Explore bird beak adaptations that help birds eat in this hands-on experience.

In this lesson, children will be able to observe and identify simple machines in their environment, and explain how simple machines surround them in their everyday lives. A machine is a tool used to make work easier. Simple machines are simple tools used to make work easier. Compound machines have two or more simple machines working together to make work easier. Children will later be able to further explore simple machines in their visit to the How Does It Work exhibit.

Examine your fingerprints to learn a basic skill in forensic science.

Create a rangoli pattern using coloured rice. Diwali means festival of lights and is one of the biggest festivals in India. Rangoli designs are popular during the Diwali festival. They are made of colored powder, rice, or sand, and decorate the entrance of a home as a greeting. Some rangolis include decorative stones or flowers. Rangoli designs can be simple geometric shapes, flower, or petal shapes. Some fancy designs can be made by many people working together. To make your Rangoli more permanent, glue the rice design onto a sheet of paper.

In this lesson plan, children will be able to observe, identify, and describe complete metamorphosis of butterflies. The development followed by most insects is called metamorphosis. There are two types: incomplete and complete. Complete metamorphosis takes place in four stages—egg, larva, pupa, and adult. It is the most complex form of development among insects and is found in insects such as bees, flies, and butterflies.

Students will complete a Career Assessment. They will sort their interests to discover possible career paths that fit their individual personality types.

Form your body into poses of different wild animals as you take a trip on a Yoga Safari. Each time you spot a creature, try to bend and pose like the animal you see.

Make a fanoo lantern to celebrate Ramadan. Ramadan, the Holy Month in Islam, is a time of fasting, blessings, and prayer. As a way of giving thanks and unifying communities during this month, many share their wealth with the less fortunate by providing a meal to those who have none. Cities and towns are decorated with many fanou lanterns of various kinds and colors, many of which will be purchased by children who will carry them through the streets swinging and singing during the month of Ramadan.

Can you work as fast as your heart?

Try making this sweet treat, traditionally eaten during Diwali. Diwali is the Festival of Lights, but it could also be called a festival of sweets. Families celebrating Diwali love to prepare and share sweets of all kinds before, during and after the celebration. Sweet shop owners count Diwali as one of their busiest times of the year. Laddus are one of the most popular sweet items eaten during this celebration.

In Capture that Fraction!, students will practice using fractions to capture the most circles. This game involves a combination of fraction knowledge, creativity, strategy, and defense to win.

Certain sounds are described as high, such as those produced by a violin, or low, such as those produced by a tuba. A description of a sound as high or low is known as the pitch. The pitch of a sound depends on the number of waves produced in a given time. In this lesson plan, children begin to understand that sound travels in waves, is created by vibrations, and can create different pitches. Children will also investigate and explore how sound travels in waves. Later, they will further explore concepts of sound waves in their visit to the How Does It Work? exhibit.

Tangrams are 7-piece puzzles that can be assembled into a square, or thousands of other shapes! They are ideal for improving spatial reasoning and geometry properties. Discuss the properties of each shape while introducing terms like line, angle, vertex, side, diagonal, and parallel.

Practice problem solving as you build a house for the three little pigs.

Make exercise fun with this interactive game that can be played in large or small groups.

Brighten the room by creating colorful diyas to celebrate Diwali.

In this geometry activity, students will create 3-D boxes from a 2-D net and examine their relationships. Students can examine simple or complex nets depending on their grade level. In the Cyberchase exhibit, students will use geometric shapes to create three dimensional solids. This basic review of shapes will help students create a connection from the individual shapes, to a net (a flat shape that can be folded into a 3-D solid), and finally to the completed solid.

When you make slime, you are witnessing a chemical change!

Compare how much water different sponges can hold. Sponges are known for their exceptional ability to absorb water. The sponge has holes between the fibers that soak up the water and cause it to swell. This prevents the water from dripping out of the sponge. Instead, the water is trapped inside the sponge until the sponge is forcibly squeezed. compare how much water different sponges can hold.

In this lesson plan, children become familiar with the parts of a flowering plant’s reproductive system, and explain how flowering plants depend of pollinators for survival. The flower is the reproductive unit of some plants. Parts of the flower include petals, sepals, one or more carpel (the female reproductive organs), and stamens (the male reproductive organs). Some flowers (called perfect flowers) have both male and female reproductive organs; some flowers (called imperfect flowers) have only male reproductive organs or only female reproductive organs.

How long can you balance? Practice makes perfect. The more times you try something, the more your brain will learn how to do it. This is related to consolidation time, which is the time needed for new memory of information or a task to be stored in a permanent, chemical way.