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Teaching Science with Lynda R. Williams

Elementary Science Ideas, Lessons, and Resources

Science Experiments you Can Do at Home

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Are you looking for some science experiments that you can do at home?  Here are a few science labs that can be done easily with household materials.  Your kids will love these. Great for enriching your children with hands-on science.

Rainbow Column
This experiment takes advantage of density to create a rainbow in a glass. When you add sugar to a liquid, it causes the solution to become denser

The more sugar you add, the more dense the solution is.

Make four different solutions with different densities of sugar. Add a different color to each glass. The colors will layer on top of each other — the denser, more sugary solutions will sit on the bottom and the lightest will sit on the top.


Making Flubber
When you mix glue, water, and a little bit of food coloring, then add some borax, flubber forms. That’s because the glue has something called polyvinyl acetate in it, which is a liquid polymer. The borax links the polyvinyl acetate molecules to each other, creating one large, flexible polymer: flubber. More details here Recipe for Flubber


Colorful Milk Experiment

Use milk with higher fat content for a better reaction.  In a saucer of milk, drop three or four drops of food coloring.  Dip cotton swab in dish soap (I think dawn works the best!)
The detergent lowers the surface tension of the liquid so that the food coloring is free to flow throughout the milk.  The detergent reacts with the protein in the milk, altering the shape of those molecules and setting them in motion. The detergent repels the fat (which is why it helps cut grease on dishes).  See more details here: Milk and Food Coloring
Make Lava Lamp
Fill a bottle 3/4 full with vegetable oil. Fill the rest with water. Add three or four drops of food coloring.  
Break up Alka-Seltzer Tablets into smaller pieces.  Add a few to the bottle. Give students a flashlight to shine on the bottle. Water is denser than oil.  That is why the oil is on the top.  Another concept that you can teach through this exciting activity is polarity (why oil and water do not mix). See more details here Lava Lamp

Lemon Volcano
It is fun to make a lemon volcano and teach about chemical reactions.
You will need these materials: lemons, food coloring, plastic knife, baking soda, dawn dish soap, and a pan or plate.

First, add a few drops of food coloring, then dish soap, then baking soda on top. Poke holes in the lemon with the plastic knife.  This will help the base and acid mix which will give you a colorful reaction.  
See more details here. Lemon Volcano
I hope you try some of these fun science activities at home!  
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Dear Teachers, During these extraordinary times of distance teaching, I am allowing you to share my resources or portions of them with the parents of your class. I only ask that when we return to face to face instruction, you go back to abiding by the original terms of use. #distancelearning #teaching #schoolclosure





Chemical Reaction in Glow Sticks

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    As always, Lynda provides perfect alignment with the standards.

     
    Age of the Earth and Geologic Time Scale NGSS MS ESS1-4

    Sharon M

    Teaching Science with Lynda R. Williams
    5
    2016-05-03T18:24:44-06:00

    Sharon M

    As always, Lynda provides perfect alignment with the standards.   Age of the Earth and Geologic Time Scale NGSS MS ESS1-4
    Thank you so much for creating this resource! It is such a fun and engaging activity for my students, especially during distance learning.

     
    Honey Bee Digital Escape Distance Learning

    Expedition Fourth

    Teaching Science with Lynda R. Williams
    2020-11-03T20:44:55-07:00

    Expedition Fourth

    Thank you so much for creating this resource! It is such a fun and engaging activity for my students, especially during distance learning.   Honey Bee Digital Escape Distance Learning
    My students loved this unit. I was able to present different elements of it throughout the month. It is hard to find interesting non-fictional, age-appropriate text for my students that they will enjoy. This was a great unit that aligned well for my students who have very different goals within the same group.

     
    Compare and Contrast Two Texts on Reindeer

    Heidi J

    Teaching Science with Lynda R. Williams
    2020-11-03T20:45:49-07:00

    Heidi J

    My students loved this unit. I was able to present different elements of it throughout the month. It is hard to find interesting non-fictional, age-appropriate text for my students that they will enjoy. This was a great unit that aligned well for my students who have very different goals within the same group.   Compare and Contrast Two Texts on Reindeer
    I am so impressed with this unit which manages to be distance learning and hands-on at the same time.  Really well thought out and engaging activities that allow students to practice each of the eight Science and Engineering Practices.  Really no prep for me!

     
    Science and Engineering Practices Distance Education Unit

    Tina S

    Teaching Science with Lynda R. Williams
    5
    2016-05-03T18:05:39-06:00

    Tina S

    I am so impressed with this unit which manages to be distance learning and hands-on at the same time.  Really well thought out and engaging activities that allow students to practice each of the eight Science and Engineering Practices.  Really no prep for me!   Science and Engineering Practices Distance Education Unit
    The elephant article was excellent but I also thought the lab on dissecting a flower was broken down so easily, even telling me where to get inexpensive flowers!  This resource helped me teach this challenging standard in an engaging way.  Worth every penny!

     
    Structure and Function NGSS 4-LS1-1 and 4-LS1-2

    Richard S

    Teaching Science with Lynda R. Williams
    5
    2016-05-03T18:07:52-06:00

    Richard S

    The elephant article was excellent but I also thought the lab on dissecting a flower was broken down so easily, even telling me where to get inexpensive flowers!  This resource helped me teach this challenging standard in an engaging way.  Worth every penny!   Structure and Function NGSS 4-LS1-1 and 4-LS1-2
    5
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    Teaching Science with Lynda R. Williams

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