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Projects for Understanding the Human Body Systems

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 19:35:41 GMT

Adding craft supplies to a science project is a great way to boost student engagement. But it can also bring chaos if you don’t have a system. With some craft supplies and butcher paper, students can model the nervous, digestive, skeletal, muscular, circulatory and respiratory systems. Here are some tips for having students build these models.

Before you begin, start collecting free supplies from home: paper towel rolls, bubble wrap, card board, tissue boxes and more. You can also locate or purchase simple craft supplies like: popsicle sticks, pom poms, pipe cleaners, balloons, cotton balls, straws, zip top bags, craft foam, blue/red yarn, felt and much more. Send home a note to your students' families and ask if they can bring items as well. If each family can bring in one item then all students in the class can share resources for little cost.

Time: 2 hours per body system

Materials:

Scissors
Glue
Coloring Tools
Tape
White butcher paper, or bulletin board paper
Variety of craft supplies (see above).

Steps:

Students should work groups of 2-3. They should start by tracing a body outline on their paper.
Use craft supplies to represent the different body parts. See ideas below:
Balloons = Lungs
Red/Blue Yarn = Arteries/Veins
Paper Towel Roll = Esophagus or Trachea
Zip Top Bag = Stomach
Heart = Red Clay
Intestines = Red Tissue Paper
Brain = Pink Pom Poms
Nerves = Yellow Pipe Cleaners
Bones = Popsicle Sticks
Felt or Foam = Muscles

FAQ

What do I do if students don’t bring many supplies?

Let families know needed craft supplies well in advance (2+ weeks). This allows you time to find more supplies if not much is sent in.

Remember that students are working in groups and they often bring in more supplies than what they can use, so encourage sharing. For example students may bring in 100 beads but it is unlikely they will actually use 100 beads for their projects. Encourage them to share and trade with others.

If after 1-2 weeks and you don’t have many supplies consider checking with staff if they have any craft supplies they no longer need. The art teacher and younger grade teachers are usually good places to start.

If you still don’t have many supplies, these models can be partially hand drawn. For example, students can hand draw the respiratory/circulatory system and use red balloons to represent the lungs.

If you have coloring tools and butcher/bulletin board paper you can still make this project work. Not sure what type of paper to use? We used this paper *. It’s wide enough to have students create a life sized model if they want. We usually estimate giving each group about 5 feet in paper if you are making a life sized model. Please note you do NOT have to purchase this exact item. If you can get it for free at your school, do that! Just sharing the one we used.

How do I ensure this project doesn’t get chaotic?

Here are a few tips to make this project easier to implement.

Before students start working, show them all the supplies available. Just quickly holding them up allows them to start thinking of what they might want to use.
After students have seen all the supplies, they should make a quick plan on paper. Just a few quick notes about what supplies they will need and for what body part (i.e. paper towel roll for the esophagus). This will help keep them on track and ensure they don’t grab too many supplies.
Speaking of supplies, we have supplies in a designated location (usually a back counter). Groups can grab 5 different types of items. If they decide they no longer want to use something they can go to the supply area and exchange it for something else. This makes sure they …
Don’t hoard supplies they won’t need
They don’t make a mess with too many supplies in their area
Other students can use the supplies they don’t need.

How can I make sure science stays at the forefront and it doesn’t just become a craft project?

This is a really important topic as it can turn into just a craft without some guidance. While students are working on their projects I am walking around asking questions like:

How does this body system help us survive?
How would we be impacted if this body system did not function correctly?
What other body system does this body system work with?
What are some things we can do to keep this body system healthy?

You can also have students answer these questions on the paper on the outside of the body outline.

 What prior knowledge should students have?

For all of this project students should have learned about the body system they are creating. This project is to demonstrate their understanding of what they have been taught. If you follow the 5E instructional model these activities would come after the "Explain" section. Interested in what the 5E model is: get my free guide here!

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How Force and Mass Affect Motion: Hands-On Science Activities

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 18:30:09 GMT

We know that the greater the force the greater the impact it will have on the motion of an object. We also know the greater the mass the more force it needs to move. But how do we teach this to our students? Here are two hands-on investigations that will help students to understand these two concepts.

Exploration #1 - Wind Power

Time: 20-30 minutes

Materials:

A variety of types of balls (marbles, ping pong, tennis ball, baseball, basketball, rubber ball, beach ball etc).

Steps:

The goal is to get the ball across the room, using only your breath.
Take your ball to one end of the classroom. You and your classmates will compete against each other.
When your teacher says go, move your ball across the classroom using only your breath. You and your partner can trade places at any time during the race.

Student Observation:
Students will observe the more mass the object has the more force (breath) is needed to move the object.

Exploration #2 - Big Bad Wind

Total Time: 45 minutes

Materials:

5 toothpicks (per group)
4 popsicle sticks (per group)
1 paper plate (per group)
Small container of play-doh (per group)
Piece of aluminum foil (12 x 12 piece per group)
Small Fan
Blow Dryer

Steps:

The goal is to build a house with the provided materials that is strong enough to withstand 3 types of wind.
Start by building a small house on top of the paper plate. There is a 20 minute time limit.
Your teacher will try to blow down each house with three types of winds (breathe, fan & blow dryer).

Student Observations

Students will observe the stronger the force the more movement it causes.

FAQ

What materials did you use?

For the first investigation we asked students to bring in balls from home. We asked them to be creative and find anything they think no one else might have. We saw marbles, beach balls, rubber balls, ping pong balls, sports balls and billiard balls! Note we did tell students the goal of the activity which definitely made them think twice about what type of item to bring in.

For the second investigation any brand of popsicle sticks, aluminum foil and toothpicks will work. For Play-Doh™* we used these small containers *. Students don’t need a lot and these were actually leftovers from our creature project from our heredity unit . We also purchased a small fan. The fan we used is quite old now and not available but this is the closest one * to what we used. For a blow dryer we just used ours from home. If you don’t have one ask your fellow teachers, someone definitely has one they can lend you.

See what you can find or borrow before buying anything! You likely have or can find all of these items for free. We just wanted to share links to products we had used for these investigations that were useful.

What prior knowledge should students have?

For these investigations students should know what a force is and what mass is. If you follow the 5E instructional model these activities would come during the “explore” section. Interested in what the 5E model is: get my free guide here!

Should students use the fan and blow dryer?

We suggest the teacher uses the fan and blow dryer instead of students. This is because we want the same amount of force and time to be used. The teachers can ensure each group is treated fairly.

Quick and Easy Activities for Teaching Newton's Laws of Motion

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 16:53:09 GMT

Teaching Newton’s Laws of Motion? All three of these activities can be completed in under 30 minutes and require easy to access materials.

Total Time: 30 minutes
Materials:

Plastic Cups
Index Cards
Coins
Empty Food Can
Full Food Can
Balloons

Newton’s First Law of Motion

Steps:

Newton’s Second Law of Motion

Steps:

Tilt a table in the classroom by placing books under one end to create a ramp.
Take an empty can and a full can and roll down your “ramp” at the same time.

Student Observations

Students will observe the full can roll faster than the empty can.

Newton’s Third Law of Motion

Steps:

Blow up a balloon to a medium size (do not tie it in a knot)
Let the balloon go and observe how it moves.
Blow up the balloon again to a larger size (do not tie it in a knot)
Let the balloon go and observe how it moves.

Student Observations

Students will observe when the balloon is blown up larger it moves farther and faster than when blown up smaller.

FAQ

Should students work individually or with partners?

We suggest students work in pairs so they have someone to discuss what they observe. Groups of 3 can work but the smaller the better because when groups become too large someone seems to get left out of the conversation.

What if I don’t have canned food?

Soda cans or even soda bottles can work too. However, students should catch the full cans of soda and/or bottles before they fall to the ground so they don’t accidentally explode on the floor.

How can I keep the classroom from becoming chaotic during the investigations?

Always go over expectations before having students start the activity. Here are some common expectations, add your own to reflect your own classroom needs.

No running
Watch for others around you
Stay in your assigned area
Handle materials carefully
If I say "Freeze," stop immediately and listen.

Easy Air Resistance Investigation (No Materials Required)

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 14:16:24 GMT

Easy Air Resistance Investigation (No Materials Required)

Teach students about air resistance with scrap paper! This paper plane lab will have all students engaged and learning. You can use any kind of paper you can find on hand, construction paper, lined paper or even just plane paper.

Total Time: 30 minutes
Materials:

Paper

Questions to Ask Before Building

How do you think a paper airplane stays up in the air?
What might help an airplane stay in the air longer?

Steps:

Students will use paper to create a paper airplane. Encourage them to start with a simple design instead of spending time perfecting it.
They will throw the plane twice to see how far it will go.
Students should note the distance the object went.
They will then redesign their airplane with new paper.
They will repeat steps 2 and 3 again with their new airplane.
They will make a third design and fly them 2 more times and record their distance.

Before the Redesign

What do you plan to change for the second and third redesigns?
What do you predict will happen after your redesign?

Questions to Ask After Completing the Activity

Which design worked best? Why?
If you had one more chance to redesign your airplane, what would you change?
How did testing help you improve your design?
What force is your paper plane fighting?
How does your paper plane compare to keeping real planes up in the air?

FAQ

What if my students don’t know how to make paper planes?

You can encourage students to work together so they have someone else to support them. Additionally, if they have access to technology (computer and or tablet) let them look up paper airplane designs. There are many to choose from!

Should students measure distance or simply compare which flew farther?

If this is an informal activity to be done quickly students can just keep a mental note of how far it flew. If you want to be very precise you can have them measure it with a measuring tool. My favorite idea is actually giving students some blue painters tape. They can put a small piece on the ground where it landed and even document what design it was (i.e Design A, Throw 2).

How does this investigation connect to air resistance?

When a paper airplane flies through the air the air pushes against the paper plane making it slow down and eventually stop. Some designs create less air resistance which makes the plane fly farther than other designs. This investigation shows students the importance of plane design and how air resistance can change how the object moves.

Teach Gravity with These Low-Prep Science Investigations

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 13:45:32 GMT

Teach Gravity with These Low-Prep Science Investigations

The best ways to teach science are to allow students to explore and learn without direct instruction. Here are two hands-on gravity explorations that will enable students to learn about gravity’s impact on motion on their own.

For these activities I like to split the class in two. Half the class will work on the first investigation while the other half of the class works on the second investigation. Then midway through the time they switch investigations.

Total Time: 30 minutes (for both)

Exploration #1 - Gravity & Mass
Materials:

5 paperclips
5 rubber bands
5 objects (shoes, pencil pouch, notebook etc)

Steps:

Hook one paper clip to a rubber band. The paper clip will be the “hook” to hold objects to.
Hang an object of your choice from the paper clip and see how the rubber band stretches.
With their partner, discuss how the mass of each object impacts the pull of the rubber band.

Exploration #2 - Gravity & Angles

Materials:

Cardboard Strip
Toy Car
Items to make a ramp (books work well for this)

Steps:

Using your cardboard strip, create a very low ramp.
Let the car roll down the ramp.
Repeat this 3 more times, adjusting the angle to be steeper each time.
With your partner, discuss how the angle of the ramp impacted the movement of the object.

Student Observations

Students will observe the rubberband stretches more with heavier items
Students will observe the car travels faster and farther with a steeper ramp.

FAQ

What materials did you use?

For the first investigation any brand of rubber bands and paperclips will work. For the objects they will use to test we suggest picking something that has a way to hook them onto the rubber band. Here are some items we have found that work well.

Spiral Notebook
Scissors
Pencil pouches
Protractor
Roll of Tape
Empty lunchbox

For the second investigation you can use cardboard and books to make a ramp. However, after using cardboard for years we ended up investing in these ramps *. They are more sturdy than cardboard and since there were several force and motion investigations that required us to use ramps each year it made sense for us to purchase something that would give us better results.

We also used these monster trucks *. We have found sometimes the wheels from small cars don’t quite roll as well as they should which gives us inaccurate results. These monster trucks are friction powered so they travel much more smoothly and consistently.

Please know that cardboard, books and any cars you can get your hands on will work for this activity. We just wanted to share some resources we purchased and used that worked well for us.

What questions can I ask students to help them understand what is happening?

As you walk around the room checking in on different groups, you can ask the following questions to students.

What is happening?
Does it always happen the same way?
What is changing each time?
Do you notice any patterns?
What evidence supports your conclusion?
What would happen if we changed ______?

How do I maximize the time for students to complete this?

I recommend having the materials partially set up for students. It can be as simple as having the items needed grouped in a designated space. We also suggest that you spend a few minutes before letting students start to quickly go over the steps for both investigations. This way they have an idea of what to do before they get a written instruction.

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Projects for Understanding Inherited and Acquired Traits

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 17:50:41 GMT

What student wouldn’t be excited to mix craft supplies with a science project? The creature family project is one I look forward to each year. Students will create a never before seen creature family. They will create two parents and use their knowledge of inherited and acquired traits to create an offspring. This easy to implement project will have every student engaged and will have a big impact on learning.

Creature Family Project

Time: 3-4 hours (spread over 4 days)

Materials:

Scissors
Glue
Coloring Tools
Paper plate or cardboard
Variety of craft supplies (toilet paper rolls, cardboard, felt, popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, beads, googly eyes, feathers, pom poms, egg cartons, etc)

Steps:

A few weeks before the project send home a note to families asking them to if they can send in craft supplies. They can be free ones like paper towel rolls, cardboard or egg cartons. Or they can purchase some, like pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, felt, feathers, etc.
Put students into groups of 2-3. Tell them they will create a creature family (2 parents and 1 offspring). Creatures cannot be based on real animals or mythical creatures.
They will first create two unique parents. Then using their understanding in heredity and inherited traits to create an offspring.
It’s helpful if you have students build their creatures on a paper plate or piece of cardboard. This allows them to build and possibly glue the creatures right on the surface to ensure it remains stable and upright.

Students will demonstrate they understand:

Understand the difference between inherited traits and acquired traits.
Understand how traits are passed from parent to offspring.
Understand which traits in the offspring came from which parent.

FAQ

What do I do if students don’t bring many supplies?

I would let families know needed craft supplies well in advance (3-4 weeks). This allows you time to find more supplies if you know you will need more.

Remember that students are working in groups and they often bring in more supplies than what they can use, so encourage sharing. For example students may bring in 100 beads but it is unlikely they will actually use 100 beads for their three creatures. Encourage them to share and trade with others.

If you don't have many supplies after 1-2 weeks consider checking if any other staff members have any craft supplies they no longer need. The art teacher and K/1 teachers are usually good places to start.

One year I exhausted all those options and still didn’t have what I needed. I purchased this craft supply set * and was very pleased with the amount and the variety. I was able to purchase one set for each of my classes and found that it was enough to compliment what students were able to bring in. We also used these small containers of Play-Doh™ *. We didn't use them all but we used the leftovers in other projects later in the school year.

Know that the exact kit above is not required. We just wanted to include links to a product we used and loved in case it’s helpful to you as well.

How can I make sure this project doesn’t just become a craft?

This is a really important topic as it can turn into just a craft without some guidance. While students are working on their projects I am walking around asking questions like:

Is this the parent or offspring? What proves this is the offspring?
What inherited traits does this offspring have? Where did the trait come from?
Where did the parents get their inherited traits?
If you made a second offspring, would it look exactly the same as the first offspring?
Do these creatures have acquired traits? If so, where did they come from?

How do I ensure students manage their time well?

I usually complete this project over 4 days (about 45 minutes each day). Below is a general structure I try to stick to.

Day 1 - Students make and share a plan. Must be approved by teacher before building.

Day 2 - Students make both parents.

Day 3 - Students make one offspring (can make more offspring if they have time).

Day 4 - Analyzing & explaining their creatures traits

For the students' plan, they can write it, draw it or verbally tell me but their plan must be clear. I often have to help guide them to ensure they know exactly what to do when they start building.

I put a time limit on building. They can start building on day 1 when their plan is approved but there will be no more building after day 3.

What prior knowledge should students have?

For all of this project students should have learned inherited traits, acquired traits, learned behaviors and instincts. This project is to demonstrate their understanding of what they have been taught. If you follow the 5E instructional model these activities would come after the "Explain" section. Interested in what the 5E model is: get my free guide here!

Hands-On Investigations for Teaching about Shadows

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 12:26:24 GMT

Shadows seem like such a simple concept to understand. But they still require hands on investigations to truly understand them. Here are three hands-on investigations to help students understand how the Sun's position affects an object's shadow.

Materials:

Sidewalk chalk
Large object (ball, cone, chair, etc)
Handheld flashlight
Small object (gluestick, small toy, etc)

Investigation #1

Investigation #2

Investigation #3

FAQ

What materials did you use?

Feel free to substitute similar materials for the ones we've listed. We've also included links to products we've used and recommend if you'd like a starting point for gathering supplies.

Small and large object found from the classroom
Sidewalk chalk *
Mini flashlights * (it came with batteries too!)

What if it's cloudy or raining?

The sun is very important for investigations 1 & 2. Since you rely in the Sun moving, you can't do this in a classroom. If it’s rainy or cloudy, have students complete investigation 3 and try another day for the other two.

How can I make sure the shadow tracings stay preserved if multiple classes use the same playground?

We recommend you email your school the day before letting them know your plan and ask them to keep their students away. You may also want to draw a long line showing where your students' work starts and ends.

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Model of the Solar System

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 01:35:34 GMT

It seems like every student builds a model of the solar system at some point during their education. But having students build a model of the solar system can seem daunting! Here is a simple but impactful solar system model students can create to demonstrate their understanding of the solar system.

Model of the Solar System

Time: 1-2 hours

Materials:

Styrofoam balls of various size (cut in half)
Paint and paint brushes
Black or blue paper and yellow paper
White Glue
White colored pencil
White paper
Scissors

Steps:

Paint the styrofoam balls to match the colors of the planets. Consider allowing students to look up what these planets look like.
Cut yellow construction paper to look like a sun and glue it to the black/blue construction paper.
Draw white lines to represent the orbits the planets follow.
When the planets are dry, glue them to the black/blue paper.
Finally, using white paper create planet name labels and glue to the black/blue paper.

Students will demonstrate they understand:

The Sun is at the center of our solar system.
The planets orbit the Sun.
The planets are arranged in a specific order.
Earth is the third planet from the Sun.
Models have limitations like not being able to show actual sizes and distances accurately.

Alternatives

To encourage creativity and critical thinking we suggest you don’t give all these steps to students. Give them the materials and the task and let them decide how they want to represent the solar system. You can give students additional supplies like clay, pipe cleaners and more to encourage different types of models

FAQ

What materials did you use?

Before spending your own money, know that the exact materials listed are not required. Similar items will work just as well! We just wanted to include links to products we've had positive experiences with in case they're helpful as you gather supplies.

Styrofoam balls of various size * (because you cut them in half, they can be used for 8 students)
Paint * (students need such a small amount, a group of 6 student could share this set)
Paint brushes
Black or blue paper and yellow paper
White Glue
White colored pencil
White paper
Scissors

Any alternatives to using styrofoam balls?

If styrofoam balls are not available here are some alternatives:

Paint or Construction Paper (will make it 2D only)
Air dry clay or Play-doh™
Balloons (will require more space)
Bottom half of an Easter Egg (doesn’t allow to show size difference)

What tips can make this project easier?

Cut the styrofoam balls ahead of time. Ask families if someone can volunteer to do this.
Have students stick their styrofoam balls on a toothpick to make painting easier.
Give students a paper plate to place their wet planets on to dry.
Draw rings before gluing planets.

What prior knowledge should students have?

For all of this project students should have learned the concept already. This project is to demonstrate their understanding of what they have been taught. If you follow the 5E instructional model these activities would come after the "Explain" section. Interested in what the 5E model is: get my free guide here!

*As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Hexagonal Thinking to Promote Deeper Understanding

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 01:19:35 GMT

Over the decades it’s clear education has moved away from simple recall of information to promoting a deeper understanding of topics. The hexagonal thinking strategy encourages critical and flexible thinking while encouraging evidenced based reasoning.

Guess the Topic

Time: 20-30 Minutes

Materials:

Paper hexagons
Construction paper
List of 10-20 words on a specific topic

Steps:

Provide a list of 10-20 words on a specific topic to students.
Give them several small hexagons and construction paper.
Students will place one word on one hexagon and then organize the hexagon in a way that makes sense to them.
The hexagons must touch each other and all words/hexagons must be used.
Students can rearrange multiple times until they are happy with their product.
When finished they will glue all hexagons to their construction paper.
Students must be able to justify their thoughts in writing or verbally.

When to use it:

Hexagonal thinking works best when students have a deep understanding of a topic like at the end of a unit of study. Here are some ideas:

Historical people from a social studies unit
Laws or proclamations from a period of time
Battles during a war
Vocabulary from a science unit
Shapes from a geometry unit
Equivalent fractions or decimals
Word problems with a focus on the operation
Synonyms/antonyms or shades of meaning
Characters, setting, themes from a piece of literature
The steps in the writing process
Types of emotions

Differentiation:

This strategy is already perfect for students who need more enrichment. However, if you have students need more rigor encourage them to partner with others and share their product and explain their reasoning. You can also ask them to sort the hexagons differently and explain which way is better.

For students who need extra support, reduce the number of words they have to organize or give them only a few words at a time to look at.

Benefits of this activity:

Pushes students to think deeply Promotes critical thinking
Encourages discussion and collaboration
Shows students thinking and understanding
Develops evidence-based reasoning.

Try Hexagonal Thinking at the end of your next unit and be astounded at the level of knowledge your students show.

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Guess the Topic: A Pre-Reading Activity to Build Background Knowledge

Sat, 20 Jun 2026 18:37:13 GMT

Most educators know the importance of background knowledge when reading. Background knowledge allows students to make connections from already known information to new information. Sometimes it can be easy to forget the importance of pre-reading activities before reading a text. Below is an easy to implement idea to support students' background knowledge before they read a text.

Guess the Topic

Time: 10 Minutes

Materials:

Text
Index Cards

Steps:

Select key words or images from the text students will read.
Place each word or image on an index card. If possible select enough words or images from the text to equal the number of students in your class. If that is not possible you can duplicate words and images.
Distribute one card to each student.
On the back of the card students will write what they think the text will be about in a complete sentence.
Then they will find another person in the class and share each other's words/images on their cards. Together they will use the two clues to write what they think the text will be about.
Both students will find new students to compare cards with . Again they will share each other's words and/or images and will write down what they think the text will be about.
Students continue this until time is up (about 3 minutes). The more cards students can share with each other the more specific their topic becomes.
Students will then return to their seats and the teacher can facilitate a discussion about what they think the text is about.
Then students will read the text independently and complete any comprehension activities related.

 Extension:

After reading and completing any extension activities, students can return to their class conversation to see if the topic they had come up with was accurate. Discussion questions the teacher can ask include:

How close was your guess was to the text?
What information did you have that helped you guess the correct topic?
What information did you NOT have that would have helped you make a better guess?
What new information did you learn from your peers?
What new information did you learn from the text?

How this might look in a classroom:

A teacher passes out cards that are related to a text that is about the solar system. A student named Aiden had “space” on his card. Then he met with a student who had “Sun”, then a student who had “star” and finally with a student who had “planets”. As Aiden got more information from other students he was able to narrow down the topic of the text.

Space - It will be about what’s in space.

Sun - It will be about the Sun in space.

Star - It will be about stars and the sun in space.

Planets - It will be about objects in space like stars, planets and the Sun.

When students returned to their desks and had a class discussion about what they thought the text was about, Aiden mentioned to the class that our solar system has eight planets that orbit around it. Half of the class did not know this information so Aiden helped to build their background knowledge on the topic before everyone started reading.

Students read the text and answer comprehension questions. The students returned to their original classroom conversation and compared their guess of the topic to what the text was actually about. Aiden stated his guess “It will be about a star in space, called the sun, that is surrounded by planets” was close but because he never saw the word “gravity” he didn’t know the text would be about how the sun has gravity and holds all the objects together in the solar system. He also states that another student taught him that moons orbit planets not the sun and from the text he learned that not all stars have planets.

 Benefits of this activity:

Activates background knowledge
Builds vocabulary
Forces prediction and inference
Pushes academic conversations
Easy to implement with little resources

Pre-reading shouldn’t just be about reading the title and looking at the pictures ahead of time. Students can complete a more in depth and rigorous pre-reading activity with just a little time and few resources. Try Guess the Topic for your next reading activity and be amazed how students build background knowledge, vocabulary and curiosity in less than 10 minutes!

Discover more teaching strategies in the Coffee and Sneakers Learning blog .

Quick and Easy Gravity Investigations

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 15:55:41 GMT

Teaching students about gravity doesn’t have to be difficult. Here are 4 stations I have students complete to teach them about gravity and how it pulls objects towards Earth.

Total Time: 30 minutes

Materials:

Pencils or other small objects to let fall to the ground
Paper
Pop Up Balls

For these activities, have students work in groups of 2-3 so they can discuss findings.

After each investigation students should write down what they observed and what it shows scientifically.

For example:

What they notice: The objects fall to the ground no matter where we are in class.
Science Explanation: Whatever is pulling the objects down happens everywhere

FAQ

What questions can I ask students to help them understand what is happening?

As you walk around the room checking in on different groups, you can ask the following questions to students.

What is happening?
Does it always happen the same way?
What is causing the object to move?
Why do you think the same thing happens?
Do you notice any patterns?

How can English learners participate successfully?

Here are some tips for English learners:

Let them write their ideas in their native language (if they can). If they cannot, let them draw in the observation box instead of writing.
Partner them up with someone who can help them record their thoughts on paper.
Use AI to help create a visual support to help the student understand the instructions. Here is a prompt: “Take these instructions and turn it into a visual support (PNG) for EL students: Investigation 3 Steps: Hold up both pieces of paper and drop them at the same time. Crumple only one of the pieces of paper and drop both at the same time. Crumple the second piece of paper and drop them at the same time.”

What pop up toys are you talking about?

You could really use any type of object that pops up but then comes back down. But we used these pop up balls *.

No need to use the same exact object as us. Use whatever you can find that is free, even a bouncing a rubber ball will show students the same scientific principle. We just want to share the resources we used that worked well.

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Hosting a Motion Museum: A Hands-On Showcase of Force and Motion

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:09:38 GMT

Hosting a motion museum is a great way for students to demonstrate their understanding of force and motion while inviting guests to your classroom to see what your students are learning.

Motion Museum
Time: 2 hours split into 4 days (30 minutes each). On days 1-3 students will plan and create their exhibit. On the 4th day students will show off their exhibit to the museum visitors.

Materials:

Poster Boards
A variety of items for students to create their exhibit. Here are some ideas:
Metersticks
Toy cars
Marbles and/or balls
Balloons
Smoothie Straws
String
Clothespins
Stopwatches
Cardboard for building ramps

Steps:

Students will work in partners or groups of 3.
They need to decide on a demonstration they want to model to show the different things they have learned about: forces, motion, speed, gravity and friction.
After students have designed and tested their demonstration they will create a poster to show the science behind the demonstration. The poster should include:
A drawing of their demonstration.
An explanation of what happens in their demonstration.
The scientific principle their demonstration shows.
During the motion museum students will show visitors their hands on demonstration and explain the science behind the topic. They should be prepared to demonstrate it multiple times.

FAQ

What do I need to have prepared for this motion museum?

Make sure you have materials available for students. Toy cars, cardboard, string, balloons, marbles, etc. See a more detailed list below. You can allow students to bring items from home (paper towel rolls, rolling toys, flying toys, etc).
Have ideas for demonstrations students can do if they are unable to think of any ideas themselves.
Make sure to check in with each group about their demonstration so you can give them feedback and help them make needed changes.
Decide who you want to invite to this motion museum. You can invite families or you can just invite non homeroom staff members. You can also invite other grade levels. Younger students would love to visit an older class and see what projects they will get to work on.

What materials did you use?

To help students get started, we provided them with the same resources we had used throughout our Forces and Interactions unit in previous lessons.

Toy Cars *
Meter Sticks *
Stopwatches *
Smoothie Straws *
Balloons
String
Clothespins
Mini Poster Boards *
We chose mini poster boards because students really don’t need that much space.
Saving Money & Materials Tip: If you have students write and draw their work on regular paper they can carefully tape their work on the poster board. Then it can be removed later and the poster boards can be reused!

Before spending any money, take a look around your classroom, check with teammates, and encourage students to bring in items from home. You may be surprised how many useful materials are already available. Most investigations work perfectly well with everyday objects, and we always recommend exhausting free options before purchasing anything. Things students can bring from home: paper towel rolls, cardboard to make ramps, balls and more.

If you do need to purchase supplies, the links above simply share the materials we found to be especially valuable to these investigations.

*As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Hands-On Activity for Understanding How Forces Impact Speed

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 03:50:28 GMT

Need an engaging activity to help students understand how forces affect the speed of an object? Here is a very simple activity that will not only help students understand the concept, but get them excited to learn.

Force & Speed Investigation

Time: 30 minutes

Materials:

Meter Stick
Toy Cars
Stopwatch

Steps:

Measure 1 meter on the ground.
Line up the toy car's front wheel at the 0 cm mark.
Give your car a light push.
When pushed someone should start the stopwatch.
Record the time it takes to reach the end in the space below.
Follow steps 1-5 again for a medium sized push and then a harder push.

Students will observe:

The car travels slower when given a small push.
The car takes more time to reach the end with a small push.
The car travels faster when given a large push.
The car takes less time to reach the end with a large push.
The car travels farther when given a large push.

Scientific Concepts:

The greater the force, the faster the object will move.
The greater the force, the farther the object will move.
The faster an object moves, the less travel time it will take.

Questions to Support Student Understanding:

Can you predict what would happen if you gave the hardest push possible?
Students should understand the larger the force (push) the greater distance the object can travel in less time. They should also understand the greater the force the faster the object will go.
What is the connection between force and speed?
Students should understand that force affects the speed of an object. Less force will mean a slower speed and more force will mean a faster speed.
For this activity we used a pushing force. Could we change this investigation to show a pulling force?
Students should understand that a force is a push or a pull so yes, you could use a pulling motion instead.

FAQ

What materials did you use?

The exact materials listed aren’t required—similar items you already have in your classroom, school, or that students can bring from home will often work just fine. If you do need to purchase supplies, know that we tested and returned many products that simply didn’t perform well in the classroom. After much trial and error, we found these materials to be especially valuable to the investigation. The links above simply share the products we used and liked, not a required shopping list.

How do students know what counts as a light, medium, or hard push?

Have students practice this before actually recording the time. For the lightest push they still need to push it hard enough to get it to the end of the meter stick. (That’s actually one of the reasons we really liked the monster trucks that we used. They were friction powered so they had good momentum to make sure it made it to the end of the meter stick.) Have students practice the different pushes so they know what their hand will feel like for each push.

What if I don’t have enough materials for each group?

If you don’t have enough metersticks, have students measure out the meter on the floor and then use tape to mark the starting and ending location.
If you don’t have enough stopwatches, have students count out loud instead. As long as they count at the same pace each time it will still give them valid data to understand the concepts in this investigation.
If you don’t have enough cars, have a small group complete this activity while the rest of the class works on something else like reading a related text. When one group finished, another group starts while the finished group works on the alternative activity.

*As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Hands-On Activity for Understanding Forces

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 01:13:45 GMT

This simple hands-on activity will bring so much excitement to your classroom while showing your students the power of a force.

Adult supervision is recommended for all activities. Parents and teachers should evaluate each activity for the age, ability, and needs of their children. By participating, you assume responsibility for any risks associated with the activity.

Balloon Rockets

Time: 30 minutes

Materials:

Balloons
String
Smoothie Straws
Tape
Clothespins

Steps:

Push the string through the straw.
Your teacher will help you tape one end of your string to a wall in your classroom.
Blow up the balloon and hold it closed with your fingers.
Tape the blown up balloon to the straw.
Give the end of the balloon a little twist (not a knot) and clothespin the end shut so that it doesn’t leak.
Grab the other end of the string and walk to another part of the classroom (bring the balloon with you).
Hold the string taut. When ready, release the clothespin.
Blow up your balloon a few more times and try it again.

Students will observe:

When the clothespin is removed, air rushes out of the balloon.
The balloons moves in the opposite direction as the air.
The larger the balloon is blown up, the faster and farther it travels.

Scientific Concepts:

Something (a force) is pushing the balloon forward.
The greater the force (more air) the greater the speed and distance traveled.
Movement is caused by forces.
The air in the balloon is moving in the opposite direction as the balloon.

Extension Activity:

To increase their understanding of forces, students test different balloon shapes and sizes. They can try water balloons and balloons used for balloon animals.

FAQ

What materials did you use?

Regular Balloons
Water Balloons
Balloon animal balloons
String
Tape
Smoothie Straws *
Balloon Pumps * (not required but very helpful!)

The exact materials listed aren’t necessary—similar items will work just fine! If you’d like to use the same materials we did, consider asking a few families for donations, checking whether your school can purchase a class set, or seeing if colleagues have extras tucked away. The links above simply share products we used and liked, not a required shopping list.

What prior knowledge should students have?

Students do not have to have prior knowledge of forces prior to this activity. After this activity is where you will discuss and teach what is a force and what they do.

What are things I can do during the activity to support learning?

During the activity walk around the classroom asking students questions like:

What is causing the air to balloon?
What is coming out of the balloon? (air) What is it doing to the balloon? (moving it forward)
What do you think would happen if you increased the air in the balloon?
What do you think would happen if you decreased the air in the balloon?

*As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Five ways to Use Google Sheets in the Classroom

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 16:30:35 GMT

Many teachers use some sort of Google product in their classroom. But I don’t see many teachers using Google Sheets very often. Google Sheets is one of my favorite Google products because it has so many features not seen in any other of their products. Here are my five favorite Google Sheets features!

#1 - Checkboxes

Each school year I create a Google Sheet that includes student names and then spaces for me to keep track of things like:

Signed/returned back to school forms
Field Trip Forms
Signed/returned report cards
Permission Forms

Using a checkbox allows me to track who has returned the documents. I also use a similar setup to keep track of students assignments they have turned in so I can easily see who still has items they need to complete and turn in.

 #2 - Dropdown Menus

Drop down menus are good to use when you want to limit the options you can type in a cell. For example, if you type similar items in a column it’s easy to have inconsistent entries. For example, if you track how you contact parents and you are documenting that you called home. You might type “Phone”, “Phone call” or “Spoke to on phone”. By having limited options I avoid similar but different entries. I like to use drop downs for:

Family Contact
Students overall reading and math level
Mastery Level (Mastery, Near Mastery, Not Mastered)

 #3 - Linking Files

Linking files is a great way to have all the items you need in one place. Saves you time from having to search for files or websites. Things that I link in Google Sheets include:

Frequently used websites
Lesson Plan Resources
Student Products

 #4 - Adding Note

Notes are a great way to keep important information you might need but don’t clutter up the spreadsheet. It is only visible when you hover over the cell where it’s at. I like to use notes to:

Place state standards
Instructions & Reminders
“Last updated….”

 #5 - Conditional Formatting

Conditional formatting is a great way to help you quickly identify information you want brought to your attention. You can have cells turn a specific color when information is typed in it. I love to use conditional formatting to

Identify students who need remediation
Missing Assignments

The best part about conditional formatting is that auto adjusts. So if a cell turns red when the assignment is missing, once the cell shows the assignment has been turned in it will no longer be red.

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Making Ice Cream with Science

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 17:47:38 GMT

What student wouldn’t love to make their own ice cream? But how do we make sure science stays at the forefront and it doesn’t become just another “fun activity”. Keep reading to see how students have fun making a yummy treat but understand the scientific concepts behind it.

Studying Matter by Making Ice Cream

Time: 30 minutes

Materials:

Small zip top bag
Large zip top bag
1 Cup Half-and-half
2 Tbsp of sugar
½ tsp of vanilla extract
¼-½ cup of rock salt
Ice Cubes

Steps:

Pour the half-and-half, sugar and vanilla into the small zip top bag.
Seal the bag tightly!
Fill the large zip top bag halfway with ice cubes.
Add salt to the ice.
Place the small zip top bag inside the large zip top bag and seal the large bag.
Shake the bags for 5-10 minutes until the liquid turns to ice cream.
Carefully remove the small bag, open and enjoy!

Scientific Concepts Covered:

Matter can change states from heating or cooling.
The cooling of the liquid ingredients caused them to turn to solids.
Warming of the solids (ice) caused it to melt and become a liquid.
Heat energy was transferred from the warmer half-and-half to the cooler ice cubes.
Some changes are reversible (melting and freezing).
Some changes are irreversible (mixing sugar and vanilla in the half-and-half).

Putting Science at the Forefront:

To make sure this doesn’t become just another fun activity, we can push the science by having students answer questions before and after making the ice cream.

Before Making the Ice Cream

What are the solids in this activity?
What are the liquids in this activity?
What are the gases in this activity?
What characteristics do the solids have?
What characteristics do the liquids have?
What characteristics do the gases have?

After Making the Ice Cream

Where does heat energy transfer occur?
How does cooling change the matter?
How does warming change the matter?
Which substances changed states?
What changes are reversible?
What changes are irreversible?

FAQ

Why do you need salt with the ice?

When you add salt to the bag of ice it lowers the freezing point of water which means it gets colder than regular ice.

Why is “the ice cools the half-and-half” incorrect?

The ice doesn’t cool the half-and-half because heat energy moves from the warmer object to the cooler object. In this example the warmer object is the half-and-half and the cooler object is the ice. So heat moves from the half-and-half to the ice. During this process the half-and-half mixture loses some heat (causing it to solidify) and the ice gains some heat (causing it to melt).

Why didn’t it turn to ice cream?

Here are some possible reasons the half-and-half mixture did not turn to ice cream.

Not enough salt was put in the bag of ice
The ice melted too quickly (usually because there is not enough ice in the bag).
The bag was not shaken for long enough.

Discover more hands-on ideas, classroom tips, and teaching strategies on the Coffee and Sneakers blog .

Modeling Earth's Landforms and Bodies of Water

Sun, 07 Jun 2026 00:33:28 GMT

What student wouldn’t love to build a model of Earth’s landforms using Play-doh®? How do we make sure science stays at the forefront and it doesn’t become just another “fun activity”. Keep reading to see how students have fun but understand the scientific concepts behind it.

Model Earth's Landforms and Bodies of Water

Time: 1 hour

Materials:

8.5 inch paper plates
Permanent market or pen
Clay or Play-doh®
Blank white paper
Scissors

Steps:

Students will start by sketching their model idea on the plate.
Next they will use Clay or Play-doh® to place the bottom layer of grass, dirt or water.
Then they will build their 3D objects like mountains, volcanoes, caverns, islands, etc.
Finally, they will use blank paper to write labels for their features. They will cut them out and place them near the feature on their plate.

Students will demonstrate they understand:

Earth is made up of different types of water.
Earth is made up of different types of landforms.
Bodies of water vary in size, shape and depth.
Rivers and streams often connect to lakes/ponds or the ocean.
Landforms vary in size, shape and location.
Valleys and Canyons have rivers that flow through them.
Islands are surrounded by water.
Models can represent real-world objects and places.

Putting Science at the Forefront:

To make sure this doesn’t become just another activity, we can push the science by having students answer questions based on their model. Here are a few questions you can require students to answer.

Which body of water is the largest/smallest?
Which body of water is the deepest/shallowest?
Which bodies of water are made of saltwater/freshwater?
Which landforms are the largest/smallest?
Which landforms have water nearby?
Pick two bodies of water/landforms and compare and contrast them.

FAQ

What materials did you use?

You can use paper plates from any store. I’d recommend 8.5 inch so that it’s large enough to show everything but not too large they waste materials.

We used these small * Play-doh® containers. The colors were great and the size was perfect. In our project we used a 10 inch plate (that was too big) and we used 2 brown, 1 dark blue, 1 dark green and very small amounts of the other colors for a total of about 4 ½ containers. If we had used the 8.5 inch container it would have been less.

Before you spend a single dollar of your own money, know that the exact materials listed are not required. Similar items will work just as well! If you decide you'd like the recommended materials, consider asking a few families to donate them, seeing if your school can purchase a class set, or checking with kindergarten teachers who may have extras sitting in a cabinet somewhere. The link above is just a product we used and liked—not a shopping list.

What prior knowledge should students have?

For all of these activities students should have learned the concepts already. These projects are to demonstrate their understanding of what they have been taught. If you follow the 5E instructional model these activities would come after the "Elaborate" section. Interested in what the 5E model is: get my free guide here !

What if I don't have enough clay or Play-Doh® for every student?

To save on materials:

You can have students work in pairs.
Teach students to really flatten the grass, dirt and water. It looks like a lot, but if flattened well it’s not much Play-doh®.
You can have students create 3D mountains, volcanoes or other features with card stock first and then cover it with Play-doh®.

Discover more hands-on ideas, classroom tips, and teaching strategies on the Coffee and Sneakers blog .

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10 Classroom Setup Decisions You'll Thank Yourself for Later

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 19:06:48 GMT

Are you determined to have a smooth running classroom this year? Then you will need to dedicate time to not only setting up your classroom; but ensuring it is set up in a way that allows students to focus on learning and allows you to focus on teaching. Here are 10 things to consider when setting up your classroom.

1. Student Desk Setup

The very first thing you need to start thinking about is how the student desk will be setup. How you set up your students desks will dramatically change not only the flow of the classroom but how your students interact and work together.

Students in groups of four is ideal. It allows students to work together in a small group during specific types of instruction. It also allows students to learn from each other and learn how to cooperate in a group. Sometimes the math doesn’t workout to create groups of 4. You may have to adjust to have 3-5 in a group. I avoid ever having groups of 6+ (if I can). Six students in a group inevitably leads to 1-2 students who get left out of group work and rely on others to do the work for them.

If you have a choice at your school I recommend desks instead of tables. I know tables are nice because the allow space for students to work and they don't move around the same way desks do. However, there is little flexibility with tables. With desks, if a student needs to work independently on a task they can move their desk and rejoin their group later.

2. Small Group Table

Where you put your workspace is just as important than where your students will sit. For my small group table, I have my table close to two things: the board and supplies (gluesticks, scissors, etc). I want to be close to the board because there there are times I need to use the board in my small group instruction. I also like to be close to supplies. Small group plans can change in an instant based on what I notice. Being close to supplies allows me to adjust my plans and have access to anything we might need.

3. Classroom Flow

How your classroom flows is very important. Students need access to many things in a classroom: materials, computer, headphones, nametags, bookbags, lunches, supplies, notebooks, etc.

All of these places that students might need to go to need to be far from each other. It might seem like it would make sense to have one designated area for everything, but imagine 3, 5, 10 students all up out of their seat turning things in, getting supplies, returning materials. That could be a lot of students all in the same location. This leads to lost time because they have to move around each other or wait on each other.

Instead, I put these major places in separate locations. All technology (computers and headphones) are in the back of the classroom. Supplies like scissors, gluesticks, paper and pencils are on a separate wall from where our technology is. Finally, a bin where students should turn in materials should be in another separate location. By having three distinct areas where students can access their materials you will have less congestion and less student congregation. Which allows students to get what they need quickly.

Speaking of turning in assignments, one of the best things I accidentally did was to have your turn in bin by the exit of the classroom. I have students hold on to their completed assignments until it’s time to transition. For example, students have been working in math and have 2 assignments to turn. They hold on to their completed assignments until it’s time to go to lunch (which is after math). They line up at the door to go to lunch with their completed assignments. As they walk out the door they drop their assignments in the completed in bin. This limits lost instruction and students out of their seats.

4. Flex Space

If possible I highly recommend having some kind of flex space in your classroom. This can be something as simple as a table that holds 4-6 students. I like to have flexible table in my room because you never know when someone might need it. It could be a student who was absent who needs to complete a test from the day they were absent. Or maybe you have a lead teacher who is going to come in your classroom to work with some students who need some extra support. Need to create a custodian appreciate day banner, put it on the table to have students create. In all my years I have never regretted having a flex space to be used for whatever was needed.

5. Storing & Managing Supplies

Below are links to the items in this photo. Please don't feel like you need to buy the exact products we've linked—there's a good chance you already have something that will work just as well! These links are simply here as a convenience. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases but if have something already, save yourself some money and make it work for your classroom.

6. Assignments & Center Work

Here is the link to this 20 drawer rolling cart * . Again, do not feel like you need to purchase this exact product. Check with coworkers or social media to see you can find one used or a similar product. You also don't need 20 drawers, I've used 10 drawers in the past and made that work.

7. Bulletin Boards

Some teachers really enjoy decorating and updating the bulletin board regularly. I am not one of those teachers. After a few years of teaching I decorated my bulletin boards to be generic so that I could either leave them the same all year long or make minor adjustments. For example, when I had two bulletin boards one board was designated as logistical information: daily schedule, class birthday list, specials schedule, etc. The other bulletin board said something like “Look what we are learning” and I would but my anchor charts that were needed for that time period there. You could could also use bulletin boards for multiplication charts, vocabulary words, sound walls, etc. If you are a teacher who truly enjoys switching out your bulletin board regularly, more power to you! But if you don't want to worry about it, just put up paper, border and some generic terms like "Currently Learning", "Today's Plan" or "Check this Out".

8. Backpacks & Lunch Boxes

Let's talk about where students will store their belongings during the day. The benefit to backpacks on chairs is that students have access to their belongings all day. The downside, they take up a lot of space and can get in the way when students are moving around the classroom. I recommend having a designated place in the classroom for backpacks. Cubbies are great, but if that is not an option, neatly lined up against a wall will do as well. I’ve also seen teachers use very large plastic containers to hold their students' book bags.

If you are on a departmentalized team you will need to discuss whether students should bring backpacks to their next class or not. The easiest way to decide this is if the students will be returning to their class before dismissal. If yes, they can keep their backpacks in their room. If not, they will need to take their bag with them.

To limit students needing to bring their lunch or return it to their other classroom I had a plastic tub outside the classroom that students put their lunchboxes in in the morning. Then when they are leaving for lunch they can grab their lunchbox out from the hallway instead of trying to go back into the classroom - reducing a lot of unnecessary movement.

9. Water Bottles

If not managed well, water bottles in the classroom can be very frustrating! The main frustration with water bottles happens when they fall and spill. Some teachers have a designated space where students house their water bottles. However, students will be out of the seat constantly to get water. Water bottles on the their desk is not much better, especially if your students have technology on their desks. My first recommendation is to ask families to choose water bottles that have leak/spill proof lids. If the water bottle tips over it hopefully won’t spill and make a mess or damage computers, papers, etc. If students bring water bottles that leak through the top when spilled, you can ask students with this type of water bottle to place it on a back counter. This will hopefully limit spills. All students with spill/leak proof water bottles can leave their water bottle at their desk.

10. Pencil Sharpener

I hope you have found a few tips that will make teaching just a little bit easier for you this year. Discover more classroom tips and teaching hacks here to make teaching easier!

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Hands-On Investigations for Teaching Properties of Air

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:08:34 GMT

I remember the first time I had to teach the properties of air. I was thinking, what's to teach? Air is just air, right? After a lot of research I realized there are many things students need to learn about air. Here are five simple, hands-on investigations students can do to learn about air.

Time: 30 minutes (for all 5 investigations)

Investigation #1

Students will observe:

It's difficult to push the cup all the way down. This is because there is air in the cup that is taking up space, there is no place for the water to go!

Questions to pose to students:

Why can't you push the cup all the way down?
What could you change to make the water go up in the cup?

Investigation #2

Students will observe:

When the bottle is place in the cold water the balloon deflates quicky.
When the bottle is placed in the warm water the balloon inflates slightly - the warmer the water is the more it will inflate. If using hot water, have an adult demonstrate that part.

Questions to pose to students:

When the bottle inflates, what is causing it to inflate? Where is the air coming from?
When the bottle deflates, what is causing it to deflate? Where is the air going?

Investigation #3

Objective: Students will understand that air takes up space.

Materials:

Syringe (with no needle)

Steps:

Students will pull back the syringe.
Place the tip of the syringe (no needle) against the palm of their hand.
Try to push the plunger down.

Students will observe:

It will be very difficult to push the plunger when their hand is blocking the opening.

Questions to pose to students:

Why can't you push the plunger down any farther?
What could you change to make it so you could push the plunger down farther?

Investigation #4

Objective: Students will understand that air is all around us and take up space.

Materials:

An inflated beach ball

A deflated beach ball

Steps:

Students will pick up the deflated ball and make observations.
Students will pick up the inflated ball and make observations (noticing how it can't put pushed all the way down).

Students will observe:

That they cannot push the inflated beach ball all the way down.
There appears to be a small amount of air inside the deflated beach ball.

Questions to pose to studen ts:

Why can't you push the inflated beach ball all they way down?
What could you do to make it so you could push the beach ball all the way down?

Investigation #5

Students will observe:

Students will see a slight difference in the mass (about 1 gram).

Questions to pose:

How much more does the inflated balloon weigh?
What is causing the difference in mass?

FAQ

What materials did you use?

You don't need to use the exact materials we've listed—similar items will often work just as well. We've included links to products we've used and liked in case they're helpful while gathering supplies.

Clear plastic cups
Paper towels
Large bowl of water
Empty water bottle
Balloon
Bowl of ice water
Bowl of warm water
Syringe * (with not needle)
Beach Balls *
Digital Scale * (it came with batteries too!)

Will I need parent volunteers to help with these investigations?

None of these investigations are very difficult. Provide your students with written instructions and they shouldn't have too much trouble. If you are the only adult in the room I suggest you spend your time near investigation #2 that has the hot and cold water.

What if I see no difference in mass from weighing the two balloons?

A deflated and inflated balloon only have a difference in mass of about 1 gram. We suggest that you have several balloons blown up to test several. I also suggest that you blow up the balloon as large as you can before it pops.

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Hands-On Heating and Cooling of Matter Activities for Kids

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 18:44:01 GMT

Many hands-on activities related to heating and cooling of matter are very exciting. But it’s easy for the science to get lost in the fun. But with a little planning it is possible to have fun and learn the science too. In this post, I’ll show you a three hands-on activities that have students learning how substances change when heated or cooled.

Melting Crayons

Time: 15 minutes

Materials:

Crayons
Aluminum Foil
Hair Dryer

Steps:

Create a bowl using aluminum foil.
Remove paper off crayons.
Break apart crayons into small pieces.
Place crayon pieces in the aluminum foil container.
Hold a hair dryer (on low) over the crayons until they melt.
After the crayons have melted leave the melted crayons to solidify again.

Concepts

Adding heat causes crayons to melt and turn into a liquid.
When cooled the crayons solidify and turn back into a solid.

What students Observe

After several minutes the crayons will melt.
After several hours of cooling the crayons will solidify again.

Concepts

Heating causes the crayons to melt and turn into a liquid.
Cooling cause the crayons to solidify and turn back into a solid.

Keeping the science in the forefront:

As students are completing this activity ask them:
What is happening to the crayons?
What is causing that to happen?
What would happen if we took the hair dryer away?

Hot Butter

Time: 15 minutes

Materials:

Coffee mug

Butter

Metal Spoon

Hot Water

Steps:

Place a small amount of butter on a metal spoon.
Place the spoon upside down in the coffee mug with the butter out of the water.
An adult should put hot water in the cup.
Observe the changes for several minutes.

What students observe:

The butter will start to melt and eventually slide down the spoon.

Racing Ice Cubes

Time: 10 minutes

Materials:

Ice cubes
Cardboard
Something to put under the cardboard to make a slight incline.
Stopwatch or timer

Steps:

Build a ramp using the cardboard. (We used sticky notes to make a slight incline).
Place the ice cube on the ramp.
Time how long it takes for the ice cube to slide down or off the ramp.
Place an ice cube on your arm.
Time how long it takes for the ice cube to slide down or off your arm.

FAQ

How long does it take for the melted crayons to harden again?

It can take several hours. I recommend you let them sit out overnight and the next day they should be solid again. And since they are still crayons you can give them to students to use!

What can I use if I don't have enough metal spoons for the class?

Definitely ask your students families or coworkers if they will let you borrow some. You can also check the cafeteria. Even if they serve plastic spoons to the students they may still have some metal spoons laying around.

What if some students ice melts faster than others?

That’s okay! Sometimes people can be doing the same investigation and get slightly different results. You can use this as a great discussion with students.

Hands-On Projects for Teaching the Body Systems

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 22:44:45 GMT

There are so many activities for teaching the body systems, however it seems like many of the activities are too simple and only really involve students labeling the parts. I've developed several hands-on activities that push students thinking and ensure they are learning the importance of these body systems and how they work together to keep us healthy.

Body Systems Poster

Time: 60-90 minutes

Materials:

Butcher Paper or Larger Poster Paper
Crayons or Colored Pencils

Steps:

Students trace their own body on the butcher paper.
They will draw and color the body system of the teacher's choice.
Label the organs they have been taught.

Concepts:

Each body system has specific structures (organs) that perform important functions.
Models are used to represent and study body structures and functions.

What students will observe:

The location of organs within the human body.
How organs are organized within a body system.
How multiple organs work together to perform a function.

Extension Activities:

While students are thrilled to just draw and label their body system - that usually isn't very rigorous. So here are some questions students can answer to increase the rigor and make connections to real life.

Snack Skin Model

Time: 30 minutes

Materials:

Marshmallow Squares (represents the fat)
Creamy Peanut Butter (represents the skin)
Jelly Beans (represents bacteria)

Steps:

Spread 1-2 Tbs of peanut butter on top of the marshmallow square.
Place 2-3 green jelly beans on top of the peanut butter.

Concepts:

The skin is the body's largest organ.
The skin acts as a protective barrier between the body and the environment.
Skin helps prevent germs from entering the body.

What students observe:

The skin covers and protects the layers beneath it.
The skin forms a barrier between the outside environment and the inside of the body.

Alternatives:

Use blue and yellow jelly beans as well. Blue jelly beans can represent the sweat we give off when our body is hot. Yellow jelly beans can represent the sun's rays that hit our skin when we are outside.
Let students use the skin color of their choice by letting them use cookie butter, frosting or hazelnut spread instead (be aware Hazelnut spread is made from nuts)!

Building a Hand to Teach about the Musculoskeletal System

Students will build a human hand to demonstrate their understanding of how the muscular and skeletal systems work together.

Time: 60 minutes

Materials:

White Card Stock (1 sheet per student)
Smoothie Straws (3 per student) Twine or string
Hot Glue
Twine

Steps

Students will trace their hand on white card stock.
Cut the straws into various sized pieces.
An adult should hot glue straws onto the hand (2 pieces per finger and 5 total pieces in the hand stemming off from each finger).
String the twine though the straws from the tip of the finger through the wrist.
Students gently pull on the strings to move each finger.

FAQ

What materials did you use?

There's no need to purchase the exact materials listed here. Many comparable items will work just as well! We've included links to products we've had positive experiences with in case they're helpful as you gather supplies.

Butcher Paper
Crayons or Colored Pencils
Crispy Marshmallow Squares
Peanut Butter (or other items discussed above)
Jelly Beans
White cardstock
Scissors
Hot Glue
Twine
Smoothie Straws *

What prior knowledge should students have?

For all of these activities students should have learned the concept already. These projects are to demonstrate their understanding of what they have been taught. If you follow the 5E instructional model these activities would come after the "Explore" section. Interested in what the 5E model is: get my free guide here!

*As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Meaningful Test Corrections for All Learners

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:23:33 GMT

Test corrections have been around for a long time. They can be very meaningful for some students. But for students who scored very low, completing test corrections can be overwhelming and not help them learn the content better. Students who get a perfect score are missing out on an opportunity to reflect on their thinking. Regardless of their score, all students need to be met where they are. When I do test corrections, students complete different test correction activities depending on their test score.

Level 1

Any student who scored below a 50%, likely has some large gaps in their understanding of this topic. For this group, they are going to need the most support. I assign these students to work with an adult (usually myself but a TA or lead teacher can help too). With the help of an adult they look for clues on the test and consider any important information they have learned that might apply to this question. I often let them use their notes as well. This activity allows students to focus on relearning specific skills they didn't understand the first time.

Level 2

These students scored somewhere between a 50% and 80%. They have a basic level of understanding of the topic but often just have a few misconceptions or were just tricked by some of the questions. They focus on reflecting on their original answer and making sense of a new answer. They can work independently or in a partnership. This activity helps students identify gaps in understanding and recognize patterns in their mistakes.

Level 3

Any student who scored above a 80%, likely won't benefit much from completing typical test corrections. For this group, they choose 5 questions from their assessment that they got correct. They will rank the answers from most correct to least correct and provide a justification for their rankings. This activity pushes students beyond simple recall and towards deeper reasoning.

So after your next assessment give this a try and see if your students benefit from it too! Discover more ideas, classroom tips, and teaching strategies in the Coffee and Sneakers blog !

Hands-On Plants and Soil Activities for Kids

Sat, 30 May 2026 19:39:24 GMT

Not every classroom has access to garden beds, grow lights or other things needed to teach students about plants and soil. So I have developed three hands-on investigations to help 3rd graders understand how plants grow and survive while using minimal materials.

Learning Objectives:

Understand plants need sunlight, water and space to grow.
Understand the stages of the plant life cycle.
Understand different soil properties and how it supports plant life.

1. Plant Needs Investigation

Time: 20-30 minutes (5 minutes a day for water and/or observation)

Materials:

3-inch pots
Potting soil
Radish Seeds
Measuring Cups/Spoons for Watering
Water

Steps:

Sunlight Investigation

Fill three pots with potting soil.
Have students plant a radish seed in each pot.
Place pots outside.
One pot will receive no shade (full sun).
Another pot will have part shade (sunlight for a few hours a day).
The final pot will be in full shade (no sunlight).
Water regularly (every other day) with the same amount of water.
Check growth weekly.

Water Investigation

Fill three pots with potting soil.
Have students plant a radish seed in each pot.
Place the pots out side (time in the sun must remain the same for all three pots).
Water the plants.
One pot will get a typical watering amount each day.
One pot will get significantly more water than the others .
The last pot will get no water.

Space Investigation

Fill three pots with potting soil.
Plant radish seeds in each pot.
The first pot will have 1 seed.
The second pot will have 5 seeds.
The final pot will have 10 seeds.
Place the pots out in the sun.
Water regularly with the same amount of water.

2. Plant Life Cycle Investigation

Time: 10-15 minutes for setup (5 minutes a day after to observe)

Materials:

Lima Beans
Zip top Bag
Paper Towel
Tape

Steps:

Soak your lima bean seeds overnight in water.
Wrap the seed in a wet paper towel.
Place the paper towel in a zip top bag and seal.
Tape the bag to a sunny window.
Check on it daily or every other day to ensure the paper towel stays wet.

What students will observe:

The seed will begin to sprout in just a few days.

Concepts:

Plants have predictable growth stages.
Plants grow and change over time.
Plants reproduce by creating flowers and seeds.

Extension Activities:

Once your lima bean has sprouted see if you can transfer it to a large pot of soil and have it continue to grow and flower. Lima beans will start flowering in 30-45 days. If you are really ambitious and let it go to harvest you will have fresh lima in beans in about 60-80 days.

3. Soil Investigation

When teaching students about soil types it would be best to use the actual resources: sand, silt and clay. It can be challenging to get ahold of these materials (without spending a lot). This activity uses regular household items to simulate the soil types.

Time: 20- 30 minutes

Materials:

Flour
Sugar
Cornstarch
Clear Plastic Cups
Water
Spoons for mixing

Steps:

Make the simulated clay (oobleck) by slowly adding water and mixing. You can expect to roughly add 2 parts cornstarch to 1 part liquid, mix slowly so you don't add too much. You should be able to pick up like a solid but then becomes like a liquid when left to sit.
Fill three cups with the flour (silt), sugar (sand) and oobleck (clay).
Students will touch all three materials, taking note of the texture and particle size .
Next they should add water to each substance and watch how the water settles through the substance.

FAQ

What materials did you use?

Please don't feel like you need to buy the exact products we've linked—there's a good chance you already have something that will work just as well! We only share products that we have personally tried and genuinely recommend. These links are included as a convenience for our readers if they are in need of some materials.

Radish Seeds * (they will be ready to harvest in just 30 days)
Lima Bean Seeds *
Small pots * (3-4 inch)
Indoor potting soil * (don't use outdoor soil - it attracts bugs that multiply quickly)
Measuring cups (for watering)
Ziptop bags
Paper towels
Flour, Sugar & Cornstarch
Clear Plastic Cups
Spoons for mixing
Water

Can this activity be done in groups?

Absolutely! Group work can be more powerful than individual work. Avoid having more than 3 in a group. For the plants needs investigation you could give one group the sunlight investigation, another group the water investigation and a third group gets the space investigation. Groups can then share the findings with the class.

What happens if the seeds don't sprout?

That can happen, even if you do everything right! We suggest you actually have students plant 2-3 seeds. That way if 1 or 2 don't germinate you still will get at least one. If all 3 germinate then you can pluck them out before they get too big. You can do this with the lima bean investigation as well.

*As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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Projects for Understanding the Human Body Systems

How Force and Mass Affect Motion: Hands-On Science Activities

Quick and Easy Activities for Teaching Newton's Laws of Motion

Teaching Newton’s Laws of Motion? All three of these activities can be completed in under 30 minutes and require easy to access materials.

Easy Air Resistance Investigation (No Materials Required)

Easy Air Resistance Investigation (No Materials Required)

Questions to Ask Before Building

Before the Redesign

Questions to Ask After Completing the Activity

Teach Gravity with These Low-Prep Science Investigations

Teach Gravity with These Low-Prep Science Investigations

Projects for Understanding Inherited and Acquired Traits

Hands-On Investigations for Teaching about Shadows

FAQ

What materials did you use?

Model of the Solar System

Hexagonal Thinking to Promote Deeper Understanding

Guess the Topic: A Pre-Reading Activity to Build Background Knowledge

Quick and Easy Gravity Investigations

Hosting a Motion Museum: A Hands-On Showcase of Force and Motion

Hands-On Activity for Understanding How Forces Impact Speed

Hands-On Activity for Understanding Forces

Five ways to Use Google Sheets in the Classroom

#1 - Checkboxes

Making Ice Cream with Science

Modeling Earth's Landforms and Bodies of Water

10 Classroom Setup Decisions You'll Thank Yourself for Later

Hands-On Investigations for Teaching Properties of Air

FAQ

What materials did you use?

Hands-On Heating and Cooling of Matter Activities for Kids

﻿

FAQ

How long does it take for the melted crayons to harden again?

Hands-On Projects for Teaching the Body Systems

Body Systems Poster

Snack Skin Model

Building a Hand to Teach about the Musculoskeletal System

FAQ

What materials did you use?

Meaningful Test Corrections for All Learners

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Hands-On Plants and Soil Activities for Kids

Not every classroom has access to garden beds, grow lights or other things needed to teach students about plants and soil. So I have developed three hands-on investigations to help 3rd graders understand how plants grow and survive while using minimal materials.

Learning Objectives:

1. Plant Needs Investigation

Time: 20-30 minutes (5 minutes a day for water and/or observation)

Materials:

Steps:

Sunlight Investigation

Water Investigation

Space Investigation

2. Plant Life Cycle Investigation

3. Soil Investigation

FAQ

What materials did you use?