Open-and-go lessons that inspire kids to love science.

Science curriculum for K—5th grades.

90 sec
  • Hands-on — lead students in the doing of science and engineering.
  • Standards-aligned science lessons — Cover core standards in 1-2 hours of science per week.
  • Less prep, more learning — prep in minutes not hours. Captivate your students with short videos and discussion questions.

Sign up now to try Mystery Science for free.

Sign up

Learn more

Open-and-go lessons that inspire kids to love science.

Sign up now for tons of free lessons like this one!

Back

Mini-lessons

Video Bonus Vote
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
Slide Image
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Slide Image
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
Slide Image
This belongs to an extinct animal—but what is it? You might have seen this shape before.
5
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Slide Image
It’s a fossil shark tooth! Here’s how big its whole mouth was. This extinct shark is called a megalodon, which means “large tooth”!
5
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Slide Image
Here’s how big a megalodon would have been compared to a great white shark! Megalodons ate whales and other sharks too!
5
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
A farming family in Michigan, USA, found something strange in their yard—a huge fossil! What kind of animal is this fossil from?
4
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
It’s the skull of a mammoth! That’s the ancestor of an elephant! Ancient people lived when mammoths were alive!
4
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
Here’s part of a fossil of another giant creature. Can you tell what kind of creature it is? Hint: Do you see wings?
3
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
It’s a giant dragonfly! Before dinosaurs roamed the Earth, there were giant insects. Check out the size of these models!
3
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
This fossil animal is the size of a small car. It has a round, hard back...does it look like any living animals to you?
2
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
Slide Image
Hint: It’s related to one of these three animals. Which one do you think it’s related to and why?
2
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
It’s related to armadillos! It’s called a glyptodont—here’s another fossil of one. It was huge, and had a spiky tail it used for fighting!
2
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
This is a sloth from South America. What do you think a sloth that lived a long time ago (a sloth’s ancestor) might look like?
1
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
Today, sloths climb trees and don't usually stand up (they crawl). But their ancestors were as big as elephants and stood tall!
1
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?
Slide Image
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Video trouble?

Voting for this episode is now closed. Would you like to vote on the most recent poll?

We pulled three questions from our jar. Which question do you want to explore?

  • Why do pandas only eat bamboo?

    -Korban, 3rd Grade

  • What is a drought?

    -Aaliyah, 2nd Grade

  • How do windmills work?

    -Junichiro, Kindergarten

What was the Ice Age like?

Watch the video to discover the answer and don't forget to vote for next week's question. There are mysteries all around us. Have fun and stay curious!