Additional Resources: Lesson 1
What Are You Sinking?
SciShow Kids: Sink or Float? (Grades K-2)
Join Jessi and some new friends for an experiment to see what sinks, and what floats! This quick video is the perfect introduction to the topics of density and particles.
The Magic School Bus Ups And Downs: A Book About Floating And Sinking (Grades 1-2)
Wondering if a monster is living in Walkerville Lake, Ms. Frizzle transforms the Magic School Bus into the Magic Bus-Boat and takes the class to the bottom of the lake to solve the mystery. Get your students reading with this engaging adventure from Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen.
Denser Than You Think - Science Experiment (Grades 3-6)
A simple density science experiment that you can try at home to see how liquids and objects with different densities behave. Using three fluids (syrup, water and oil) we can see they clearly have different densities, and form clear layers. By dropping items with different densities into the glass, we can see which fluids are denser than them.
Density: A Story of Archimedes and the Gold Crown (Grades 4-8)
An ancient Greek king needs to know if he's been cheated by a goldsmith. He summons Archimedes, who decides to use density to determine the metal. But how can he determine the volume of the crown? This engaging video introduces students to the concept of displacement and how volume can be measured.
Discover Why an Object Will Float or Sink (Grades 6-12)
Encyclopedia Britannica gives a comprehensive overview of gravity, buoyancy, displacement, and volume while introducing viewers to the formulas used to calculate them.
Additional Resources: Lesson 2
Ice, Ice, … Maybe?
Change It!: Solids, Liquids, Gases and You (K-2)
Developed with the cooperation of a science consultant, this book in the Primary Physical Science series is a tool to teach the physical sciences to young children. Change It! takes the physics of matter --- solids, liquids and gases --- and transforms it into an enjoyable and easy-to-understand first science book.
The Magic School Bus in the Arctic: A Book About Heat (Grades 1-2)
The Magic School Bus slides into the icy arctic to learn why people, animals, and things lose heat and how they preserve it, from house insulation to walrus blubber. Give your students a better understanding of insulation and heat transfer with this engaging book!
Got Some Solutions?: Crash Course Kids #26.1 (Grades 3-5)
Sometimes there may be more than one solution to a problem. So, how do you come up with multiple solutions? In this episode of Crash Course Kids, Engineer Sabrina teaches viewers about the engineering process.
Let's Fly!: Crash Course Kids #26.2 (Grades 3-5)
Selecting which solution is the best solution to a problem may seem difficult at first. But if students are patient and think about what they need, an effective solution will present itself. In this episode of Crash Course Kids, Sabrina shows how to do just that by going back to her original problem at the gorge.
Heat Transfer: Crash Course Engineering #14 (Grades 8-12)
Crash Course dives deep into the science of heat transfer and the different mechanisms behind it. This advanced video explores conduction, the thermal conductivity of materials, convection, boundary layers, and radiation.
Additional Resources: Lesson 3
Out to Launch
10 Early Learning Books About Forces and Motion (Grades K-5)
Looking for good books that will help explain science concepts to young learners? PBS has assembled an exciting booklist to help you get started. Take advantage of fiction and non-fiction books that focus on the physical science concepts of motion and forces, including pushes and pulls, gravity, and friction.
#NASAatHome: How Does the SLS Rocket Fly (Grades 4-7)
In this #NASAatHome video, Tracie Prater, an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, explains the basic components that help a rocket launch and fly beyond Earth’s orbit to deep space destinations like the Moon and Mars.
How Do Airplanes Fly? (Grades 5-8)
This video from Minute Physics gives a quick overview of the different forces which allow airplanes to fly! Help refresh student understanding with this simple video.
Aeronautics at NASA! (Grades 8-12)
Launching a rocket into space is one of humankind's crowning achievements. Visit the main NASA website and discover a wealth of articles, videos, and images about how these professional thinkers send astronauts to the stars!
To The Moon & Mars - Aerospace Engineering: Crash Course Engineering #34 (Grades 8-12)
This advanced Crash Course video takes the principles of aerospace engineering and expands them through its two main fields: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Explore life & buoyancy, propulsion systems, and the challenges of managing the human body in space.
Additional Resources: Lesson 4
“Water” You Afraid Of?
Pete the Cat and the Supercool Science Fair (Grades K-2)
Help your students find their inner scientist with help from Pete the Cat and his friends! Pete the Cat and his friends are excited for their first science fair. After a few unexpected mishaps, the team is finally ready. Yet after seeing their other classmates’ creations, they can’t help but wonder: is their project good enough to win first place? Build student communication, collaboration, and creativity with this engaging story for kids.
Science Max | Entire Outfit in HYDROPHOBIC Coating (Grades 1-5)
Have you ever done a science experiment and wondered “What would this be like if it were HUGE?” Welcome to Science Max, the exciting new series that turbocharges all the science experiments you’ve done at home.
Hydrophilic vs. Hydrophobic (Grades 5-8)
What does 'hydrophilic' mean? What does 'hydrophobic' mean? This video explains them with fun animation and examples.
The Amazing Life of Sand | Deep Look (Grades 6-12)
There's a story in every grain of sand: tales of life and death, fire and water. If you scooped up a handful of sand from every beach, you'd have a history of the world sifting through your fingers.
Hydrophilic vs. Hydrophobic (Grades 8-12)
This short video animation explains the difference between hydrophilic and hydrophobic substances and provides a sneak peek into the importance of these terms in regards to the cell membrane.
Additional Resources: Lesson 5
The Sweet Science
The Magic School Bus Gets Baked in a Cake (Grades 1-2)
Expand on your cupcake activity with a little help from the Magic School Bus! When the class tries to bake a cake for Ms. Frizzle's birthday, they wind up inside it and have some delicious fun learning all about mixtures and reactions that occur when ingredients are combined.
Engineering Games: Crash Course Kids #29.2 (Grades 3-5)
So how can a game teach us about engineering? Pretty easily! When you're trying to solve a game, or a puzzle, or whatever, you will have a bunch of variables. The trick is knowing how to change one variable at a time to see what changes.
Bowled Over - Isolating Variables: Crash Course Kids #39.1 (Grades 4-6)
So, variables. There are lots of them when trying to test an idea. The trick is to isolate one variable at a time to get reliable results every time. But, how do we do that? In this episode of Crash Course Kids, Sabrina shows us how to isolate variables at the bowling alley!
Try Trials: Crash Course Kids #39.2 (Grades 4-6)
We've talked about variables and solving problems. But how do we keep working on a problem if the first solution doesn't fix it? Trials! In this episode of Crash Course Kids, Sabrina shows us how to use Trials to figure out what the problems are with our solutions.
Quantitative vs Qualitative Observation: 15 Key Differences (Grades 6-12)
For students stepping into more advanced forms of experimentation, it’s important to understand the various differences between Quantitative and Qualitative observations. This extensive blog will equip them with clear definitions and help them better prepare data for any future investigations.