I’ve been tutoring some local students in high school chemistry. They learn things like the difference between an element and a compound, how to calculate how many kilograms there are in a mole of sodium chloride, and exactly how much NaOH you would need to neutralize a certain amount and strength of HCl. Most of…
If your Makerspace or Lego Robotics classroom has been active for any amount of time, you’ve probably accumulated gallons of unsorted Lego pieces. Close your eyes, and you can probably hear the sound of a kid digging through a box of bricks, looking for the right connector or beam for a new robot. And digging, and digging, and digging. And even though this hunting is part of the fun, it can get frustrating really fast. It can slow down creativity and innovation.…
The local bakery needs your help! They lost the secret recipe for Grandma’s Amazing Sugar Cookies, and are down to their last bag of mix. For this lab, use careful observation to determine the ingredients included in the mix. New on my Teachers Pay Teachers store! This lab started as the lead-in to a holiday…
Boys are better at physics because they can projectile ‘pee’ up walls, claim controversial academics Can you imagine a more click-worth headline for physics educators? Well, the original article written by the “controversial academics” has a better one: Taking the Pee Out of Physics: How Boys are Getting a Leg Up They’re both worth reading,…
I HEART density. It’s the most important concept we teach in physical science, because it helps us understand the real world. Even if kids don’t go into STEM careers, a good understanding of density can help them navigate life and understand what they observe. Why does the wind blow? Density. Why do helium balloons go…
Top 5 Density Columns for Science Education A density column is a stack of liquids, sometimes with solid objects, that demonstrates the differences in densities of the substances. More dense substances go to the bottom, and less dense substances stay on the top. Eighth grade physical science students are AMAZED by these, and I think…
