Easy Science Lessons for the Classroom

Including an experiment makes learning science easier.

Students learn best when the information presented in a lesson takes the form of an interactive activity. Combining an experiment with scientific information is a fun and easy way for children to learn science in the classroom. The experiment reinforces the concepts in a practical way.

Water Density Lesson

In this science lesson, children will learn about water density. By involving them in a classroom experiment, students will see the scientific principles at work. The experiment involves making an egg float in salt water. The teacher will need an egg, some water, salt and a tall glass. First demonstrate how an egg will sink to the bottom of a glass of water. Next empty the glass until it is half full. Add about six or seven tablespoons of salt. Stir and mix well. Now add some more tap water without mixing the two solutions. Carefully place the egg in the water and observe. The egg floats in the middle of the glass. Students will want to know how this is possible. The explanation is that tap water is not as dense as salt water and it is easier for the egg to float in a solution that is more dense.

Inertia Lesson

This lesson includes a fun experiment that also offers some useful, practical information. First explain the concept of inertia which can be likened to the force that you feel when you come to a sudden stop in a car and your body wants to continue moving forward. Now use the principles of inertia to determine which of two eggs is raw and which is cooked. You will need a raw egg and a hard-boiled egg. Spin the two eggs and point out how one spins, while the other one wobbles. Tell students that the egg that has a wobbly motion is the raw egg. It wobbles because the liquid inside moves around, changing the center of gravity. The solidified insides of the boiled egg prevent it from wobbling. Gently placing a finger on the eggs while they are in motion also shows a difference. The boiled egg stops very quickly, while the raw egg continues moving, again due to inertia.

Plate Tectonics Lesson

This science lesson illustrates the notion of plate tectonics in a delicious way -- by using candy bars like Milky Way or Snickers. Students unwrap the bar and then create some breaks in the top layer of the bar. These cracks represent the crust of the earth. In order to show the tension of faults found in the earth, carefully pull the edges of the bar and point out how the plates start to move apart and reveal the next layer. Show the shearing force of a lateral fault by pushing the bar back together and then sliding two halves of the bar in opposite directions. Of course, this lesson will end with gobbling up the tectonic plates, but it is not one that will easily be forgotten.

Earthquake Lesson

Introduce students to the basic types of earthquakes and the faults that cause them. Next provide them with a box of sticks, tape, paperclips, cardboard and other objects that represent building materials. Take the bottom part of a cardboard box and tell the students that this represents a piece of land. Students must then construct a house from the materials provided on the land. Once the house is built, the teacher shakes it around as it would be in an earthquake. Once the damage has been assessed, students can then work out ways that they can improve the structure to decrease the amount of damage during the next earthquake. This is an easy lesson that gets students using their powers of analysis and applying information they've learned in a practical way.

Resources

• The Science Spot: Snicker's Science
• Science Kids: Experiments for Kids