Family Science | Science Buddies Blog (Page 19)

Baking Up a Science Project

March 3, 2014 6:00 AM

A batch of homemade muffins can easily turn into a great hands-on student science project. Grab some bowls and choose your variable! By Kim Mullin Image: My son headed to the kitchen for a recent science project and found that using the scientific method, making muffins can yield tasty science. Pumpkin muffins are a mainstay of our family's snack repertoire. I love that they are full of vitamin A, and the kids love that they have chocolate chips in… Read more

Bridge Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

February 27, 2014 9:00 AM

In this week's spotlight: an civil engineering project that lets students and families experiment with bridge design. You may be familiar with famous suspension bridges like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, but how does a suspension bridge really work? How do the cables work to support the weight on the bridge? Can a suspension bridge carry a greater load than a beam bridge? With common household materials, you can put your own straw-based bridges to the test. How many pennies can… Read more

Ensuring a Positive Science Fair Project Experience

February 25, 2014 10:00 AM

Science fair projects let students learn, use, and demonstrate important science and reasoning steps, and the benefits of hands-on and active exploration compared to more passive modes of learning or rote memorization are well-documented. So why do so many parents scowl at the science fair project assignment? What makes the science project a stressor for many families rather than an anticipated and positive learning experience? Is it simply a matter of perspective or an incomplete understanding… Read more

Seasons Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

February 21, 2014 6:00 AM

In this week's spotlight: an astronomy project that lets students and families use a simple homemade setup to better understand the way the tilt of the Earth's axis causes seasons. When a surface is titled, how does the light reaching it change? With a flashlight, a cardboard box, and some ordinary paper, you can get hands-on and experiment! The Reasons for the Seasons (full Science Buddies Project Idea) Seasonal Science: The Reasons for the Seasons (science activity at… Read more

LEGO Movie Makes Engineering Awesome

February 18, 2014 11:46 AM

The LEGO® Movie puts engineering on the big screen in the hands of an assortment of plastic master builders and superheroes from various time periods and realms who come together to challenge Lord Business and the superior threat of Kragle. What they engineer in their quest to stop the Kragle will inspire students, teachers, and parents. If you aren't singing the awesome virtues of engineering yet, you should be! Note: You can find out more about the movie and watch video trailers on the… Read more

Heart Health Science: Is Your Heart Really Heart-shaped?

February 14, 2014 6:30 AM

February brings us both Valentine's Day and heart awareness month. That's two great reasons to take a closer look at the hard-working muscle thump-thump-thumping in your chest! By Kim Mullin A Day in the Life of Your Heart Your heart is constantly thump, thump, thumping away, working hard to keep oxygenated blood pumping through your system. But your heart patterns change throughout the day, speeding up and slowing down in response to your activities, moods, and routines. In the A Day… Read more

Heart Health: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

February 13, 2014 9:00 AM

In this week's spotlight: a human biology and health project that puts an important question to the test: if you exercise regularly, does your heart recover from exertion more quickly than if you don't exercise often? The heart pumps faster during exercise, which helps to keep the heart healthy. It is good to exercise frequently and to raise your heart rate into its target heart rate zone during exercise, but how long does it take for the heart to return to its normal… Read more

Landslide Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

February 6, 2014 11:00 AM

In this week's spotlight: an environmental engineering and Earth science project and hands-on activity that lets students and families explore what's happening when a landslide occurs. With a simple homemade model using a clipboard and pennies, students simulate how the angle of repose changes with different hill mass and slope surfaces. What happens when you change the materials used in an object sitting on a slope? What's going on with gravity on a slope? At what point does sliding begin… Read more

Pixel Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

January 30, 2014 9:15 AM

In this week's spotlight: a video and computer games project and family activity that lets you investigate how the number of pixels used to create a video game object determines how it will look in the game. If you compare older games to new ones, you probably see a big difference in how the characters look today. Which look better? Do you know why? The number of pixels used in creating the images has a lot to do with the differences you see. In this… Read more

Static Electricity Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

January 23, 2014 8:00 AM

In this week's spotlight: an electricity project and family activity that takes the zap out of static electricity. What causes the buildup of static electricity and may cause you to get "shocked" when wearing, rubbing up against, or touching certain materials or objects? What does what the object is made of have to do with static electricity? In this project, you and your family can build a cool tool, an electroscope, to detect electric charges and test to see how different materials… Read more

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