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.

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

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Mini-lessons

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5
You’re looking down into a strange, circular room. Notice the curved wooden walls. Someone is going to do a loopy trick inside this room. What do you think the trick will be?
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Watch this! This expert driver drives in circles, going faster and faster. At just the right speed, the wheels push against the wall just hard enough to overcome the pull of gravity.
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In this trick, people don’t just drive on walls. People can ride upside down on a ceiling too—as long as the ceiling is curved and the person is driving fast enough!
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Swinging on a swing set is fun. Many people think it would be fun to swing higher and higher, until they go upside down and over the top! Do you think that would be fun? Do you think it’s possible?
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No, it’s not possible to do this on a NORMAL swing. But…
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On this swing, people can go over the top. Solid bars instead of chains keep them from falling when the swing slows way down at the top. (Plus, it has safety straps to keep people buckled in!)
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Here’s another way to do it! Rather than using muscle power, this man used a jet pack. With jet power, he moves fast! The swing’s chains keep him moving in a circle—and over the top he goes!
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In video games, Sonic the Hedgehog makes running around a loop look
easy! But Sonic is a cartoon. Do you think a real person could run
around a loop like that? Why or why not?
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People can’t run around loops as big as Sonic’s. The bigger the loop, the faster you have to go. This stuntman tried to run around a small loop. He fell countless times, but watch what happens!
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These people are on a carnival ride—but it looks like they are all glued to the wall. What do you think is going on in this ride?
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In this ride, the floor and wall spin, carrying the people around and around. Then the floor drops! Since the spin is fast enough, the people stick to the wall—just like the car on the curved wall.
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Earlier, you saw a swing with bars instead of chains. A man used muscle power to go over the top! This swing is easier to get over the top. Guess why it’s easier. What do you notice that’s different?
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Notice the barrel on one end of the rod. To start the swing, the man pushes the barrel up. That barrel is almost as heavy as he is! When the barrel swings down, its weight helps lift the man up!
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We pulled three questions from our jar. Which question do you want to explore?

  • How is cheese made?

    -Glenn, 2nd Grade

  • Why do animals have tails?

    -Eowyn, 4th Grade

  • How many stars are in the sky?

    -Danna, 3rd Grade

Why don't people fall out of roller coasters when they go upside down?

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!