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Lab Resource
Colorado State University

Does Air Weigh Anything?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Can you feel the weight of the air on your shoulders? Your classes may not believe that air has weight. A straightforward experiment asks individuals to weigh a bottle before and after adding air. Their results may surprise them!
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Activity
Colorado State University

What Causes Pressure?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Are you feeling the pressure? Let loose a little with a kinesthetic activity that models molecular motion in a closed space! The activity varies conditions such as volume and temperature and examines the effects on molecules.
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Lab Resource
Colorado State University

What Does Color Have to Do with Cooling?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Study the rate of cooling for objects of different colors. Learners focus on the reflection and absorption of infrared light. Your classes may be surprised to learn objects that heat the slowest also cool the slowest.
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Lab Resource
Colorado State University

Would You Get a Sunburn on Mars?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
What are the best materials for preventing sunburn? Young scholars consider this question as they test materials for the presence of ultraviolet light. They use a string of beads that changes color with different intensities of UV light.
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Lab Resource
Colorado State University

Why Is the Sky Purple?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The color of the sky depends on the time of day. Young scholars experiment with scattering different wavelengths of light to recreate the color of the sky. They observe both the longer blue wavelengths and the shorter red and orange...
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Lab Resource
Colorado State University

Can You See Beyond the Rainbow?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
There's more to light than ROYGBIV! An enlightening laboratory investigation has learners explore the world of infrared light. When they use goggles that take away visible light, they experience how things look with only infrared light.
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Lab Resource
Colorado State University

What Is Beyond the Rainbow?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Help your classes see what they cannot see. Using different eyewear, scholars experience different light spectrums. Learners may be surprised by how the world looks with infrared light, thermal imaging, and ultraviolet light.
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Activity
Colorado State University

How Do Long and Short EM Waves Interact with the Earth's Atmosphere?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Things are about to heat up in your classroom! A kinesthetic lesson asks learners to play the part of the gases in the earth's atmosphere and interact with the sun's radiation. The focus is to learn the impact of the increasing...
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Activity
Colorado State University

Why Do Hurricanes Go Counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Test your class' coordination as they model the Coriolis Effect. Forming a large circle, learners move to the right as they try to toss a ball to the person across from them. The movement of the circle represents the rotation of the...
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Activity
Colorado State University

Why Can Warm Air "Hold" More Moisture than Cold Air?—Vapor Pressure Exercise

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Does it feel a little humid in here? Learners assume the role of water vapor in the atmosphere as they explore the differences between warm and cold air. They roll dice to determine their level of energy, which determines if they stay...
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Activity
Colorado State University

What Makes a Gas, a Greenhouse Gas?—The Carbon Dioxide Dance

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Investigate a heated topic in environmental science. Scholars team up to play the parts of gas molecules in the atmosphere. As the teacher moves about, acting as the electromagnetic wave, learners react as their molecules would to the...
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Lab Resource
Colorado State University

Can Energy Be Created or Destroyed?

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
Energy doesn't come out of nowhere! An engaging lesson has learners investigate energy as it transforms from one type to another. They collect data to prove that energy is not lost as it changes.
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Lab Resource
Colorado State University

What Is Energy?

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
Don't let the energy of your classroom falter! Explore the scientific definition of energy through play. A hands-on lesson focuses on the change of energy from one form to another.
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Lab Resource
Colorado State University

Why Are Clouds White?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Is it possible to change the color of clouds? A three-part activity explores the scattering of light by the water droplets that make up clouds. After observing a demonstration, curious scholars conduct their own investigations of the...
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Lab Resource
Colorado State University

Can You Drink Through a 30 Foot Straw?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Drinking straws are a pretty simple device ... or, are they? Explore the possibility of sipping a beverage 30 feet away with an engaging activity that's sure to keep pupils guessing. Just place a long piece of plastic tubing in a glass,...
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Lab Resource
Colorado State University

What's the Difference Between Blue Light and Red Light?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Finally, an electromagnetic spectrum lab that will get glowing reviews from your class! Explore the nature of light using red and blue LED sources and fantastic phosphorescent paper. Young scientists compare the effects of blue light...
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Lab Resource
Colorado State University

Why Are Compact Fluorescent Bulbs More Efficient?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Compact fluorescent bulbs are the easiest way to increase energy efficiency around the house. But why? Science scholars compare CF bulbs with their incandescent counterparts using a simple test. A solar-powered toy illuminates the...
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Lab Resource
Colorado State University

How Can You Demonstrate the Different Efficiencies of Different Light Bulbs?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Need a bright idea for an engaging lab? Watch your class light up as they explore the difference in efficiency between incandescent and LED bulbs! The resource makes use of simple materials and encourages learners to infer what's...
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Lab Resource
Royal Society of Chemistry

A Solid-Solid Reaction between Lead Nitrate and Potassium Iodide

For Teachers 6th - 11th Standards
Why is it so difficult to make two solid compounds react? Investigate the concepts of particle collisions and rate of reaction using a quick demonstration. The colorful experiment features two plain, white solids combining to form a...
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Activity
DiscoverE

Sorting Solutions

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
It's okay to play with your food—just this once! Scholars design and create meshes and chutes to sort pasta by size and shape. They test their designs and make improvements as necessary.
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Activity
Cornell University

Celebrate Urban Birds

For Students 3rd - 8th
Set up a 50x50 square foot area in a space at school and choose three days to go outside and observe the birds seen in a 10 minute span. The activity has learners tapping into their observation skills and creates awareness of the birds...
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Interactive
Shodor Education Foundation

Ordered Simple Plot

For Students 6th - 10th Standards
Open your imagination to make algebra-inspired creations. An interactive lesson has scholars graph images from a set of parameters. Users can practice minimum values, maximum values, and scale as well as key features.
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Interactive
Shodor Education Foundation

Whole Number Cruncher

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Time to crunch the numbers! Young scholars use an interactive number cruncher to practice operations with whole numbers. They input a number and watch as the number cruncher produces the output and then use the data pairs to determine a...
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Interactive
Shodor Education Foundation

Multi-Function Data Flyer

For Students 8th - 12th Standards
Explore different types of functions using an interactive lesson. Learners enter functions and view the accompanying graphs. They can choose to show key features or adjust the scale of the graph.