Experiments

Atoms Family
http://www.miamisci.org/af/sln/
Students learn about energy conservation, the properties of light, different forms of electricity, matter, and fuel conservation through experiments and online activities. Some of the experiments would be good to do as a class activity.

Bird in a Cage
http://www.exploratorium.edu/exhibits/bird_in_a_cage/bird_in_a_cage.html
This is an online version of the famous "bird-in-a-cage" illusion caused by a lingering afterimage. An additional image creates a "stars-and-stripes" illusion, illustrating the same effect. You stare for 20 seconds at a bird of a particular color outside a cage. Then, when you look at the empty cage, a shadowy image of a bird of a complementary color appears inside the cage.

Curiosikid
http://www.curiosikid.com/view/index.asp?pageMS=4826&ms=158
This is a site in Spanish that the Caracas Children´s Museum has developed where students can find science experiments for use in their homes and schools. Using common materials, from milk to plastic drink containers, they can learn basic principals of science while having fun.

DragonFly TV
http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/
Investigate, Know How?, Do it, Get to It, and Talk about It are the mantras of Dragonflytv. PBS kids has a nice site that provides simple experiments and discussion boards for the things curious kids want to discuss.

ExperiMENTALS
http://www.abc.net.au/science/experimentals/whoare.htm
Bernie Hobbs and Ruben Meerman are the experiMENTALS! For these two dedicated scientists, no experiment is too big, too crazy or too inexpensive, to show you! The experiMENTALS tackle everything from outer space to the kitchen sink performing simple experiments with bits of paper and glue, balloons, glasses, eggs, and anything else they can find... exploding, demystifying and explaining everyday science along the way.

FireWars
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/fire/
This Nova program looks at wildfires and how they work. There is a fire-growth computer model, used to simulate conditions such as wind speed and direction. A virtual laboratory lets you explore the basics of combustion, including how a fire ignites, what a flame is made of, and how burning molecules rearrange themselves. A teacher's guide is available.

Hunkins Experiments
http://www.hunkinsexperiments.com/
Tim Huskin's experiments are illustrated with cartoons. Browse the site or view categories in the Themes link. Themes include Food, Light, Sound, Electrical, Mathematical, Biological experiments, and more. It's a collection of useful, fun, funny, and sometimes absurd experiments. If you want to make a paper noise, change the color of a goldfish, or know how to chop a doughnut into 13 pieces with three cuts, Hunskin's Experiments will have it.

Kinetic City
http://www.kineticcity.com/
This site has a collection of Science Experiments, Games, Activities, and Challenges. Enter the Lab Car for games, or help the Super Crew on the Mission to Vearth save the world from a science-distorting computer virus.

Kosher Dill Current
http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/pickles/activity-kosher_dill.html
This is an interesting experiment on how to turn a pickle into a battery. It should be a demonstration for younger students. Older students could do the experiment with supervision.

Magic Wand
http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/magic_wand/
When you view a slide show or a movie, where is the picture? This activity provides instructions for investigating light and human vision using a pencil and a slide projector.

Mold Terrarium
http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/mold.html
Students learn about mold by creating their own mold terrarium. Includes directions and follow-up questions and discussion.This would make a good classroom activity.

Ms. Lee's Kindergarten Experiments with Science
http://hastings.ci.lexington.ma.us/staff/SLee/science/
Six simple experiments that you can do with young students are waiting for you on this page. Even better, there are photographs demonstrating different stages of the experiments.

PBS Kids: ZoomSci
http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/
From the PBS television series Zoom, these science experiments include feedback from kids around the world who have already tried them. That's pretty cool! The ZoomSci activites are categorized into Chemistry, Engineering, The Five Senses, Forces, Life Science, Patterns, Sound, Structures, and Water, with a special icon marking those activities that help the environment.

Popcorn Science
http://www.jollytime.com/who_am_i/kid/popcorn_science/kernel_to_popcorn
January 19 is National Popcorn Day. On this site from Jolly Time, students can learn how popcorn goes From Kernel to Popcorn, Why Popcorn Didn't Pop, The History of Popcorn, Experiments, and more.

Reeko's Mad Scientist Lab
http://www.spartechsoftware.com/reeko/MoreExperimentsSortCategory.htm
These experiments are written to be done at home, but many could be conducted in the classroom. There are several categories divided into skill levels of easy, intermediate and advanced. The experiments give material needed, procedures and background information.

Resonant Rings
http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/resonant_rings/index.html
In this experiment from Exploratorium, use cardboard, construction paper and tape to demonstrate why all buildings are not equal in an earthquake, and how objects of different masses and degrees of stiffness vibrate at different frequencies.

Reversible and Irreversible Changes
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/10_11/rev_irrev_changes.shtml
Students experiment with solutions, mixtures, physical changes, and chemical changes on the educational website Reversible and Irreversible Changes. What substances dissolve in water? Which changes can be undone? Find out with this virtual lab.

Scope
http://www.csiro.au/scope/episodes/e23.htm
What's a "lolly"? And what does it have to do with hands-on science? Find out at this beautifully-done site from 'Down Under' presenting interesting science concepts in a kid-appealing way -- including how to make a 'soda-fountain' from a bottle of soda and a bunch of those lollies...or salt...or sugar. The best part is the excellent video clip in which a charming Australian teenage lass demonstrates, in her Aussie accent, the messy appeal of the concept. There is also a printable explanation of the physics involved. This is just one of many fascinating science-oriented topics on this site. Your students will love this place.

Science Explorer
http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/
Using common household items, make a salt volcano, a roto-coptor, or one of over 25 other projects at this nice site.

Sepup's Car Comparison
http://sv.berkeley.edu/showcase/flash/car.html
Students can design and test cars on Berkeley’s interactive educational website Sepup’s Car Comparison. Choose your car’s body, tires, engine, and average speed to determine its mileage, safety, cost, and amount it pollutes. Race two different types of cars on the race track to see which can go the farthest on one gallon of gas. What is the most fuel-efficient car you can make?

Solar Brightness
http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/solar_brightness/index.html
Can you estimate the power of the sun using only two common household items? In this experiment from Exploratorium, find out how to make a photometer with a piece of white paper and a drop of oil.

Sound Sandwich
http://www.exploratorium.edu/afterschool/activities/index.php?activity=137
This is an Exploratorium AfterSchool Activity. With a straw, two craft sticks, and some rubber bands, construct a noisemaker called a Sound Sandwich and explore how vibration produces sound. Includes intro and demo videos, and a downloadable pdf of the activity. Also has links to other activities to explore.

Thinking Fountain
http://www.thinkingfountain.org/  
Lots of activities! Check out the experiments on how to grow mold, and lots of others! Click on the images on the main pictures for other activities. Also, explore the Index of Ideas and Theme Clusters.

Yes Mag Projects
http://www.yesmag.bc.ca/projects/projects.html
This is a great little page of projects. Each idea link leads to a page of materials, directions, and step-by-step drawings to follow. These are great activities for elementary students, although middle schoolers should still get a kick out of them. There's even an explanation of what's happening here. Students will enjoy Super Looper, Geodesic Dome, the Leaning Tower of Pasta, and the other easy to do activities at the site. Each is annotated for easy choosing.