Do you do magnetism and electricity???

This is my FAVORITE FOSS unit.. My students and I love to create and build circuits that work and challenge us to think of different ways to build.  Today I am going to link you back to the new interactive games as well as the old ones still on-line.

Build an Electromagnet   With this activity, much like the Evaporation one, you will have several variables to manipulate...wire gauge, wire material, number of winds and level of power.  Your challenge is to pick up as many filings as you can. This is a great activity for whole group and individual practice.  Keep in mind, you can (if your population has computers) even assign this for homework!  It is FREE!

Conductor Detector
This activity is great for the smart board. It include critical competitors - items that look the same, but are made of different materials.  You get to connect the objects to the circuit and see if they are conductors of electricity or not. 


There are so many more...including D-Cell orientation, Lighting a bulb, and turning on the switch...a total of 9 interactive simulations in all.  If you want to explore more...then I suggest you go to the website and play. 

Have fun!


Popular posts from this blog

A Novel History of Psychology

Image
BOOK REVIEW: Vanessa L. Ryan, Thinking Without Thinking in the Victorian Novel (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012) ——————————————— Science and (the study of) literature are growing closer together. From  Stanford's Literary Lab  and a recent New York Times piece on the Digital Humanities  to reading Austen in an MRI machine  and so-called " Literary Darwinism ," there's both controversy and a certain cache (and maybe even a little cash) in bringing scientific techniques and the study of literature closer together. This is your brain on Austen ( http://news.stanford.edu/news/2012/september/images/mri_reading_news.jpg ) So what about the study of science and the study of literature? History of science, say, and literary history? The short answer is that it's happening in English departments, but not so much in History. Why? More on that below. Work on the interplay between science and literature has been dominated by scholars of the Victorian novel. G
Read more

Chocoalate...Sink and Float

Image
What's better than chocolate?  not much! Here's another experiment brought to you by Candy Experiments.   Most candy sinks in water, because sugar is denser than water.  But some candy floats. Why? This experiment is so easy...all you need is some leftover chocolate candy and water.  Drop the candy in the clear glass and observe what happens.  Here's what Loralee at Candy experiments says is happening: "Some kinds of candy, such as Kit Kats, 3 Musketeers, and marshmallows have air trapped inside. This makes them float.  " I have created another recording sheet to go along with this experiment!  Hope you can use it!    
Read more

Pets in the Classroom

Image
Easy Grant Opportunity: Have you heard of the wonderful program called Pets in the Classroom?  At my science lead teacher meeting, a colleague told us about this wonderful program.  It's super easy and allowed me to get an amazing pet and pet habitat for my classroom. How does it work?  Technically it is a grant - you fill out the online form online and within two weeks you will get notification in the mail.    There are four (4) grant types , including: 1- Rebate Grants in the amounts of $100 (for small animal or birds) or $150 (for reptiles or fish) for purchases at any pet store; 2- the Sustaining Grant in the amount of $50 to maintain an existing classroom pet; 3- Petco Grant , which provides coupons for the live animal, pet habitat and supplies purchased at Petco; and 4- a Petsmart Grant , which provides coupons for the live animal, pet habitat and supplies purchased at Petsmart. I was lucky enough to be adopted by a parent in my class this year.  Instead of going through
Read more