First Grade Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 7)

Suck It Up! How Water Moves Through Plants

STEM Activity

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113 reviews

Have you ever heard someone say, "That plant is thirsty," or, "Give that plant a drink of water"? We know that all plants need water to survive, even bouquets of cut flowers and plants living in deserts. But have you ever thought about how the water moves within the plant? In this activity, you will put carnations in dyed water to figure out where the water goes. Where do you think the dyed water will travel, and what will this tell you about how the water moves in the cut flowers? Read more

Homemade Slushies

STEM Activity

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106 reviews

Do you enjoy ice-cold drinks? A slushy is about as close as you can get to liquid ice: colder than water, but more drinkable than ice! Using some common household items, a little bit of patience, and the help of science, you can make this delicious, sweet drink at home. Try the activity, and you will be rewarded with a delightful treat! Read more

How to Grow the Best Crystals

STEM Activity

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128 reviews

Have you ever wondered how crystals are made? Crystals come in all different shapes and sizes. However, the purest and cleanest crystals are usually also the ones that grow to be the largest in size. In this activity, you will compare the size and shape of crystals grown at different temperatures. With just water and Borax, a household cleaning product, you can discover the method for growing large, pure crystals! Read more

Model the Rock Cycle with Crayons

STEM Activity

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141 reviews

Use crayons to model the rock cycle in this fun activity! You will make colorful sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous "rocks" from crayon shavings. Read more

2026 Ball Run Challenge for Grades K-5

Lesson Plan Grade: Kindergarten-5th

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Add a twist to a classic activity with this fun lesson plan. Your students will design and build a ball run for a ping pong ball using nothing but paper and tape. Their goal is to make the slowest ball run possible. How long can they make it take for the ball to go through their ball run? An optional variation is available if you would like to give students an extra challenge. The 2026 Engineering Challenge has ended. You can still do this challenge with students informally. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

Build a Rubber Band Paddle Boat

STEM Activity

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51 reviews

Build your own bathtub or pool toy from simple craft materials in this fun activity! You will build a rubber-band-powered boat that can zip across the surface of the water after you wind up the rubber band. Read more

Build a Solar Updraft Tower

STEM Activity

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201 reviews

Have you ever had a sunburn? If so, you know how powerful the Sun's heat can be! Did you know that this heat can also be turned into electrical energy? You may have heard about solar cells, but what about a solar updraft tower? This very simple structure uses the sun to heat up air, which then powers a turbine within a large tower. In this activity, you will build one of these towers yourself. Do you think you can make a propeller spin with just hot air? Read more

Color-changing Cabbage Chemistry

STEM Activity

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58 reviews

What if you could take a single liquid, and change it into a rainbow of colors without using food dye. You can! In this activity you will use red cabbage to make what is called an indicator solution. Indicator solutions can change colors depending on what you add to them. In this case adding something acidic (like lemon juice) will change it to one color while adding something basic (like bleach) will change it to another. Try and see how many colors you can make using different household… Read more

Exploring Enzymes

STEM Activity

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126 reviews

Have you ever wondered how all the food that you eat gets digested? It is not only the acid in your stomach that breaks down your food—many little molecules in your body, called enzymes, help with that too. Enzymes are special types of proteins that speed up chemical reactions, such as the digestion of food in your stomach. In fact, there are thousands of different enzymes in your body that work around-the-clock to keep you healthy and active. In this science activity you will investigate… Read more

Hydroponics Made Easy

STEM Activity

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137 reviews

Do you think plants can grow without soil? If you've tried growing vegetables, you probably planted the seeds or seedlings in soil. Soil gives the plants the nutrients they need to grow. However, plants can grow without soil, too, using a process called hydroponics. In this activity, you will transform a bottle into a mini-garden that needs only light, air, and nutrient-rich water to grow! Read more

First Grade Projects, Lessons, Activities (324 results)

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