Science Activity Corner

Experiments and activities for Elementary, Middle, and High School students.

Resources
  • Virtual Resources

​Elementary School 

  1. Create Your Own Catapult

Materials

  • Jumbo craft sticks (we started with 10 per catapult)
  • Rubber bands
  • Pompoms or mini-marshmallows
  • Bottle caps
  • Hot glue gun (low temp ones work too if you have one)
Procedures
  1. Take eight of the craft sticks and wrap a rubber band around each end. This will serve as the base for the lever. 
  2. Put a craft stick on the top and bottom of the stack and secure with another rubber band. In order to get the catapult to function correctly, make an X with the rubber band across the sticks as shown below.
  3. Wrap the last rubber band around the end of the two sticks so that each end is in the air. 
  4. Use a hot glue gun to glue the bottle cap to the top of the catapult.
  5. Load pompoms or mini-marshmallows into the catapult and fire away!

2. The Air We Breathe

Materials

  • 1/4 cup of vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 balloon
  • 1 funnel 

Procedures

  1. Pour the vinegar into the bottle.
  2. Use the paper funnel and fill the balloon with baking soda!
  3. One person will hold the bottle as the second person stretches the neck of the balloon over the bottle. 
  4. Empty all the baking soda from the balloon into the bottle.  
  5. Sit back and observe what has just happened. You have just made a gas from a liquid and a solid. 
  6. Remove your balloon as you hold the neck of it tightly and tie a knot in the neck of the balloon. Label the balloon CO2.
  7. Carefully remove the balloon off of the bottle; be sure to point the opening the balloon away from you and your partner.
  8. Slowly open the opening of the balloon; what do you observe?

3. Landfill and Recycling

Materials
  • gallon milk container with top cut off
  • soil
  • various trash objects
  • water
  • spoon or small spade
  • newspaper
  • science journal

Procedures

  1. Discuss the various objects that are to be buried in your landfill.
  2. Predict which objects will biodegrade or decompose the fastest.
  3. Record your predictions in your science journal.
  4. Cover the bottom of the container with approximately 3 cm of soil.
  5. On top of the soil, create a trash layer by adding various items such as a plastic bag, an aluminum pop top, a banana peel, grass clippings, newspaper, leaves, and so on.
  6. Cover the trash with a layer of soil and sprinkle with water.
  7. Repeat steps 4-6 with other items.
  8. Sprinkle the entire pile with water.
  9. Use the spoon or spade to turn over the pile every three to five days. Add water as needed to keep the soil moist.
  10. At the end of 6 weeks or other time period selected, empty the contents of the landfill onto several layers of newspaper.
  11. Examine each item and note any differences in appearance from when you started the landfill. Record your observations in your science journal.
  12. Discuss your findings and if your predictions were correct.

Conclusion and Questions

  1. Which items biodegraded or decomposed the most? Why?
  2. If you were to continue your landfill, how long would it take for all items to biodegrade or decompose?
  3. Why would it be important to reduce the amount of trash in a landfill?
  4. Could a landfill be created in space? Why or why not?
  5. Why is it important for NASA to research trash?

Middle School

1. Build a Solar Oven

Materials

  • Cardboard pizza box
  • Pencil
  • Ruler
  • Box cutter or scissors
  • Aluminum foil
  • Clear type of tape
  • Black construction paper
  • Plastic wrap or large, transparent plastic bag
  • Newspapers
  • Oven mitt
  • Dish or pie plate
  • Cooking Ingredients, like those for some mores or nachos (don’t use your oven to prepare raw meat)
    **Optional: a thermometer that goes up to 250 degrees F.**

Procedures

  1. Clean any stray bits of cheese, sauce or crumbs out of your pizza box.
  2. Using the ruler and pencil, draw a square one inch in from the edges of the top of the box .
  3. Use the box cutter or knife to cut out three of the four sides of the square.
  4. Make a crease along the uncut side of the square to create a flap that stands up.
  5. Cut a piece of aluminum foil large enough to cover the inner side of the cardboard flap.
  6. Wrap the foil tightly, and secure with tape. What purpose does the foil serve?
  7. Line the bottom of the pizza box with black construction paper. What purpose does the black paper serve? Would white paper work as well? Why or why not?
  8. Cut two pieces of plastic wrap that are the same size as the top of the pizza box.
  9. Use tape to secure the plastic wrap to the inside edges of the square window you cut into the box. You are creating an airtight window. Why do you want to make your oven airtight?
  10. Roll up some newspaper pages into tubes to stuff into the sides of the box. Make sure you are still able to close the lid of the pizza box. Remember—what purpose does the newspaper serve?
  11. Now it is time to cook something! The best time to use your oven is between 11 AM and 2 PM. Make sure to set the food on a dish so you don’t mess up the interior of your oven.
  12. One food option is a solar s’more. Place one or two marshmallows on top of a graham cracker. Put two to three squares of chocolate on top of the marshmallow. Wait until it’s done cooking to top it with the second graham cracker. Any idea why it might be smart to have the chocolate on top?
  13. You could also make nachos by placing grated cheese on top of tortilla chips, or use the oven to heat up leftovers or soup.

2. Wetland in a Pan

Students observe a simple wetland model that demonstrates wetland functions. Click the wetland model link for results discussion questions. 
Part 1- demonstrates how wetlands prevent flooding and soil erosion. 
Part 2- demonstrates how wetlands improve water quality by filtering sediments and pollutants.

Materials

  • Modeling clay
  • Rolling paint pan (or small aluminum pan)
  • Sponges
  • Carpet or florist oasis foam
  • Watering can or similar device
  • Cup of soil
  • Jar of muddy water

Procedures Part 1:

  1. Put the clay along one side of the pan. 
  2. Fit the piece of carpeting or sponge into the wetland area along the edge of the clay. 
  3. Slowly sprinkle some rain on land (the clay) and let the students observe and describe what is happening. 
  4. Ask students: 
    What do you think will happen if the wetland is removed? Answer: The water will not be absorbed; it will flow more quickly into the body of water.
  5. Remove the carpeting and water.
  6. Pour the same amount of water on the model at the same spot and rate as before.
  7. Have the students note any differences. The water should fill the body of water much more quickly and may eventually overflow and flood the land. That’s because it is no longer retained by the wetland.

Procedures Part 2:

  1. Pour the water from the last demonstration out of the model, squeeze out the “wetland” and replace the piece of carpeting.
  2. Spread a layer of soil over the clay.
  3. Explain that this demonstration will be just like the first, except that topsoil will cover the clay.
  4. Ask students: What do you think will happen to the bare soil when it rains? Answer: The rain should pick up and carry some sediment over the land and into the body of water.
  5. Explain that this water represents polluted runoff such as silt from farmlands and construction sites or salt from snow-covered streets.
  6. Ask the students to compare the water that ends up in the body of water with the muddy water in the jar.
  7. Explain that the carpeting trapped the soil particles, making the water in the body of water much clearer. The uphill side of the wetland should be coated with trapped sediment.
  8. Remove the carpeting, pour out the water, and try the experiment again.
  9. What happens without the wetland in place? Ask the students why all the soil particles end up in the body of water this time. Answer: The thick mat of plant roots in a wetland helps trap silt and some types of pollutants, much as the carpet or foam did in the model. Without a wetland, excessive amounts of silt and pollutants can end up in lakes, rivers and other bodies of water.

High School

1. Ozone Risk Assessment on Vegetation

Broward County’s ozone season begins late March until June. Ground-level ozone affects human health and the environment. 
Ground-level ozone damages plant tissues and makes it harder for plants to produce and store food, and weakens them, thereby making them less resistant to diseases and insect infestation. 
1. Watch the EPA video on Ozone with your class to understand the difference between ozone found in the stratosphere versus ozone found in the troposphere. 
(Adobe Flash Player required)
2. Review the list of plants that are sensitive to ozone in the Everglades: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/air/nature-ozone.htm

This activity helps students explore the specific reproduction and colonization patterns of two kinds of tree-feeding fungi in Florida. Students use maps and worksheets to document and observe their movement across the forest and over time. 

Materials

  • 1 copy of the Student Page section (7 pages)
  • 1 ruler, or index cards with markings for an approximation of inch-scale distance

Procedures

Part A: Introduction to fungi

  1. Use the Background information to introduce students to fungi and their importance in an ecosystem.
  2. Ask students if they recognize either the honey mushroom or the fusiform rust fungus, which are both common to Florida.
  3. Tell them that they will be working in pairs (optional) to learn more about these two fungi by using maps to track their movement. 

Part B: Working on the Student Page section

  1. Hand out copies of the Student Page section to students and ask them to work in pairs (optional) to answer the questions. 

For younger students, you may wish to answer some of the questions as a class, particularly to help them read and use the maps properly.


Part C: Discussion and reflection

After the Student Pages are completed, discuss the
following questions with students. Some potential answers to the questions are provided.