Science Friday

Educate: Earth Science

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Series

Science Club

Science Friday’s lesson plans and activities are produced by our education staff and with partner organizations. Sign up for our educator newsletter here.

Sep. 15, 2015

Go Out and Observe the Moon!

By International Observe The Moon Night

Learn about the Moon with this lunar observation kit from International Observe The Moon Night

moon, lunar, celestial, planet, earth, space

Jun. 04, 2015

A Human Sundial

By Ariel Zych

Why does the length and direction of our shadow change throughout the day? It all comes back to rotation and position of our planet relative to the sun.

sun, shadows, rotation, revolution, orbits, seasons, sun dial

May. 28, 2015

Solar Convection

By Lawrence Hall of Science

Use hot and cold water to see how fluids at different temperatures move around in convection currents in this DIY Sun Science Activity from Lawrence Hall of Science.

convection, solar, photosphere, chemistry, light, heat, liquid, fluid, heat transfer, sun, rays

May. 21, 2015

Map Sun Trails

By Lawrence Hall of Science

Use photosensitive paper to make a map of the path of sunlight on the earth in this activity from the Lawrence Hall of Science.

chemistry, solar, photosphere, photosensitive paper, light, heat, chemical change, fluid, heat transfer, sun, rays

May. 13, 2015

Spot the Sunspots

By Lawrence Hall of Science

Use binoculars or a telescope to identify and track sunspots. You’ll need a bright sunny day for this DIY Sun Science Activity from Lawrence Hall of Science.

sunspot, solar, photosphere, magnetic field, magnetosphere, light, heat, liquid, fluid, heat transfer, sun, rays, solar observation, astronomy, technology

May. 08, 2015

Make a UV Detector

By Lawrence Hall of Science

On a bright, sunny day, use tonic water to detect ultraviolet (UV) light from the Sun in this DIY Sun Science Activity from Lawrence Hall of Science.

UV light, chemistry, refraction, light, absorption, sunlight, sun, rays, waves

May. 07, 2015

#ExplainTheSun

By Ariel Zych

What does the Sun do? Tell us, using the hashtag#ExplainTheSun

sun, #explainthesun, science club, space weather, heliophysics, NASA, solar power

May. 01, 2015

Build an Earthquake Machine

By IRIS

In this activity from IRIS, students explore a mechanical model of a fault to learn how energy is stored elastically in rocks and released suddenly as an earthquake.

earthquake, seismology, plate tectonics, tectonics, convergent zone, faults, Nepal, potential energy, kinetic energy

Apr. 09, 2015

Can You Explain The Sun?

By Ariel Zych

For this science club, we want you to explain something to us, something BIG…

sun, heliophysics, astronomy, evidence, explanation, common core, solar, wind, space, photosynthesis, skin cancer

Apr. 01, 2015

A 20-Year Dive Into Climate Change History

By Ariel Zych

Have scientists always agreed on the impacts of climate change? Act like an investigative reporter by sifting through expert interviews and reports on extreme weather and climate change.

climate, weather, climate change, NGSS, CCSS, IPCC, history, consensus, opinion

Feb. 23, 2015

How Can We Clean Up an Oil Spill?

By AACT

In this activity from the American Association of Chemistry Teachers, students simulate an oil spill and test different materials’ abilities to “clean” the oil spill.

oil spill, Valdez, Deepwater horizon, environment, chemistry, sorbent, salt water, ocean

Feb. 09, 2015

Magnetic Turtle Navigators

By Ariel Zych

Create small turtle navigators and use them to detect magnetic fields in this activity and companion game.

animal behavior, magnetism, adaptation, core, fields, mapping, navigation, migration

Feb. 04, 2015

How Dense Is Snow?

By Ariel Zych

Use a measuring cup to figure out the density of snow.

snow, density, measurement, conversion, units, volume, mass, substances

Jan. 22, 2015

Get Ready to Hike

By National Wildlife Federation

Make your family hikes so much more fun with these hiking tips.

outdoor activities, hiking, exploration, book club, with kids

Nov. 21, 2014

What Exactly IS a Comet?

By Ariel Zych

Gather evidence from interviews with scientists about comets, then create a wordy illustration of comet characteristics.

comets, evidence, CCSS, reading, digital, listening,

Sep. 26, 2014

Science Club #ObserveEverything

By Science Friday Education

Go out and observe something interesting! Submit your in-depth observations with the hashtag #ObserveEverything.

observation, experimentation, watch, look, science skills, scientist, job, vocational,

Sep. 12, 2014

One For All: A Natural Resources Game

By Population Education

In this game from Population Education, students must use cooperative decision making strategies to manage a renewable resource.

population, natural resources, sustainability, renewable, resources, energy, population growth, simulations

Aug. 22, 2014

Classroom Strategy: Image of the Day

By PA Earth Science Teachers Assoc.

Three approaches for using images as gateways to instruction in grades 4-16

earth science, media use, classroom, higher education, Common Core, observation, inference, multimedia, scientific method

May. 02, 2014

Going to Extremes: Chia Seeds From Outer Space

By MAVEN Education and Public Outreach

In this activity, students will devise an experiment to find out whether chia seeds are still able to grow after exposure to extreme conditions like the ones we may find on other planets. This activity was created by MAVEN Outreach and Education to help t...

astrobiology, environment, extreme, experiment, extremophiles, botany, plants, life, organisms, characteristics of living things,

Feb. 21, 2014

Use Clues to Solve an Ice Mystery

By Ariel Zych

Use the physical characteristics of ice to determine where and how several mystery samples could have been frozen.

Ice, melting point, cystal, solid, liquid, phase change, physical science, glacier, olympics, frozen, melt, dissolved oxygen, properties

Oct. 24, 2011

Mineral Madness

By Teachers Talking Science

Geologists are greatly interested in minerals because they can reveal an enormous amount about the history of the geologic environment in which they are found. Geologists can classify and identify minerals by observing various properties such as strea...

minerals, rocks, geology, iron, volcano

Jun. 03, 2011

Fossil Detectives

By Teachers Talking Science

In this activity, students will learn about the two main types of fossils, body and trace fossils. Students will observe and examine a set of fossils to classify them as body fossils and trace fossils. Students also will act as paleontologists and try to ...

paleontology, dinosaurs, fossils, prehistoric organisms

Dec. 20, 2010

Stream Table

By Teachers Talking Science

In this activity, students will use a stream table to investigate river formations in two different landscape scenarios. Students will compare and contrast how the formation of the river differs if the topography of the land is changed from a flat plain t...

rivers, topography, water, erosion, earth, geology

Sep. 22, 2010

How Boulders Are Born

By Teachers Talking Science

In this activity, students will review and discuss weathering, erosion and mass wasting, to gain a stronger understanding of how Hickory Run’s Boulder Field was formed after the Laurentide Continental Glacier receded. Using edible materials, students will...

glaciers, weathering, permafrost, erosion, geology, rocks

Sep. 17, 2010

Lilliputian Landscaping

By Teachers Talking Science

In this activity, students will examine the different materials gardeners add to their soil, and discuss how these materials are important for plant growth. They will learn how to build a sustainable terrarium by adding a waterbed, mixing their own soil a...

soil, gardening, plant growth, terrarium, biology, gardening