PreK-1st
5 activities
These delightful science- and math-integrated activities introduce young children to ant behavior using role-play, cooperative exercises, and close observation of live ants. A large poster is assembled in stages to highlight ant tunnels, food, social structure, and life cycle.

2nd-6th
5 activities
These engaging life science activities, in which students set up and observe living “desktop ponds” in the classroom, convey key environmental concepts and illustrate the interactive nature of living ecosystems. An excellent complement to Schoolyard Ecology and Terrarium Habitats.

K-6th
12 activities
These captivating, bubble-centric tabletop learning stations are packed with math and science content. The unit (a natural lead-in to Bubble-ology) includes detailed teacher assistance with classroom logistics, writing and literature extensions, and tips for setting up an all-school bubble festival.

6th-8th
2 sessions
An ordinary zip-locking bag becomes a safe and spectacular laboratory as students mix chemicals that bubble, change color, and produce gas, heat, and odor. Chemical Reactions explores chemical change, demonstrates endothermic and exothermic reactions, and develops skills in observation, experimentation, and inference. A terrific introduction to chemistry, this guide is often adapted for lower grade levels.

5th-8th
5 sessions
Teasing a rainbow from a lightbulb. Decoding messages from abstract art. Unveiling the answer to why an apple looks red. Through these activities and others in this unit, students are immediately and physically involved in investigations of light, color, and the wonders of how our eyes work. . An updated and enhanced version of the classic GEMS Teacher Guide, this makes a great complement to More than Magnifiers and Microscopic Explorations.

6th-9th
3 sessions
Students investigate this important physical science process by charting the convection currents in a liquid. They learn that convection affects the Earth's dynamic crust, the weather, and wind.

4th-8th
5 sessions
Recently updated and expanded, in this forensic science primer student detectives use paper chromatography to investigate solubility, pigments, and separation of mixtures. New activities provide opportunities to explore and understand scientific models. See also Fingerprinting and Mystery Festival.

6th-8th
5 sessions
Why does ice cream float in root beer? Exploring real-life connections, students delve into the concept of density with secret formula sheets, a number of Puzzling Scenarios, and a liquid-layering activity. The mathematical equation for density is also introduced.

3rd-6th
11 sessions
This flexible unit opens with conductors, insulators, and simple closed circuits; these early sessions can combine to serve as a basic electricity unit. In later, more advanced sessions, students read circuit diagrams, build circuits, and learn about series and parallel circuits.

PreK-1st
5 activities
This popular unit uses the charm of ladybugs to present key science and math concepts relating to animal adaptation, ecology, and interdependence. Children learn about ladybug body structure, symmetry, life cycle, defensive behavior, and foods. Use of live ladybugs is optional. Great with Buzzing a Hive and Hide a Butterfly.

5th-8th
8 Games
This stimulating unit uses games and puzzles from many continents to explore mathematics in a multicultural, international context. Each game can be presented as a two- or three-session activity or at a stand-alone learning station. Maps and historical connections provide a social studies element.

5th-8th
6 activities
This exciting unit opens with a binary-coded message “from space” and takes the class on a journey through our solar system and beyond. Students model size and distance, explore how systems may have formed, ponder stellar “life zones,” and design space travel brochures. See other GEMS guides: Earth, Moon, and Stars and Moons of Jupiter.

6th-8th
8 activities
This guide is aimed at helping students arrive at a clear understanding of seasons as they investigate the connections between the Sun and Earth. Along the way, students take a "Trip to the Sun," determine the real shape of the Earth's orbit, evaluate actual data on world temperature and hours of sunlight in different locations, and model how the angle at which sunlight hits the Earth affects its concentration. This guide was developed in partnership with the NASA Office of Space Science Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum (SECEF).

3rd-6th
5 activities
This guide is designed to nurture curiosity about patterns and interactions in nature, beginning with students’ immediate environment: the schoolyard and its inhabitants. Students develop sampling, mapping, and related math and environmental-writing skills. A great life science companion to Terrarium Habitats.

K-2nd
4 activities
This unit’s three free-exploration learning stations integrate math, graphing, and data analysis as children investigate various physical properties of objects. In a culminating whole-class activity, students separate materials using the knowledge, tools, and techniques they’ve learned.

4th-8th
8 sessions
This earth science unit explores the formation of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. Students distinguish and classify rocks and minerals, observe formation of salt crystals and make model crystal shapes, and use clay-modeling activities to learn about the rock cycle and more. A strong curricular companion to Plate Tectonics.

PreK-1st
6 activities
These activities focus on appreciation for trees and the animals that live in them, stimulating children’s interest in the natural world and emphasizing the biological need for warmth and shelter. Students use role-play to understand adaptation and deepen their math learning by sorting, classifying, and measuring.