Exploratorium
Exploratorium:seasons/shadows: Investigate How Shadows Shift Throughout the Year
Ancient Chacoans used shadows to tell daily time and seasons. Build a model that demonstrates the changes in Earth's tilt that affect the length of shadows relative to the sun that determines the seasons. The lesson plan uses everyday...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Where There Is Charge, There Can Be Sparks!
In this short science project you will learn how to build a capacitor using common household items. By testing different charge cycles, you will work to discover how much charge is stored in a Leyden jar capacitor.
PBS
Pbs Kids: Design Squad: Build: 4 Wheel Balloon Car
Create your own 4-wheel balloon cars with simple household items and race them across the floor.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Light Your Way
When there is a power failure, or when we go outside at night, we grab a flashlight so we can find our way. What happens inside a flashlight that makes the bulb light up? Why do we need a switch to turn on a flashlight? Have you ever...
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenge: Build a Blooming Flower
Can you create a blooming flower that would attract pollinators? This Curiosity Machine project challenges students to make this flower using common household items. Site includes a place for students to document their process as well as...
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Design a Wind Up Mars Rover
Using common household items, students are challenged to build a Mars rover that can travel using elastic energy. Site includes a lesson plan, tips, and a place for students to document their design process.
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Engineer a Space Tool
Using common household items, make a tool that an astronaut could use to pick up an object in space. This site also includes tips, lesson plans, and a place for students to document their engineering design process.
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Build a 3 D Object Out of Tetrahedra
Can you build a 3-D object out of tetrahedra that is as big as you are? With this challenge, students will be using common household items to build their tetrahedra structure. Site contains the challenge, tips, a lesson plan, and a place...
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Balance a Dinosaur
Using common household items, students are challenged to build a dinosaur at least 6" tall that can balance on two legs using counterbalances. This website contains the challenge, tips, a lesson plan, and a place for students to document...
Education.com
Education.com: Design Challenge: Making a Bottle Rocket
[Free Registration/Login Required] In this design challenge, your child will be asked to create a bottle rocket using typical household items. The list of materials includes everything they will need to create and launch a rocket, and we...
University of Washington
Neuroscience for Kids: Dangers of Inhalants
This website provides a very simple explanation of what inhalants are and how they harm the body. Included is a chart showing the names of abused inhalants that are common household items.
Science is Fun
Fun Science: Candy Chromatography
Using simple household items like M&Ms and coffee filters, you can demonstrate paper chromatography. This simple lab will show you the dyes that make up the different color coatings on M&Ms.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Bill Nye Demonstration: Electromagnetism
Learn how to make your own magnet with some simple household items as Bill Nye the Science Guy demonstrates how an electromagnet works. [1:03]
Science and Mathematics Initiative for Learning Enhancement (SMILE)
Smile: Metrics in the Home and in the Store
In this lesson plan site, students will compare SI unit (metric) measurements of common household items and their English equivalents.
Other
Homemade Instruments
Do you want to make an egg shaker? Come to this website and find out how. Homemade instruments can be made from different household items. Don't miss out on all of the music that can be made at home or school.