HOG HOUSES

Storybook STEM

The Big Bad Wolf is back for more! Protect the three little pigs from their furry predator by helping them build strong, safe houses. Students will use open-ended materials to plan, design, and build a structure to keep the pigs safe from the Big Bad Wolf’s “huff and puff” antics.

NGSS: K-PS2-1, K-LS1- 1, ETS1.A, ETS1.B CCSS RL.K.10

TRIP TRAP BRIDGE- BUILDING

Storybook STEM

“Who’s that tripping over my bridge?!” the troll shouted angrily. Oh no! That grumpy old troll is at it again. Students will be engineers as they plan, design, and build a bridge to escape the clutches of the mean troll.

NGSS: K-LS1-1, K-ESS2-1, ETS1.A, ETS1.B

COLOR CRAZE

Storybook STEM

Poor Camilla Cream… Her skin has turned green. And red, orange, yellow, blue, and purple, too! Our skin cannot change color like Camilla Cream’s, but we can create the color of the rainbow ourselves. Students will create a self-portrait then use primary colors to give themselves “a bad case of stripes.”

WEATHER BOOKS

Weather

What’s the weather like? Design a weather report folder to use for observing and describing the weather. Students will see how weather affects our daily lives as we discuss the importance of dressing for the weather.

NGSS: K-ESS2.D, K-ESS3-2

PLANT IN A BOTTLE

Needs of Living Things

Students will build their own terrarium to take home, while investigating living and non-living things.

NGSS: K-LS1-1, K-ESS3-1, K-ESS3-3

SHEEP IN A JEEP

Forces and Motion

Use a ramp, a sheep, and a jeep to investigate how pushes and pulls make objects travel various distances.

NGSS: K-PS2-1, K-PS2-2

RAMP IT UP

Engineering Challenge

Students will build a model car then use open-ended materials to construct a ramp for their car. This activity reinforces the concept that outside forces and intended design solutions can change the way an object travels.

NGSS: K-PS2-1, K-PS2-2, ETS1.A, ETS1.B

LIGHT & SHADOWS

Investigate the properties

of this form of energy, while exploring shadows, mirrors and the light spectrum. Discover how you can block, reflect, and bend light with hands-on activities.

NGSS: 1-PS4-2, 1-PS4-3

LIGHT SURPRISE BOX

Maker Project

Students will use tools and materials to design their own light surprise box. This project will shine light on the concept that objects can only be seen if there is light to illuminate them.

NGSS: 1-PS4-2

SOUND

What makes sound? Students will find out as they investigate vibrations, pitch, and loudness with fun hands-on activities.

NGSS: 1-PS4-1, 1-LS1-1

BUILD YOUR OWN ECOSYSTEM – PLANT PARTS

Students will build an independent ecosystem to take home, while exploring plant parts. See how each of these structures help plants survive and grow.

NGSS: 1-LS1-1

MOON PHASE BOOKS

Make a glow-in-the-dark moon phase book that will help students explore the predictable pattern of the shapes of the Moon we can see on Earth.

NGSS: 1-ESS1-1

GROUNDWATER

Build and manipulate a model groundwater system, while learning how removing, adding, and polluting water impacts our underground water system.

NGSS: 2-ESS2-3

WATER FILTRATION

Engineering Challenge

Explore how water is treated in a municipal water treatment system while students select materials to design, build and test their own filtration system.

NGSS: 2-ESS2-3

GALACTIC GOO

Chemistry at its finest and most fun! Matter, molecules, and polymers will be discussed in this hands-on activity. Each student will make and take home a bag of their own goo!

NGSS: 2-PS1-1, 2-PS1-2, 2-PS1-3, 2-PS1-4

CREEPING SAND DUNES

Engineering Challenge

A sand dune is pushed closer and closer to a house by the wind. Is there a way to save the structure? Students will be invited to design, build, and test a solution to the creeping sand dune and save the house.

NGSS: 2-ESS2-1

LANDFORMS

Explore Earth! Students will use clay to sculpt mountains, valleys, plains, plateaus, and other major landforms. Investigate where on earth these landforms can be found and what forces help shape our world. Discover the many different landforms that are located in our state of Michigan.

NGSS: 2-ESS2-2

BUILD YOUR OWN ECOSYSTEM – NEEDS OF LIVING THINGS

Investigate ecosystems and the water cycle, and learn what living things need to survive. Students will build an independent ecosystem to take home. Work collaboratively to design an investigation that explores how light affects plant growth.

NGSS: 2-LS2-1

ICE CREAM

A sweet way to study solids, liquids, and gases! Working in groups, students will use beakers, measuring cups, and measuring spoons to mix up solids and liquids into an ice cream base. Educators will add the “magic liquid” that changes their liquid into solid ice cream. Each student gets some ice cream to taste.

NGSS: 2-PS1-1, 2-PS1-3, 2-PS1-4

BIRD FEEDERS

Maker Project

Birds help move seeds from place to place. Explore the different ways animals help disperse seeds, while designing and building your own bird feeder to take home.

NGSS: 2-LS2-2

AMUSEMENT PARK SCIENCE

Investigate balanced and unbalanced forces acting on a marble as students use a variety of interesting materials to build a roller coaster that moves a marble through upside-down loops, curves, and drops.

NGSS: 3-PS2-1, 3-PS2-2

BUILD YOUR OWN ECOSYSTEM – CHANGING ENVIRONMENTS

Investigate ecosystems and the water cycle, and learn what living things need to survive. Students will build an independent ecosystem to take home. Work collaboratively to design an investigation that explores how changing environmental features affect plant growth.

NGSS: 3-LS4-4

FOSSIL SCIENCE

Make a plaster fossil model to take home and touch real fossils, while learning how fossils are formed and how they provide evidence of life long ago.

NGSS: 3-LS4-1

TORNADO CONSTRUCTION

Engineering Challenge

The wind howls as the tornado touches down. Can you design a house that can withstand the forces of a twister? Design, build, and test a wind resistant structure.

NGSS: 3-ESS3-1

CRANKY CONTRAPTIONS

Maker Project

Twist, crank, push, pull, spin. Are you ready to create a moving sculpture? Discover patterns of motion, while designing a cranking mechanism that puts your artwork in motion.

NGSS: 3-PS2-1, 3-PS2-2

CATCH A WAVE

Energy moves in waves! Students will use duct tape, skewers, and modeling clay to build wave models that demonstrate how energy moves through matter. Students will explore mechanical waves, wave frequency, and amplitude.

NGSS: 4-PS4-1

EARTHQUAKE CONSTRUCTION

Engineering Challenge

Seismic waves move energy through the earth. Students will work in teams to engineer earthquake resistant towers. Students will test their designs on the earthquake shake table to see if they can survive the quake.

NGSS: 4-PS4-1, 4-ESS3-2

MARKER ROBOTS

Maker Project

Using markers, a battery, a motor, and a hot glue stick, students will build a simple robot that draws. Will it draw a circle? Dotted lines? You won’t know until you turn it on and let it go! Students will explore electrical circuits and the forces necessary to make their robots move.

NGSS: 4-PS3-2, 4-PS3-4

EYE DISSECTION

Students will explore the structure and function of an eye while learning how objects are seen when light reflects off the surface and enters the eye. Students will dissect a sheep eye.

NGSS: 4-PS4-2, 4-LS1-2

JITTER CRITTERS

Maker Project

Students will create their own vibrating critter using a battery and vibrating motor from a cell phone.

NGSS: 4-PS3-2, 4-PS3-4

FOSSIL SCIENCE

Make a plaster fossil model to take home and touch real fossils, while learning how fossils are formed and how the presence and types of fossils can provide clues to the formation of rock layers.

NGSS: 4-ESS1-1

PHYSICAL & CHEMICAL CHANGES

Students will explore how matter changes, while observing changes in state of matter and making separating mixtures. Students will follow procedures and look for evidence of chemical changes, while measuring and mixing chemicals to create chemical reactions.

NGSS: 5-PS1-2

TRASH CART DERBY

Maker Project

Humans make tons of trash. Why not reuse some refuse and save it from the landfill? Use clean trashables and your engineering and design skills to build a trash cart to use in the Trash Cart Derby drag race. Investigate useful properties of materials, build and test axles and wheels, and explore how shapes affect motion in this fun and creative class.

NGSS: 5-ESS3-1

MYSTERY POWDER

Someone has spilled white powder in the Learning Lab. Students will use observation and a series of chemical tests to collect data on known powders and then compare that data to the unknown powder’s tests to identify it.

NGSS: 5-PS1-3

WATER FILTRATION

Engineering Challenge

Where does the water come from? Where does it go? Students will explore the hydrosphere as they clean dirty water with filtration systems that they design, build, and test.

NGSS: 5-ESS2-2

MOON PHASES & ECLIPSES

Students will make a glow-in-the- dark Moon phase book and an eclipse project, while exploring the motion of the Earth and Moon.

NGSS: 5-ESS1-2

EYE DISSECTION

Students will explore the structure and function of an eye while learning how objects are seen when light reflects off a surface and enters the eye. Students will dissect a sheep eye.

NGSS: MS-LS1-8

TRASH CART DERBY

Maker Project

Humans make tons of trash. Why not reuse some refuse and save it from the landfill? Use clean trashables and your engineering and design skills to build a trash cart to use in the Trash Cart Derby drag race. Investigate useful properties of materials, build and test axle and wheels, and explore how shapes affect motion in this fun and creative class.

NGSS: MS-ESS3-3