Student engagement on the first day of school is more important than you think. Upper elementary and middle school students need to be hooked into loving being back to school o instill curiosity and an interest in science. Including hands-on activities does not have to be costly or time-consuming. Providing fun learning experiences is most certainly a great way to keep them motivated and learning so I try to incorporate these types of engaging activities as much as possible.
I found this activity on Steve Spangler Science. He has a lot of great ideas. I like to use this activity as a way to highlight scientific thinking and analysis skills as well as to develop a strategy for scientific writing. It is super simple to set up and budget-friendly. Some of the items you may already have in your classroom.
Materials include:
- Package of M&Ms
- Bowls
- Warm water
That’s it! Warm-up some water, I am lucky enough to have a microwave in my room. I warmed the water up for about 45 seconds.
- Budget-friendly ways to incorporate hands-on science experiments in your classroom
- Lab Safety
- Metric Measurement
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