It is impossible to cool down a glass of water by adding ice. Young scientists explore heat transfer through videos, experiments, and interactive games. They quickly catch on that the water melts the ice and things aren't always as they...

Astronauts train underwater to simulate the change in gravity. An out-of-this-world unit includes three hands-on activities, one teacher demonstration, and a discussion related to some of the challenges astronauts face. Scholars apply...

Energy has many forms ... but very few sources! How do we present this to young scientists? Explore the Definitions of Energy, PS3A, in a video about the Next Generation Science Standards. The narrator keeps it simple by relating each...

The heat of solution measures how much thermal energy a dissolving substance consumes or gives off. The experiment demonstrates both endothermic and exothermic reactions. Scholars dissolve several substances, measure the temperature...

What's cooking? A sizzling STEM unit challenges scholars to build a solar cooker that can successfully cook an egg. The unit opens with a study of Earth's rotation, the sun's energy, and shadows. Pupils use a compass and thermometer to...

Dry ice is extremely cold — it is -109.3°F or -78.5°C. Scholars observe and explain the molecular motion associated with melting. Then they design their own experiments to speed up the melting process. Finally, a teacher presents a...

There are five types of frost: ground frost, air frost, hoar frost, glaze, and rime. Scholars mix ice and salt in a metal container to observe frost forming on the outside of the can. Animations and videos enhance the learning. 

How does heat move from one item to another, even when the items are in different states of matter? Pupils experiment with adding washers to hot water and adding hot washers to room temperature water to observe the heat transfer. 

Water is the only molecule on Earth that can naturally exist in all three states of matter. The interactive simulation shows different molecules changing states of matter with the addition or removal of heat. Learners then see how...

When you have a cold drink and you notice the water forming on the outside, it is literally pulling the water from the surrounding air to form the condensation. After watching a demonstration of condensation forming on a glass,...

Explore thermal energy with this short episode. Jiggling molecules and hand-drawn animation help to explain that just because something has a lot of thermal energy, it doesn't necessarily feel hot to the touch. This is an ideal addition...

Are you having trouble deciphering the Next Generation Science Standards on the website, or just trying to find the standards for your grade in a quick-and-easy format? If so, here is a free and easy-to-navigate app made with you in mind.

New ReviewTake the difficulty out of classifying matter with an easy-to-follow activity that makes distinguishing between pure substances and mixtures simple. Scholars explore how matter is grouped between two categories—pure substances and...

New ReviewIt doesn't get any smaller than this. Young scientists learn about the particles that make up elements and how they form new substances by creating molecules. The video tutorial includes animations to illustrate atoms and molecules...

New ReviewThings should heat up during a hands-on lesson exploring solar energy. An enlightening activity challenges young scientists to design a structure that collects solar energy efficiently. They keep track of temperature data over time and...

New ReviewIt's all about the material. Learners experiment with different substances as they try to keep an ice cube from melting. They draw conclusions by answering a set of questions about the types and amount of material that had the best result.

The bigger the better! A hands-on activity has learners explore chemical reactions with large results. They mix chemicals to create the classic elephant toothpaste and a chemical lava lamp. They connect their observations to the concepts...

Is it possible to blow up a balloon without touching it? By placing a cold bottle and balloon system into hot water, groups demonstrate how thermal energy causes gas expansion. Scholars place the bottle in cold water and reverse the...

Determine the best energy generator. Groups play with a photovoltaic cell to determine the variables that affect its energy output. The teams investigate a variable to determine the optimum performance of the solar cell. Pupils compare...

Design the best from the best. Groups work together to come up with the best configuration of different variables that affect a wind turbine. The teams choose from several variables such as the number of blades, the angle of the blades,...

Scholars collect data from heating sand and water before forming testable hypotheses about why sand heats up faster. Afterward, they develop and run experiments to test their hypotheses.