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older elementary Archives - Page 4 of 4 - Taylor Made Science

Earth's AtmosphereGeology

Cotton Cloud Model

If you're teaching your kids about the different types of clouds, have them make a model to show cloud structure and the different levels of the atmosphere where clouds form. Here's a good website that covers the basics of cloud classification. There's a good diagram of different types of clouds and the atmospheric levels in which they form. For younger children you might want to let them use the image as a guide for their…
Cheryl Taylor
March 28, 2014
AnimalsBiology

Bug Collection – Go Digital!

Remember having to do a "bug collection" project when you were in school? There is a lot of value in observing animals in their natural environment and learning how to identify them based on physical characteristics. But, is it really necessary to catch, kill, and mount them? If your kids are afraid of crawly things or squeamish about killing live creatures, why not have them do a "virtual bug collection"? Armed with a digital camera,…
Cheryl Taylor
March 28, 2014
Acids and BasesChemistry

Red Cabbage as a pH Indicator

pH is a hard concept for younger children to learn. Add a little excitement to the subject of acids and bases by using a natural pH indicator. First, the science . . . an indicator is a chemical that "indicates" or shows the presence of a substance, usually by a color change. There are many pH indicators, each working for a different range on the pH scale. A wide-range indicator detects substances on the entire…
Cheryl Taylor
March 24, 2014
BiologyCells and Microbiology

Edible Cell Models

When teaching about the parts of the cell, increase your child's interest by having them build an edible model of a cell. The type of cell and the type of model depend on the age of the child and your snack preference for them. If your child is older they can research "parts of a cell" online to find many different diagrams of different types of cells. Help your child find a diagram at an…
Cheryl Taylor
March 23, 2014
Earth MaterialsGeology

Making Rocks Fun!

Okay, I have to admit, rocks sound boring to most people. But here's a way to get kids interested in the topic of rocks and minerals! Kids (and adults) love to find treasure. Purchase a bag of "mining rough" and you have a ready-made treasure hunt for your kids. Mining rough is the left over material generated by the mining process. To a mine that recovers and sells gemstones, it isn't cost effective to spend…
Cheryl Taylor
March 22, 2014
Earth in SpaceGeology

How much would you weigh on different planets?

What is weight? Your weight would be very different if you lived on another planet. Assuming your size didn’t change, why would your weight change? To understand this, you have to know what the term “weight” really means. A term that’s often confused with weight is “mass.” Mass is the amount of matter (stuff) that something is made of. Your mass wouldn’t change no matter what planet you happened to be standing on. But “weight”…
Cheryl Taylor
March 17, 2014
Earth in SpaceGeology

How old are you on a different planet?

What is a year? We measure age in years. A year is a unit of time equal to the number of days it takes the planet to travel all the way around the Sun and return to its same location along its orbit. Earth takes 365.25 days to make a trip around the sun, so our calendar year is usually 365 days. Once every four years, one day is added to the calendar at the…
Cheryl Taylor
March 17, 2014
ChemistryWater and Solutions

Separating Colors with Chromatography

What is Chromatography? Chromatography is the process of separating a mixture into its individual components. The easiest way to show this process to children is by using chromatography to separate inks. Waterproof inks in permanent markers and ball point pens require a chemical solvent, but the ink in washable markers can be separated with water, making for an easy and safe experiment. Materials: washable markers, coffee filters, pie pan Procedure: 1. Flatten a coffee filter…
Cheryl Taylor
March 17, 2014