This site from the Exploratorium looks at the physics of skateboard tricks (ollieing, mid-air maneuvers, and pumping for speed) and the physics of the skateboards themselves (wheels, bearings, trucks).

This resource contains several mini-explorations using a slide projector as a light source to investigate light and the properties of images. These activities can be used as a class demonstration or as learning stations. This guide also includes information about the "anatomy" of slide projectors and how they work. Learners and educators are encouraged to "tinker" with the equipment to find the best conditions and methods. Note: the cost of the projector is not included in the total cost of materials.

Learners explore three-dimensional geometric frames including cubes and tetrahedrons, as they create bubble wands with pipe cleaners and drinking straws. Then they investigate how soap film flows into a state of minimum energy when they lift the wand up from the bubble solution. Learners also see how light reflection and interference create shimmering colors in the bubbles.

In this art meets science activity, learners pack silver, ball-shaped ornaments in a single layer in a box to create an array of spherical reflectors. Learners can use this as a tool to study the properties of spherical mirrors while creating colorful mosaic reflections. This is a great optics activity to use during the holiday season or any time of year.

In this activity, you'll make an electric motor--a simple version of the electric motors found in toys, tools, and appliances everywhere. The activity includes three short online videos: Introduction, Step-by-Step Instructions, and What's Going On. Also available: a concept map and a "Going Further" document that suggests variations on this activity.

In this activity, learners use a chemical reaction to visualize where moisture forms on the body. Learners use the Minor's iodine-starch test, a diagnostic test that doctors use to detect hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating), to identify where moisture is forming. Learners also use this method to test the effectiveness of different antiperspirants.

In this activity, learners explore center of gravity, or balance point, of stacked blocks. Simple wooden blocks can be stacked so that the top block extends completely past the end of the bottom block, seemingly in a dramatic defiance of gravity. A mathematical pattern can be noted in the stacking.

Closing one eye eliminates one of the clues that your brain uses to judge depth. Trying to perform a simple task with one eye closed demonstrates how much you rely on your depth perception. In this activity, learners compare their ability to perform simple tasks with one eye versus with two eyes.

In this activity, learners overlap the three primary colors to see how all other colors are made. This activity also explains how color can be explained by the subtraction of colors of light, related to the principles of absorption and reflection of light.

In this activity, a lightbulb is placed in front of a concave mirror. The actual lightbulb is not visible to the viewer, but the viewer can see the mirror image of the lightbulb formed in space. When the viewer tries to touch the lightbulb, they are attempting to touch an image. Their hand moves right through what seems to be a solid object! Learners will enjoy this illusion, while investigating principles of light and mirrors. In this version of a popular Exploratorium exhibit, a lightbulb is substituted for a spring.

In this activity, learners create a tornado in a bottle to observe a spiraling, funnel-shaped vortex. A simple connector device allows water to drain from a 2-liter bottle into a second bottle. Learners can observe the whirling water and then repeat the process by inverting the bottle. Use this activity to talk about surface tension, pressure, gravity, friction, angular momentum, and centripetal force.

In this activity about light and refraction, learners make a lens and magnifying glass by filling a bowl with water. Learners explore why the lens inverts images and also reverses the motion of images. Use this activity to introduce learners to basic principles of light and lenses. Activity includes light-ray diagram to explain how image is formed.

In this activity, learners make a stroboscope--a spinning disk with slits around the edge that you look through. Brief but frequent glimpses of images seen through the slits lead to a surprising result, which teaches learners about vision and the human nervous system. The activity includes three short online videos: Introduction, Step-by-Step Instructions, and What's Going On. Also available: a concept map and a "Going Further" document that suggests variations on this activity.

In this activity, learners make a yeast-air balloon to get a better idea of what yeast can do. Learners discover that the purpose of leaveners like yeast is to produce the gas that makes bread rise. Learners discover that as yeast feeds on sugar, it produces carbon dioxide which slowly fills the balloon.

Did you know that you would be a different age if you lived on Mars? It's true! In this activity, you'll learn about the different rotation and revolution periods of each of the planets and calculate your age respectively. Included is an astronomy history lesson and explanation of Kepler's Laws of Orbital Motion. The activity has a calculator built into the web page, but the activity can be made more math intensive by using the given data to calculate the learner's age by hand.

Think of some of your favorite tastes: savory Thanksgiving turkey, buttery mashed potatoes, tangy cranberry sauce, and warmly spiced pumpkin pie. We perceive food's complex, layered flavors through the work of five* types of receptors on our tongues—those that detect either sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami (savory). These receptors bind to chemicals in our food and transmit the information about the chemicals to our brains, resulting in a healthy appreciation for the nuances of chocolate, coffee, strawberries, and more.

In this activity, learners use basic measurements of the Earth and pieces of rock and iron to estimate the mass of the Earth. Learners will calculate mass, volume, and density, convert units, and employ the water displacement method. To calculate an even more accurate estimate of the mass of the Earth, this resource includes optional instructions on how to measure the iron core mass.