hidden in a black marker.
Sun Clock: Before there were clocks, people used shadows to tell time. Learn how to make a sun clock.
Crystal Creations: Grow spikes of crystal in the sun.
Secret Bells: an ordinary spoon can make astounding sounds
Picture from Light: You can bend light to make pictures of the world.
Roto Copter: This simple paper toy spins through the air like a mini-helicopter
Salt Volcano: Make your own miniature “Lava Lite”
Polar Opposites: Read this and make the illustration to learn how our planet’s magnetic poles work.
Make Your Own Telescope: follow these steps and make your own telescope.
Make a Mummy: Learn how a mummy is made and make one. This experiment is for older students.
The World Wide Web is rich in educational resources for the elementary classroom. Below is a list of a few of the science web sites that are available. Following the title, you will find a brief description of each. New links are added to the top of the page. Click on the title for the link to it.
AmphibiaWeb Frogs, salamanders, and caecilians (rarely seen amphibians from southeastern Asia) usually begin life as an egg, change to a larval stage, then morph into the adult stage, although some skip the larval stage. Much of this site is dedicated to amphibian biology, population decline and conservation. There are many sound files of frog calls in MP3, WAV and RealMedia format. Other features include a glossary and a search engine that allows you to search by scientific name, common name, country, and reason for decline.
Science Fair Project Resource Guide: Includes the four main steps in creating a science fair project: 1) getting started, 2) Choosing a topic, 3) Steps for completing the Project and 4) creating an attractive display for your project. Also, includes information on the scientific method, helpful hits and tips, and Tools and Research. This site is provided by KidSpace @ The Internet Public Library.
Stars and Galaxies: A comprehensive multimedia guide to stars and galaxies, taken from the CD-ROM Earth and Universe
Hubble Space Telescope pictures
Some spectacular images from the Hubble space telescope, plus some computer animations
The Solar System
Images and information about the Sun, planets, moons, asteroids and comets, and the history of space exploration.
History of Space Exploration
Multimedia information on the history of rockets, spacecraft, space exploration, and NASA, including details of all space shuttle flights
Space colonies
Find out about living in orbit
Chem4Kids! (All grades) Chem4Kids covers easy-to-digest tutorials and quizzes on matter, elements, atoms, math, and reactions.
Global Warming - EPA (Grades 5-12) Keep up with the latest news on global warming at this EPA-maintained site. The four main sections address climactic science, greenhouse gas emissions, potential impacts of global warming, and measures being taken to correct the problem.
Hawaii Center for Volcanology (Grades K-12) Keep an eye on Hawaii's volcanic mountains like Loihi, Kilauea, Mauna Loa, and Hualalai. Site provides data on volcanic activity and great volcanic imagery.
Heavens-above (Grades 6-12) Calling all stargazers! There's a wealth of information here on satellites, the space stations, and the Iridium Flares.
NASA kids (Grades K-8) Kid-friendly site full of games, puzzles, and other online activities covering a full range of space related subjects.
Secrets at Sea (Grades 4-7) In this web site game students play the starring role of "Ace", assistant investigator to Paula Pacific, who is assigned to examine unusual behaviours noticed in killer whale populations in the Alanamorris Strait. As Ace progresses through the story, she/he must successfully complete a number of ocean-related learning activities. The knowledge gained from completing these activities leads the student to the solution of the case.
Starchild: Space Stuff (Grades K-5)
More great stuff from NASA. Learn about the solar system, the universe, and other space stuff.
The Barringer Meteorite Crater (Grades 6-12)
There's a gigantic hole in the middle of the Arizona desert. Find out how the hole was created and send your own meteors crashing to earth and witness their destructive effects.
The Last Straw (Grades 3-8) Try your hand at growing plants in the virtual lab.
What is Matter? (Grade 4) Excellent site explaining the properties of matter, mass, atoms, density, volume, states of water, and more with a variety of pictures and links.
NASA Kids: Activities, game. pictures, art and stories for kids for the folks at NASA.
Magic School Bus: Hop on the Magic School Bus and take a guided tour with Liz. Learn about insects, dinosaurs, space, the human body, animals and lots more. Along the way, you play games, show what you know and make a photo scrapbook.
90 Second Naturalist: From the Cincinnati Zoo, this Web site is a companion to a local radio show that aims to provide fun, bite-sized pieces of information on nature and wild creatures. Listen to experts on RealAudio files or read background information on topics like the cheetah, bird migration, or rain forests.
AmphibiaWeb Frogs, salamanders, and caecilians (rarely seen amphibians from southeastern Asia) usually begin life as an egg, change to a larval stage, then morph into the adult stage, although some skip the larval stage. Much of this site is dedicated to amphibian biology, population decline and conservation. There are many sound files of frog calls in MP3, WAV and RealMedia format. Other features include a glossary and a search engine that allows you to search by scientific name, common name, country, and reason for decline.
Ask the Answer Worm: S.K. Worm, the official worm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, will guide you and your students through the world of soil. Find out how soil is made, what colors soil can be, and how water stays in the soil.
Bug Bios:There are 14 orders of insects you can put under the microscope in the Entophile Database where you’ll find a photo, common name, scientific name, and description of close to 100 insects. For the photographers in the audience, the author of the site offers suggestions on equipment and techniques for macrophotography. Archived Cultural Entomology newsletters are found in the cedigest containing interesting articles about bugs. Class:insecta has amazing photos of butterfly wing patterns.
Cell Alive: Animated GIFs showing a variety of cell processes from T cell action, effects of penicillin on bacteria, and the division of bacteria to cell suicide, antibody production, and giardia and streptococci at work and play!
Whales: This site provides a thematic unit for cooperative learning across an integrated curriculum which is an interactive resource for teachers, students and parents.
DNA from the Beginning:This is an animated primer on the basics of DNA, genes, and heredity. Each concept is explained by animation, an image gallery, video interviews, a problem (where you do the problem solving!), biographies of leaders in the field, and links to further information. This is an outstanding explanation and demonstration of how DNA, genes and molecules work.
Try Science: the New York Hall of Science brings you field trips, adventures, and experiments from a variety of science centers around the world. Field trips and web cams allow you to visit different science museums in the United States. There are more than 30 experiments to view, complete with materials and instructions. You’ll find experiments related to earth sciences, biology, math, physical sciences, technology, space, chemistry, social sciences, and medicine.
Insecta Inspecta: Insects, they're everywhere. They inhabit all the continents, roam your backyard, and are even in the spaces between the walls of your home. visit this side to learn more about them.
I know that science: Find science activities by topic or by grade level.
Your Sky: Your Sky is an interactive planetarium on the Web. You can produce maps for any time and date, viewpoint, and observing location.
9 Year Pluto Mission: - NASA launch a spacecraft on January 21, 2006. This was the fastest spacecraft ever launched and will travel 100 times the speed of a jetliner. It should reach Pluto in 9 years. Click here to read an article from the Montgomery Advertiser.
START Exchange - This is a site for educators to share and find online resources to support the National Science Education Standards. Browse the Exchange to find standard-related links, or add your online resources that support specific content standards.
Dinosaur Treks: Discover information on dinosaur tracks and extinction theories. Find fact sheets, games, training treks, and a gallery of dinosaur images. There is a mystery related to this site---viewers are able to track down a thief stealing dinosaur bones from the museum. Start in the lobby, then go to the front desk to find the password in the yellow files. Trek 1 will teach you about various dinosaurs and the time periods they lived in. Trek 2 will explore the field of paleontology. Trek 3 lets you help catch the thief. Heavy graphics might make for a long download time, but the game is fun, so plan to spend time browsing. The teacher section has lesson plans and activities. Student and teacher versions are also available in Spanish.
US Dept. Of Energy - The educator’s resource on energy - discover its sources, conservation and lesson ideas.
Who Am I: Listen to the sounds of animals and try to figure out which animal is making the noise.
Contemporary Issues in Science: - This site provides answers to questions that arise concerning the many contemporary issues in science - cloning, the influence of genes and environment on behaviors -
Oceans - Oceans cover most of the earth’s surface. There are schools of fish swimming, coral reefs and sea plants growing, whales diving, lobsters walking and turtles swimming. So come dive in and learn about Oceans!
The Yuckest Site on the Internet: - GROSS! ( We do mean gross) This site provides explanations of anatomy and body functions, bugs, and worms. Ideas for unique science fair experiments and information about famous scientists are provided.
pH Factor - Is it an acid or base? To find the answers check out the pH Factor resources!
Volcanoes: - National Geographic Volcanoes - lots of great pictures
Explore the Fantastic Forest: Young students will enjoy finding the 18 species in the Fantastic Forest. Each stop on the path has a left, center, and right view that reveal plants, animals, and natural settings. Move your curser around until you find the hidden objects and when you get to the stream, answer the mystery question to create your own forest setting where you will find three of the 18 hidden creatures. Shockwave and QuickTime VR are required.
Froguts This is one of the coolest sites around! This virtual frog dissection lets you make “incisions” and investigate the frog’s circulatory, respiratory, digestive, urogenital, nervous, and skeletal systems. Amazing graphics and animation are supplemented with clear descriptions of what you are cutting open and looking at. This site allows students without lab access or those who choose not to dissect an actual frog to learn from a virtual lab. There are frog cutouts to print on paper and use as models and some supplementary materials are available in pdf format.
The Atoms Family - This website provides students with the opportunity to discover the power of the atom, the power of the sun, electricity, fossil fuels, energy concepts, conservation, and transformation. The Adams Family’s famous gothic horror characters present all this in an entertaining way.
Hurricane: Storm Science - After Hurricane Katrina, you'll want to learn more about this destructive storm. Read the stories of survivors of hurricane and other natural disaster at the Healing Quilt. You can contribute your own natural disaster stories. You can learn how to make a weather station, or visit the Storm Center.
Living Things - This is the site to visit to learn about life cycles, anatomy, classification, and ecosystems. Also, use the Forum to communicate with others who study "Living Things."
Something Froggy - If you are studying frogs, this is absolutely the best site. You can explore the world of frogs through interactive activities, games, and vocabulary or test you knowledge with online quizzes. There is one path for students in K - 3rd grades and the other path is 4th - 8th graders.
Cow's Eye Dissection - Thought of dissecting a cow's eye in your classroom. This site includes: a step-by-step guide, hints and tips, and a glossary of terms.
Bob Miller's Light Walk - WOW! This site will change the way you look at light, shadows and images. It is an eye-opener for students and teachers alike.
SLN Laboratory - Science Learning Network: By visiting this lab you will investigate how to make an aurora, a cloud chamber, and acid rain.
NASA's Online Educational Resources - This is the ultimate space site with lots of resources - If you can visit only one science site, this is it.
The Heart: A Virtual Tour - The Franklin Institute provides an an virtual field trip into the heart. You will explore all aspects of the circulatory system including its structure and development, blood flowing through the blood vessels and body systems, healthy heart care, and the history of heart science.
Aliens: Worlds of Possibilities - This Interactive site will take you on a voyage into space to discover the solar system. You will witness the Mars Pathfinder on the Mars, visit the Milky Way and you can discover how much you weigh on other planets. Lots of great pictures.
Amazing Space - Discover the night sky and learn about the constellations. This site has wonderful pictures and information on the solar system. Discover the history of astronomy from Galileo to the Hubble Space Telescope.
StarChild : - A Learning Center for primary age Young Astronomers. This site provides information on the solar system, and space exploration. Worksheets for students to complete are also provided.
What Makes A Good Science Fair Project - This USC web site provides science fair project ideas as well as many tips and ideas to think about regarding what makes a good science fair project. Advice for students as well as teachers and parents.
Successful Science Fair Projects - Lynne Bleeker a former science teacher, science fair organizer, and judge gives a detailed description of the steps needed for a successful science fair project.
Minerals: - Learn about all the characteristics of minerals.
Animal Cams - Watch the Smithsonian National Zoological animal cams. View pandas, tigers, Asian elephants, zebras, orangutans, lions, flamingos, octopus, and the fish that inhabit the Amazon River. The site provides animal facts and photos. Also, there is a "question a scientist" section.
Five Senses - K-4th grades teacher’s resource site on the five senses with teacher background information, objectives, and pictures. lesson plans and references.
Virtual Pond - This site is a simulation program for students to populate a virtual pond with algae, mosquito larvae, minnows, blue gill, and bass by choosing the number of each species. A chart of this combination over time shows if this combination causes the creatures to thrive or to wither. This can lead to higher-level thinking skills. 2nd - 6th grades. Can be used in kindergarten and first grade as a guided class discussion.
The Heart: This is an interesting animated site on the heart. Here you will hear the sounds of the heart, label the parts of the heart, and view the circulation of blood.
Investigating Plants . This inquiry-based web quest investigates the stages of plant development by using scientific theory.
Arctic Wildlife - Visit this site to learn about the cold world of the Arctic and its inhabitants. Discover the birds, sea mammals, land and plants that live in the coldest area on earth. Expand your Arctic vocabulary and learn about nineteenth-century explorers.
The Great Plant Escape - Do you love a mystery and want to learn about plants? Then this site is the site for you. You find clues, do experiments, and solve problems as you explore the world of plants. Not only will learn about plants and their important role in live, you will solve a mystery!
Life Cycles - At this interactive site, students use inquiry-based activity. Then student will imagine, they are creating a page in a new science textbook. Using their knowledge and the Internet, they will compare animal groups and record which have the most similar life cycles. This is a marvelous way to integrate technology into a unit of study. Reproducible worksheets are also provided.
Incubation and Embryology Lesson Plans -This site has many resources for students and teachers about the development of chicken eggs. This site provides core content information, lesson plans, activities, pictures.
It's a Frog's Life - This is a great site for integrating technology into a unit on frogs. Students will enjoy the really fun Web Quest. The site presents a wide variety of tasks for students to complete that will reinforce understanding of the frog life cycle. This site has great ideas for integrating technology.
The Lungs: This is an interesting animated site on the lungs. Here you can learn how to make a model of the lungs, view the works of the respiratory system, and learning amazing facts about the lungs.
Four Stages of Butterfly Development - Students and educators alike will learn about the four stages of the life-cycle of the butterfly. This site includes excellent core content and numerous resources. There are excellent photographs.
The Circle of Life - All living things have a beginning point in time when they become "alive.” That beginning point is the beginning of its life-cycle. This is a great site to learn about the life-cycle.
The Parts of a Flower - Visit this interactive site to learn about the parts of a flower and how plants reproduce. You can take a quiz and check your understanding.
Entomology for Beginners - This is a great site for helping children understand the steps of metamorphosis - both simple and complete.
Investigating Plants . This inquiry-based web quest investigates the stages of plant development by using scientific theory.
Exploring the Life of Trees - Need help understanding what trees need to grow or identifying its parts? This is the site to visit! All through the use of animation.
Exploring the Life of Trees - Need help understanding what trees need to grow or identifying its parts? This is the site to visit! All through the use of animation.
Winter Survival - This is another site on winter survival. As an interactive site, students investigate the winter survival of animals by playing the part of animals in a game of tag. Also, teachers will find useful activities, worksheets and resources to use with their lessons.
Ocean World: Coral Reefs - This site features real-time streaming video and an interactive quiz. There is a teacher’s path as well as a student’s path.
Frogs Exploratorium - This site provides interactive exhibits, hands-on activities, and articles about frogs. It provides frog sounds and additional links.
Webs of Life - Discover how plants and animals depend on one another for survival at this site. Also, it explores the spiders’ webs.
Snowshoes - Students will gain an understanding of how animals adapt to winter. You can explore how the grouse adapts to snow. The feet of these birds acts as snowshoes. The grouse’s feet increase in size each winter so these birds can stay on top of the snow.
A World of Fresh Water - Learn about fresh water ecosystems and the effects of pollutants. This PDF booklet provides teachers numerous activities on this topic.
Food Webs - This interactive site provides information that helps students’ understand of the food web of various habitats. .
The Web of Life - This site provides information and ideas for doing class activities using manipulative to teach the food web.
Animals and Forests - The Web of Life - This site help students explore food webs of the forest animals through graphic demonstration of various food chains which form food webs.