If you had told me that walking knee-deep through the gooey gray mud of a tidal basin during a cold New England April would be one of the highlights of my high school years, I might have laughed. Right in your face, in fact. That’s if I had been paying attention. (I was not a great high school student.) Yet when Mr. Richardson took those of us in his oceanography classes to the salt marshes behind Hammonasset Beach State Park in Connecticut in April, 1986, that hands-on field trip surely cemented itself in the Top 5 Greatest Experiences of My Personal Education.
Admittedly, 1986 is another planet now, but the importance of practical application of scientific concepts never changes. Translation: When it comes to science, you have to let students get their hands dirty testing the complicated stuff they’re learning. That’s why The Mailbox created the 20-Minute Science series.
From oobleck to tornadoes in a bottle, teachers employ a host of hands-on science activities. What are some of your favorites? Share with all of us here at the Upper Grades Exchange blog. Someone’s likely to discover something they’d not thought about before!
Making lip balm
The best hands on science we do is raining colors we place a clear cup of water the children place as much shaving cream on top as they wish then using eye droppers and water colors we time which color will fall through the shaving cream first this is so much fun and it takes up hours because all the children like to test the colors