Borax Bouncy Balls
This one is my favorite!
Create a borax solution in water and mix with a blob of liquid
glue. Add one drop of food coloring and
roll until it turns into a ball. There
are lots of different recipes for borax bouncy balls online. My preference is
to give the students very broad
instructions, inevitably they make very different bouncy balls (or slime!) and
this leads into a great conversation about precise measurements and
instructions in the procedure. I have
them test which recipe creates the ball that bounces the highest, with dropping
the ball from 1.0 meters as a controlled variables. There are at least 10 variables they can test
with this inquiry experiment – for example: amount of glue, amount of borax
solution, type of glue and if you have a more advanced class they can test the
concentration of the borax solution.
Here is a good starter video on how to make borax bouncy
balls:
Best for: general
science, chemistry, physical science
Paper Helicopters (Gyrocopters)
Gyrocopters are so easy to create and fun for the
students. Cut a piece of paper into
eleven 1” strips, then create blades by cutting 4” down the middle of the
strip. Bend the strips in opposite
directions and there you go! I have my
students develop an inquiry-based test on which design allows for the slowest
(and therefore safest) descent. Drop the
gyrocopters from a height of 2.0 meters as a control. Students can test lots of variables with this
experiment including blade length, blade shape and material.
Here is a nice tutorial for making a paper helicopter:
Best for: general
science, physical science, physics
Daphnia – testing
water quality
If you can get your hands on some daphnia, or water fleas,
you’ve got a great opportunity to teach skills as well as inquiry. Daphnia can be used to test water
quality. Set up a control, and
experiment with different pH levels, temperatures or adding different
chemicals.
Here is a great video on how to properly measure daphnia
heart rates.
Best for: biology,
environmental science
Blast off – Rates of
Reaction
If you can get your hands on film canisters and don’t mind
the smell of vinegar this is a really
fun inquiry lab. Fill a film canister
with baking soda and vinegar (or another safe acid and base combination) Students
will love the suspense as they countdown to the film canister top exploding off
and the film canister going flying into the air! This one is nice for students who have
already had safety training, since eye protection is key in this inquiry
lab. Students can change the amount of
acid, base, add an extra layer between the two (like a piece of tissue). More advanced students can change the
concentration of the acid and observe the rate of reaction. It’s SO MUCH FUN! But yes, your classroom will smell.
Here is a video explaining how you can do this experiment:
Best for:
chemistry
If you haven't started used the Inquiry-based approach yet, I highly recommend checking out these resources. They'll make your life SO much easier!
Scientific Inquiry Graphic Organizers
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