Science fair projects!

The science fair is finally here! Here's what your group will need to include on their trifold and in their journals.

-Title
-Problem
-Hypothesis
-Materials
-Procedures
-Data
-Conclusion
-Application
-Resources

Watch this science fair experiment from the mythbusters and pay attention to what they kept the same and what they changed.

Visit Science Bob's website. You can find great research, science fair ideas and awesome videos. Have fun!

Metamorphosis

Click on the link below to watch a live video of butterflies in their chrysalises!

Circuits

Play this online game! Click on the picture below and create different circuits!

What is a conductor? Can energy move through a conductor?

What is an insulator? Why would you use an insulator to protect yourself from heat and electricity?

Tides

Have you ever built a sand castle on the beach? You've probably watched the water get closer and closer to your sand castle until you have to move back and start building again. Click on the picture below to find out why the water line slowly rises up and goes back down in the ocean.

Animal Sounds

I've posted two links for animals sounds.

Click below to listen to a mockingbird copy the sounds of a car alarm!

Click below to look at pictures of different Ocean creatures and listen to their sounds!

Carbon-Oxyegen Cycle (photosynthesis)

Click on the plant to watch a video about photosynthesis.

The Houston Zoo!

Our study trip to the zoo was blast! Click on the red panda and read more about the animals you visited. You can also go to the Houston Zoo app in your I-Touch and learn more information.

Food Chains and Webs

In every ecosystem, living things depend on each other for energy. The sun gives energy to the plants. Plants do not need to search for food. They make food by themselves through a process called photosynthesis. Plants are called producers, because they produce their own food. Animals that find their food are called consumers.

Different kinds of animals and insects will eat the plants for energy. Consumers that only eat plants are called herbivores. Here are some examples of different herbivores.

Some animals eat other animals to receive energy. These consumers are called carnivores. Here are some examples of different carnivores.

Some consumers eat both plants and animals to receive energy. These animals are called omnivores, and they don't have a preference about what they eat. They eat whatever they find. Here are some examples of different omnivores.

When animals and plants die, their bodies start to decay over time. Some animals eat the dead plants and animals for energy. These animals are called decomposers, and they help clean our soil. Here are some examples of decomposers.

Let's make some different energy food chains online.

Click here to build your first food chain online.

Click here to make different food chains.

How do living and non-living things interact?

Living things depend on non-living things found in their habitat. This includes, water, air, soil, sunlight and temperature. Each biome has different amounts of nonliving things in it.

Click here to read about non-living things found in ecosystems.


Click here to build a habitat for 3 different species. What do they need to survive?

Ecosystems around the world

We're researching 5 different biomes!

Tundra

The Rainforest

The grasslands (prairies, Savannah)

Deciduous (Temperate) Forests

The Desert


Research Different habitats around the world

Research the desert, arctic and wetlands.

Research the desert, arctic tundra, forests, and grasslands

Find where your habitats are located.

Research the nonliving factors in habitats.

The water cycle

Click on the picture below and READ about the water cycle.

Now click on the picture of the water cycle below, and go to "The Water Cycle". Play the animation, then label each part of the water cycle.

Cool weather websites

Believe it or not, it can sometimes snow on the beach! I wonder what causes this to happen? Normally, beachers are really warm and they don't have snow on their sand.

Here are some great websites about weather. Click on the links below and read about hurricanes, tornadoes, winter storms and more!

Weather Wiz Kids

Make your own weather report

Weather Information and Games

Weather and Climate

We will be researching the climate and weather of 6 different cities.

Click on the picture below and start typing in the names of each city. What kind of weather are they experiencing today? Is there any precipitation in the area? What's the temperature?

Let's talk about the difference between weather and climate.

Weather- The daily conditions of an area, and what it feels like outside that day.

Climate- The average pattern of weather conditions in an area.

The weather in Houston is freezing cold today! We need jackets, scarves and mittens if we want to go outside. However, the climate of Houston in January is normally not freezing cold. It's usually around 50 degrees outside, and we normally need a light sweater or hat. The weather changes from day to day, but the climate is the weather pattern of that area.

Reflection question- Which city would you visit in the summer if you were on vacation, and why?

Natural Resources

Watch how different fossils can form over time, creating fossil fuels we use today for energy!

We are discussing natural resources, including renewable and nonrenewable resources.

Renewable resources can be made again and they don't go away very easily. They go through shorter cycles.

Nonrenewable resources cannot be made or used again, and it takes a long time for these resources to form. Let's watch a few brainpop videos about natural resourcse and fossil fuels!

Mealworms!

Click on the picture to read about mealworms. They will become Darkling Beetles through their lifecycle.

The mealworms have arrived, and we will be observing their lifecycle over the next few months!

Layers of the Earth

Click on the picture of the volcano, then click on the word "Melting" under Igneous Rock. Watch how the volcano can erupt by clicking on the word "Erupt" in the activity. What happens after the lava comes out of the volcano and cools down?

That's right! It forms new land. Each time the volcano erupts, it forms more and more land! The lava cools down and makes different layers of rock over time.

Soil

What is soil? Why is it so important? What's it made of, and are there different soils around the United States? Click on the picture to learn more about different soils.

Caves

Click here to explore a cave that has formed inside Earth's surface.

You can drag your tour guide along and click on the different formations to learn more about each kind of formation found in caves.

Colonial Williamsburg

http://www.history.org/kids/

"Where did all my soil go? And why is it over there?"

Take a look at these pictures. Over time, these landforms were created and weathered by ocean waves, rain, plant roots, glaciers, rivers, acid rain and wind. Can you figure what is effecting each picture?

Let's watch a quick video about weathering, erosion and deposition.

When something is weathered, that means it's being broken down into little pieces, like when you chew a piece of candy! When sediments are eroded, they are moving to a new place, like when you swallow the piece it candy and it moves down your throat and into your stomach. When sediments are deposited, they land in a new place and can start making a new landform, sort of like when your candy drops into your stomach and stops moving.

Let's watch how frozen water can make a rock break!

How do rivers and glaciers change the surface of the earth? Think about what you modeled in the lab today.

Volcano Videos

Today, we discussed how volcanos create more land when they erupt. Take a look the videos I've linked to our blog. This videos are from the National Geographic website.

Layers of the Earth

Have you ever cut open an onion? What does it look like inside?

The outside is layer is the largest, and the center is smaller, but still looks like a sphere. The Earth is kind of like an onion. If you were to split the world in half, you would see that the Earth has more than one layer. The top layer is called the crust. This is where we live. You can find oceans, landforms, trees, people, animals and soil on the crust. The crust is always changing because of weather and what happens underneath it.

The mantle is the red, hot liquid layer underneath Earth's surface. This is where we find magma. When there's a hole in earth's crust, sometimes a lot of pressure can form, and magma comes out of the ground, causing a volcano to form and erupt. When you see magma on Earth's surface, it's called lava. Lava cools and hardens over time.

The core is the center of the Earth. The core is very hot, and it would be impossible to dig a hole and visit the core because of it's extreme temperature.

Let's read more about Earth's different layers here.

Let's play a game about Earth's different layers here.


1.How would you compare and contrast the layers of the earth?

2. What else has layers like the Earth or an onion?

3. What kinds of things can be found below Earth's surface that we can't see?