Science Buddies Blog (Page 60)

Building Paper Bridges: Family Science Spotlight

June 11, 2015 11:00 AM

Build bridges from paper to explore civil engineering in this family STEM activity. Does the shape of the materials make a difference? What helps make a bridge strong? In this family science activity, explore bridge engineering with kids by making paper bridges that stretch between stacks of books. How does changing the shape of the materials (the paper) change the strength of the bridge? This is a fun and creative science activity you can do with… Read more

Do Even More with Your Raspberry Pi Projects Kit

June 10, 2015 11:00 AM

The new Raspberry Pi Projects Kit gives kids a chance to explore computer programming and electronics with a suite of creative projects using their own Raspberry Pi. After working through the Science Buddies activities, Adventures in Raspberry Pi is a great way to explore other things to do with Raspberry Pi and move on to programming with Python. With the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit, students can get up and running with a brand new Raspberry Pi (probably hooked to the living room TV!) and… Read more

Rosie Revere and Iggy Peck: Engineering Inspiration

June 8, 2015 8:00 AM

Don't miss this rhyming pair of picture books for STEM-focused summer reading. Each offers a charming illustration of engineering spirit. Kids can be engineers, too! For boys and girls alike, Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts offers an exciting story of the engineering process and the importance of working and reworking designs. If you pick this book up, be prepared to read it out loud. Told in a singsong rhyme, this is the story of Rosie, a little… Read more

A Honeybee Mystery: Science Reading

June 3, 2015 10:45 AM

Readers of The Hive Detectives are treated to beautiful photographs and in-depth information about bees as they follow the path scientists took in tracking a global bee population crisis first identified in 2006. Image: "Beehives in Mankato, Minnesota" by Jonathunder via Wikimedia Commons Did you know that beekeepers keep beehives in stacked containers like the ones shown above? They look almost like sets of drawers! As you learn in The Hive… Read more

Throwing Balls and Trajectory: Weekly Family Science Activity

June 1, 2015 7:00 AM

In this week's spotlight: a physics-focused family sports science activity that may make a difference in your next game of catch! At what angle should you throw a ball if you want it to go as far as possible? This week's sports science activity helps students observe and quantify the relationship between launch angle and distance by getting outside, throwing balls with different trajectories, and seeing how far they go. What happens when you throw a ball very high, very straight, or with… Read more

The Video Game Science of Hit Boxes

May 28, 2015 3:56 PM

The classic game of Galaga provided inspiration for this sixth grade student as he designed his own video game to learn more about the role of hit boxes in creating a successful game. Above: Kolben with his 6th grade project on video game design. For kids who love video games, working on science, technology, engineering, and math projects that involve computer coding and video game design can be an exciting way to combine a personal interest with science exploration and the… Read more

Sweet Like Sugar? Weekly Science Activity Spotlight

May 22, 2015 9:00 AM

How do sugar-free substitutes compare to sugar in terms of sweetness? Whether you make something sugar-free to cut calories or carbohydrates or for medical reasons, there are a wide range of sugar alternatives available. But how do these substances compare in terms of taste? In this food science family activity, you can investigate levels of sweetness by making your own homemade lemonade with sugar and with a sugar alternative. (The full project idea doesn't involve making… Read more

Picturing Big Data: The Science of Infographics

May 19, 2015 9:00 AM

With more data flowing in than most of us can ever hope to sift through, infographics have emerged as a viewer-friendly way to convey data-driven information. In a new human behavior science project, students explore the process of turning big data into visual representations and investigate how easy it can be to create a picture of data that may lead viewers to draw the wrong conclusions. Above: The graph above contains a small sampling of a blood glucose data set… Read more

Ex-stream Science: Exploring Local Watershed Health

May 14, 2015 1:06 PM

Heading outdoors lets kids experience real-world applications of their classroom learning. By Kim Mullin On a sunny, breezy, and unusually cold spring morning, a parade of 120 sixth graders, their teachers, and chaperones snaked its way from their middle school, through the neighborhood, to a local stream. Clipboards, test tubes, nets, camp tables, and a variety of other equipment tagged along. The students had spent the previous weeks learning… Read more

Going the Distance with Starlight Science

May 11, 2015 12:04 PM

This sixth grade student is blazing a path in astroscience with a string of successful science projects that are out of this world and yet amazingly down to Earth. With this year's project, she took a comparative look at the change in intensity of a star's light in relation to its distance. She spent a lot of time gathering light meter readings and ended up with a winning combination of math and physics! While every student can and should do and enjoy hands-on science, some students… Read more

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