Science & Engineering

Science and Engineering Activities-Little School

Here are some ideas for summer science fun:

Visit a nature center - Many of these have special summer programs and events!

Some close to EMS

Flat Rock Brook: http://www.flatrockbrook.org/

Tenafly Nature Center: http://www.tenaflynaturecenter.org/

J.A. McFaul Environmental Center: http://www.co.bergen.nj.us/index.aspx?NID=123

Be a Naturalist at home (or at the beach or on vacation):

Encourage your student to observe, identify, count, measure, draw and/or record information about the birds, trees, shells, sticks, rocks, insects that you see wherever you are this summer. Record in a special notebook! Tape or glue stuff in!

Visit a Museum or Zoo - Many of these have special summer programs and events!

Liberty Science Center: http://lsc.org/

American Museum of Natural History: http://www.amnh.org/

Bronx Zoo (or it’s smaller zoos in other boros): http://bronxzoo.com/

NY Botanical Garden: http://www.nybg.org/

Brooklyn Botanic Garden: https://www.bbg.org/learn/kids_and_families

Bergen County Zoo at Van Saun Park: http://friendsofbergencountyzoo.org/

Turtle Back Zoo: http://turtlebackzoo.com/

Bear Mountain Zoo: http://www.trailsidezoo.org/

Do some crazy designing and building:

Raid the recycling bin and build something - a bridge across a puddle, the tallest possible tower, a tree-house for fairies or your own invention! Or use Legos, blocks, wood, or found natural objects. Draw and label the final product. Ask your kid about the building process: what was your biggest challenge? What did you have to change? What surprised you? What did you need to do to make your creation balance? How did the different pieces stay together? Can you make a connection to the force of gravity? Take a photo of what you build and share it!

Cook or bake something - practice measurement and following procedure steps! Notice the different states of matter you are using. What changes about the ingredients as you combine and/or heat them? Bonus: you get to eat what you make!

Websites for Ideas and Learning:

• BrainPop Username: elisabethmorrow Password: pop

• Brains On Podcast: geared for kids, but interesting info for all ages

• Short Wave: a short, daily science podcast from NPR

• Ology: science Info, Activities and Idea for Kids from the Natural History Museum: http://www.amnh.org/explore/ology

• Kids Health - learn more about how your body works and how to keep it healthy: https://kidshealth.org/en/kids

• Exploratorium: science activities from California’s Exploratorium science center

• Science Kids: all-purpose science site from New Zealand!

• National Geographic Kids

• Hour of Code: learn to code!

• Phet Interactive Simulations: collect data with these computer simulations

• Weekly Ology Challenge at the AMNH: Try out a weekly challenge from the American Museum of Natural History

• 50 Ways to celebrate our Earth!: Grade level specific activities and ideas to celebrate Earth

• Explore the surface of Mars with Curiosity Rover: Check out Mars surface!

• NASA Perseverance Rover 2020

• Monterey Bay Aquarium Live Web Cam

• Houston Zoo Live Web Cams: choose out of the 6 web cams to check out

• Duke Farms: check out the eagle cam or go visit!

• Live Web Cam of birds from Ithaca, New York

• Live Web Cam of Eagles from the National Arboretum in Washington DC

• Smithsonian Science Education Center: Play games for all ages!

• Journey North: citizen science data about seasonal change and migration. You can look at data and/or contribute your own findings!