Have you heard of Mystery Science? It's an awesome website that provides teachers with ready-made, online, complete science lessons that fit easily into any classroom. There are STEM lessons and activities in all areas of science including force and motion, weather, plants and animals, properties and matter, body and the brain, and sooooo much more! My kiddos LOVE Mystery Science! The smartboard lessons hold their interest and the enrichment activities that are included with each lesson are so much fun my students don't realize how much they are learning.
Recentely my kiddos did a Mystery Science lesson on speed and energy. The title of the lesson was, "How can a car run without gas?" The enrichment activity called for the students to create rubber band racers using plastic cups, plastic lids, rubber bands, beads, and straws. We chose to create a different type of vehicle after our lesson so we will be creating our rubber band racers when we get back from Christmas break.
Following the smartboard lesson my students each designed and created a car that used balloons and air power as the energy source. We got the Design and Play STEAM Car Kits from Lakeshore Learning. They were part of a DonorsChoose.com project that I had written at the beginning of the year and the students were excited to get into the kits and begin designing their racers. They had a great time during the creation process and racing one another with their vehicles. It was awesome to watch them race their classmates then redesign their racers when they didn't work. The activity reinforced what they learned about energy as well as promoted creative thinking and team building. In the end my kiddos were more concerned with helping their classmates be successful then they were about winning the races.
If you are looking for a great way to incorporate science into your classroom I strongly encourage you to check out Mystery Science. I guarantee you and your kiddos won't be disappointed.
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