Map the Solar System

Cosmic Neighborhood (above) - Construct a scale model of the distances in the solar system with toilet paper: Astro Society / check out the site (here) for more playful lessons! They even have decoding an alien message!!!

If Earth Was The Size Of A Cherry Tomato - The Solar System with food or candy!

Juice Box Project

Kids measure the length, width, and height of different juice boxes to find out: "Which manufacturer has the largest volume of juice and uses the least amount of packaging material." Visit Science Buddies for all the details! Also, check out the extension activity: Rectangular ice cream containers vs. cylindrical.

Candy Exploration Lab

Don't eat all of your Halloween candy! Instead, create a candy exploration lab!

Featured Above:
1. Steve Spangler - Skittles Chromatography, Floating M's, Gobstopper Color Separation, and more candy chemistry!

2. Science Matters - Candybar Density - Do nuts make a difference?

3. Classroom Magic - Volume of funsize candybars, plus free printable for the activity!

4. What are we doing today Mom? - SweetTart Weathering and Erosion

For more candy exploration visit CandyExperiments.com and Science Gal

Toilet Paper Geometry?!

Big project, you'll have to work as a group on this one (divide kids in teams)! Over at Smart Chick Teacher's Blog, kids estimated how many sheets are on one roll of toilet paper. Next, they laid out their sheets to form one large four sided shape (square or rectangle, depends on how many sheets are on your roll). - NOTE: Have kids tear strips of a certain number, single sheets would take forever to measure! - Then, they measured and found the area and perimeter of their four sided shape! After each group figures out their number - add the areas (of each group) up and figure out how many sheets are on the roll!

You can also find the volume of the roll, use the formula for a cylinder! Check out Mark Tully's project here! 

Note: You could also do this activity with a roll of paper towels.

Play-Doh Math and Science

Have fun with play-doh while learning math and science!

States of Matter
First, make a hypothesis and a prediction, will the volume or weight of play-doh change after it is played with? Ask kids what state of matter does play-doh belong to? Is it a solid, liquid, or gas? If play-doh is smushed, is that an example of a chemical or physical change in matter? Explanation - Changing the shape and form is an example of a physical change in matter. Play-doh can take on many forms and return back to its original form.

Geometry
1. Take play-doh out of the canister and keep it in its cylinder shape. Now, find the radius of your circular base. Then, measure the height of your cylinder.
2. Figure out the volume! 
3. Have fun with your play-doh, mush, smash, roll, and bend it for at least 10 minutes.
4. After playing with it, return it back to its original state by putting it back into its container.
5. Once it's a cylinder again, take its measurements and find the volume. What happened? Is the volume still the same?

Experiment with finding the volume of various 3D play-doh solids (cubes, rectangular prisms, etc.). Visit UEN or Science Buddies for instructions.

Weight for younger kids
Weigh play-doh before and after playing with it. Did the weight of the play-doh change? Weigh the play-doh in a variety of shapes and irregular forms. Does shape make a difference in weight? 

More Math Activities
1. Measure the length and width of play-doh straight out of the canister. Create play-doh shapes and sculptures and measure. Compare your measurements to the dough straight from the canister. See who can make the longest piece of play-doh using only one canister of dough. Combine your play-doh snake and measure!
2. Use play-doh on ten frames. Kids pinch off pieces and roll pieces into balls to represent numbers on a ten frame. 

More Play-Doh Science: 
1. Make an electrical circuit with play-doh, while learning about insulators and conductors! 
2. Visit Andy Brain for a play-doh buoyancy activity!

Wet N Wild Math

Water Balloons
1. Division - Count up how many water balloons you have in all. Then, figure out how many you and your friends will get.

2. Fractions - Choose what color balloons you would like and figure out the fraction for each color.

3. Addition - Water balloon bullseye! Hit the target, aiming for the sections worth the most points. Keep track of your score. Make sure you watch where your balloon bursts! Also, you probably want to tape the target marks. Otherwise, your board will wash away!

4. Geometry - Measure your balloon's circumference. What is the diameter and radius of one water balloon? Also, measure the length and width of your balloon. Can you figure out the volume?

5. Measuring - See who can throw their water balloon the farthest. Measure where the balloon lands.

Click here for water balloon experiments, involving gravity and potential / kinetic energy.