Egg DROP!

Humpty Dumpty Project: Can you keep an egg from cracking? Kids use any materials they want to protect their egg from a giant free fall! They drop their protected eggs from a super high spot. Then, they examine their egg and see if it's still intact!

Featured above:
straws with paper propellers - Sun Pack
coffee filter, paper bowl, pie pan parachute - News Miner
balloon parachute - Virginia Tech Outreach Program
tp tubes/ bubble wrap and balloon exterior - My Science 8 

S.T.E.M.

1. S.T.E.M. Sites:
eGFI - great site for S.T.E.M. resources for the classroom. Click "teachers" link for projects
EIA Energy Kids - lots of cool science experiments and printable lesson plans in pdf format
I-STEM Resource Network - numerous lesson plans, experiments, and activities for elementary

PBS Kids Design Squad Nation -  teacher resources for S.T.E.M. activities. The site includes electricity, force / energy, simple machines, and many more categories that can tie into your Project Based Learning lesson plans.

Click here for Urban Design projects: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dOUdmDhYxbrTVDiddMi-siVFqbsQCk22/view?usp=sharing

Explore angles, gravity, and friction by making your own Zip Line with Design Squad Nation:



3. The Math Lab explored gravity by creating a bungee cord for Barbie dolls to go on a thrilling adventure! This is a great activity for students to use their measuring skills. Through trial and error, they determine the best length for the cord (made of rubberbands).

barbie head photo credit: Tracheotomy Bob - flickr cc

4. Mrs. Davis, from Birmingham k12, had her class build "Out of this World Vehicles!" Students pretended that they were engineers and designed / constructed a lunar vehicle that could carry lunar rocks (wooden blocks) for a specific distance and timeframe. Check out the lesson plan here! Also, take a look at Mrs. Bushnell's 4th Grade's design / motion challenge (featured below) and Drew's Animals' rover!

photo credit: Mrs. Bushnell's 4th Grade

Balancing Butterfly

photos via greenwala and ideas 4 kids

Find the center of gravity by creating a playful butterfly that balances on your fingertip, shoulder, head, or any place you'd like to land it! isit Ideas 4 Kids to download a butterfly template! Then, flutter over to Green Wala to see how to make a mobile with your balancing butterflies! Click here to see balancing butterflies in action!


Other Gravity Experiments:
Try balancing a soda can at a 45 degree angle
Balance an egg with salt
Hands on activities that play around with gravity
Defy gravity with water with this simple anti-gravity experiment! 

What Can You Do With A Slinky?

photo via yoyo.com

MATH

1. Estimate - How many coils does a slinky have? How long is a slinky when stretched? How many steps will a slinky walk down before stopping?
2. Count the number of coils on a slinky. Do all slinkies have the same number of coils? Also, count how many steps your slinky walked down. 
3. Measure - Have each student hold one end of the slinky and pull it outwards, stepping away from each other. Now, find the length of your slinky. Measure the length and width of a compact slinky. Now, find the diameter. Can you figure out the circumference?
4. Geometry / Physics - Test a slinky out on different angled inclined planes and record your data! Click here for the experiment!


SCIENCE
1. Physical Science - Energy transformation - Talk about potential and kinetic energy. When a slinky is at rest, it has potential energy. Once you get a slinky moving, its potential energy transforms into kinetic energy! Gravity - Next, hold a slinky with your arm extended out (at head level) and drop it straight down. How does a slinky fall? Does it's bottom or top crash to the floor first? Do the springs spring the slinky back up into the air? Find out the answer here!
2. Earth Science - Model earthquake waves by demonstrating a Seismic Slinky
3. Universe - Check out a slinky in space!

ART
1. Brush paint on a slinky's feet (the ends), cover an inclined plane with paper, and create walking slinky art!

2. Create circular prints by stamping a slinky. Try rolling, twisting, and turning a slinky's coils on paper to get a print.

3. Create a slinky pencil holder.
4. Hang a slinky from a string and create springing ceiling art!

Water Balloon Experiments

Have a blast experimenting with gravity and air resistance by having a water balloon throw down! Grab 2 filled water balloons and 1 plastic grocery or garbage bag. I used a small trash bag, folded it over, and taped a piece of yarn on each corner. Once your parachute is ready, attach one of your balloons. Simply tie a knot around the knot of your filled balloon. Next, find a high place to drop your balloons. Before all the action begins, have kids make a prediction. Will both balloons burst when dropped? Can a parachute keep a water balloon intact? Which balloon will come out on top? Now, time for the free fall! Drop the balloon that has no protection. After the splat, try your parachute protected balloon. Below are the results, I tried to snap an action shot, but my reflexes were delayed!

What's going on:

The parachute fills up with air when you drop it. The air slows down the balloon's landing, pushing away from the earth's gravitational pull, preserving your balloon!

Free Fall - The balloon with no parachute falls at a much faster rate of speed, causing it to hit the ground harder, so it POPS!

After your experiment, keep your parachute. Have Barbie or Iron Man go skydiving! Now, you have a new toy! (Note: You can also do this experiment with an egg!)

Have fun with a bouncy, wet yo-yo! Spring it back and forth, will it POP?! All you need is a super long rubber band and one water balloon. Fill your balloon. Then, cut your rubber band. Tie one end of the band around the knot of your balloon. On the other side of the band, make a loop and tie a knot. While playing with your yo-yo, talk about potential energy and kinetic.

Throw a water balloon yo-yo competition with your friends! Who's yo-yo will last the longest before it bursts?!

Click here for water balloon wet n wild math!

Marble Science

Friction
Have kids roll marbles on a smooth and rough surface. What surface makes the marble roll the fastest?

Sink or Float?

Collect marbles and various other objects and test buoyancy. What sinks and what floats? 

Viscosity

Now, experiment with how marbles react to fluids with a higher viscosity than water. Drop a marble in each of the following liquids: corn syrup, milk, honey, and oil. Explain that thicker liquids have a higher mass and make the marble move slower. 

"Hypothesize before you perform the experiment about which liquid will move the marble faster or slower."- via ehow and science buddies

Marble Moon Craters

Drop marbles from different heights and angles into a pan filled with flour. via the exploration station

Crackled Marbles

Bake marbles in the oven for a crackling effect.

 1. Preheat your oven to 450.

2. Bake marbles in a pan for 7 minutes

3. Then, transfer marbles to a bowl of ice water.

4. Finally, dry them off and enjoy!

Marble Graviton

Defy gravity with a marble and a glass! Will the marble fall out when the glass is flipped? 

explanation: 
"The inertia of the spinning marble is a "push" force.  The glass supplies another "push" force that keeps the marble moving in a "uniform circular motion."  The force of the glass is centripetal force, a force that makes a body follow a curved path. The combined forces of the spinning marble and the glass create a relative force greater than gravity." - Steve Spangler