• Using materials at home, create a device that will keep ice from melting. Test your design and record your findings. (For more information you can view the following activity: Building a Cooler) After you have conducted your experiment, think about what you have learned and how it relates to a lunch box or cooler.

• If you want to keep something cold, is it better to leave the cooler lid open or closed?

• If you need to keep something cold for a long time, would you use a lightweight, thin-walled cooler or a cooler with thicker walls?

• How does what you learned in this activity impact how you might pack your lunch or a picnic?

or - watch this Bill Nye - National Geographic video on Climate Change and then complete this Data Nugget Activity on Coral Bleaching and Climate Change

Investigate how the world has changed over time, with satellite images from space! Go to NASA’s World of Change Website and choose one of the image sets to examine. Write a claim-evidence-reasoning paragraph that explains what change is happening (claim), how we know the change is happening based on the images (evidence), and why that evidence makes sense in terms of science concepts and the overall pattern (reasoning).

• Read this article on how one school makes more energy than it uses. What is one action you could take to help your school/home/community?

or - Do this PhET simulation on Energy Forms and Changes (Click on the Systems Simulation)

Challenge: Using materials from around the house and outside, design a nest that would hold an egg.

• • OBSERVATIONS: Go outside and see if you can spot any bird nests. If you find one, observe it carefully from a distance—but don't get too close and disturb the nesting birds or eggs! Can you tell what materials the nest is made of? If you can't find any bird nests outside, look on the internet to find photos of bird nests. How many different types of nests can you find? What are the nests made out of?

  • PROCEDURE- BUILD YOUR NEST Collect materials you can pick up easily, considering. “What materials do you think would make a good nest? Do any of them match the nests you saw in person or online?” Use your collected materials to build a nest that will be able to safely hold at least one egg.

  • TEST YOUR NEST (gently at first). Can you blow on it or place an egg inside it? Does the nest fall apart or stay together? If it falls apart, what can you change to make it sturdier? For more information, check out the following activity Build a bird nest

• Read about how the Mars Rover receives instructions. Then create a Mars obstacle course. To get an online rover image experience, visit MarsQuest Online.

or - Try this Rocket Launch Simulator - What is the best configuration for the highest flight? What variables make a rocket go higher, what variables make a rocket go lower?