Share it! Science : 2018

Teach about Cold-blooded Animals with Color Changing Dough

If you have ever taught a lesson on the characteristics of reptiles then you have probably found that young elementary students often struggle with the idea of warm-blooded and cold-blooded animals. The term "cold-blooded" is misleading, cold-blooded animals are not always cold!

This science activity will help you model the concept of being ectothermic, or cold-blooded, by using temperature sensitive color changing play dough! It will help your science students or your kids at home better understand what happens when a turtle, snake or lizard sits in the sun or under a heat lamp. If you are looking to include STEM or STEAM elements in your curriculum, this activity includes art and design, as well as opportunities for including technology.

Color changing dough Cold Blooded Reptiles Science STEM STEAM Lesson

This post contains affiliate links, meaning I will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you make a purchase after clicking a product link. Please see disclosures for more information. 

Cold-blooded vs. Warm-blooded


Students often believe that warm-blooded animals are always warm inside and cold-blooded animals are always cold inside. Warm-blooded animals, like mammals and birds, can regulate their own body temperature and maintain a consistent body temperature unless ill. Cold-blooded animals, like reptiles, amphibians and fish have a body temperature that adapts to the ambient temperature. If conditions are cold, the animal will be cold, and likewise if conditions are warm the animal will be warm.

Ectotherm (cold-blooded) and Endotherm (warm-blooded) are more accurate terms, but also can be confusing words for young students. The activity below will help model why cold-blooded animals must move locations to adjust their body temperature.


Cold-blooded Creatures Experiment


For this science lesson you will need the following:

cold-blooded animal model science experiment

Create Color Changing Creatures

 

To make our temperature sensitive color changing play dough, I used the recipe found in the STEAM Kids e-book (the print version available on Amazon). The secret sauce to temperature sensitive dough is thermochromic pigment. This pigment powder is the same stuff that causes mood rings to change color and makes the magic happen in other color-change products like nail polish.
Color changing reptiles science experiment

If you are using the recipe from the STEAM Kids book (which I highly recommend for tons of little projects as well as ideas like this one that can be incorporated into other lessons) you will want to double, or maybe even triple the recipe when working with a large group of children.

When the dough is heated, it will change color. In this experiment, the color change is the indication that the "body temperature" of the dough creature is changing.

color changing heat sensitive play dough

Experiment with Color Changing Cold-blooded Creatures! 


Have students make a hypothesis about the outcome of shining the light on the dough animals. Will they heat up? How long will it take for the animal to change color?

Determine how you will run the experiment. How often will you check on the play dough animals? Will you be taking their surface temperature? How will you collect data?

cold-blooded color changing play dough science experiment

Once the kids have designed and built their their reptiles, amphibians or fish, place them in the terrarium. Be sure everyone is on the same page on how the experiment will be run.

Clip the light to the side of the aquarium. Be sure everyone involved understands this lamp will get hot! Use the necessary precautions and adult supervision.

We found that in our experimental set-up the color change occurred very quickly when heated, then changed back very slowly when cooled. We decided to make a time-lapse video of the process to capture the changes. This brief video is comprised of many still photos of the changes that took place over several minutes.



Once the students have observed and collected data, wrap up with a discussion. Here are some potential discussion questions:

  • What was realistic about this model? 
  • What was unrealistic?  
  • How hot did the surface of the cold-blooded creatures in the experiment get?
  • Why do cold-blooded animals sun themselves? 
  • How do cold-blooded animals survive the winter months in climates with freezing temperatures?


cold-blooded animal science experiment STEAM activity

46 Amazing STEAM Resources!

PLEASE NOTE: Unfortunately, the sale described below is over, but you'll find lots of great STEAM resources at the STEAM Kids website

I'm so excited to be sharing a bundle of resources that will be invaluable for any one who teaches, runs an after-school program, designs camp programming, provides child care, has children at home, homeschools....just about anyone who works with elementary aged kids and cares about STEAM education.

This bundle of 46 digital STEAM resources is from a great group of education writers including the STEAM Kids crew, which you know I'm a big fan of. Others include: Left Brain Craft Brain, STEAM Powered Family, Babble Dabble Do, The STEM Laboratory, Kids STEAM Lab, Vivify STEM, A Dab of Glue Will Do and many more! 

STEAM Back to School Resources
This post contains affiliate links, meaning I make a small commission if you make a purchase (at no additional cost to you). Please see disclosures for more information.

 

Amazing STEAM Resources! 


The Back To School STEAM Bundle, is a huge (and I mean HUGE, like over 1,700 pages huge) collection of science, technology, engineering, art and math activities, lessons and challenges being sold at 92% off for a limited time.

There are so many fabulous resources here (I'll list them below) it is a little mind-blowing. From Wednesday 8/15/2018 - Monday 8/20/2018 you can grab what would normally cost you $268 for only $19.99. Normally, I wouldn't write a post pitching a product like this, but this is an offer I can't imagine passing up knowing the quality of the materials this crew of authors brings to the table.


STEM, STEAM, Science Activities and More! 


Here is what is included, you will quickly see why I am so excited about this!!

 

Integrated STEM & STEAM

10 products ~ 315 pages ~ $67 value

5 Day Space Mission
Paper Play Pack
Holiday Card Pack
Valentine Paper Play Pack
Cool Math & Science Night STEM Games and Activities
151 STEAM Challenges
STEAM Kids 5 Day Challenge
Four Seasons Activity Pack
Botany STEM Challenge
STEAM Activity Pack
Bubbles STEM Pack
Density STEM Pack

 

Science

9 products ~ 376 pages ~ $56 value

The Sensory Science eBook
Montessori Science Bundle
Endangered Species Unit: Primate Lesson Plan
Bird Pairs: Printable Matching Game
Cloud Wheel + Cloud Identification Guide
Apple Science Experiments
Leaf Science Activities
Shark Unit Study
My Science Notebook

 

Technology

4 products ~ 82 pages ~ $22 value

Knight Quest Coding Game
Magic Reveal Binary Code Game
Circuit Cards Creative Activities for Kids
Introduction to Simple Circuits

 

Engineering

5 products ~ 128 pages ~ $18 value

STEM Challenge: Build Famous Landmarks
3-D Paper Toys and Bots
Magnetic Tile Idea Cards
Knots & Hitches STEM Challenges
Mechanical Advantage STEM Challenges

 

Integrated Art

4 products ~ 94 pages ~ $27 value

Golden Rule Coloring eBook
Tropical Landscape Mural Pack
Happy Vegetable Mural Pack
Solar System Mural Pack

 

Math

11 products ~ 698 pages ~ $63 value

Number Decomposition
Marshmallows and Toothpicks 2-D and 3-D Geometry Cards
Fraction Decimals Percentage Puzzles
Math Checkers Bundle
Fidget Spinner Addition / Subtraction
Fidget Spinner Multiplication / Division
Superhero Math
Pattern Block Logic Puzzles for Kids
3-D Shapes Slap It Card Game
Zoo Animal Patterns Pack
20 Math Games for K-2

 

TOTAL
46 Products ~ 1700+ pages ~ $268


AND...I didn't even mention the bonuses! You will also get 15 extra printable products and 8 coupons to use in some of your favorite STEAM educator stores.

Don't miss out on this one! More details and purchase information here. 

https://steamkidsbooks.com/back-to-school-steam-bundle/?ref=26&campaign=blogpost

More STEAM 


If you like STEAM activities you'll definitely want to check out some of the ones I've featured here on the blog, including:

Surviving Like a Shark Energy Transfer Game

Kids love sharks! In this post you will find a book recommendation for a hilarious, yet factual, children's book about sharks, and an active science modeling activity for exploring the lives of sharks and the movement of food energy through an ecosystem.

Both the kid's book and science activity are great for your upper elementary school-aged kids at home or the students in your classroom. The modeling activity will get kids moving while building understanding of trophic pyramids and food chains.

If you are a teacher aligning your lesson plans with the Next Generation Science Standards, you will also find links for standards that this activity will help you meet.

Shark Science Food Chain Energy Activity

This post contains affiliate links, meaning I will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you make a purchase after clicking a product link. Please see disclosures page for more information.

How to Survive as a Shark 


First of all, a read-aloud of Kristen Foote's How to Survive as a Shark is a must. This funny children's book, illustrated by Erica Salcedo, includes science facts about the life of sharks, white sharks in particular, their important place in the ecosystem, adaptations and more.

https://amzn.to/2LZaY6f


This book is perfect for upper elementary students. They enjoy the humor and understand the science. Even the kids who think they are too old for picture books get a kick of this one! The end of the story includes some discussion on what was realistic and what was fictionalized for the sake of presenting the information in the style of a humorous picture book. It is an all around great book for home or the classroom!

If you are reading How to Survive as a Shark as an intro to the activity outlined below, the strongest tie-in to the food chain and energy transfer is the discussion and illustration of the food pyramid (or trophic pyramid). In this story, white sharks are the apex predator. Depending on the species of shark, sharks may not always at the tippy top of their food chain. The food pyramid, discussion of the different levels of consumer and apex predators is a great introduction to the energy transfer activity below.

For more standards-aligned activities to accompany books in the "How to Survive" series, head on over here. 


Shark Energy Activity


There are many food chains and food webs in any ecosystem, including the ocean. Energy moves through these ecosystems in the form of food. The active food chain activity outlined below allows students to model the transfer of food energy throughout a system and see it move first hand.

Shark Food Chain Science Activity NGSS aligned

For this activity you will need:

 

Model Energy Transfer in the Ocean

 

Set up the game: 

Split the group of kids into thirds. One group will be the "sharks", one group will be "large fish", and the last will be "small fish". [Note: if you are studying a specific type of shark, adapt the game to be specific to that species, i.e. "large fish" might be "tuna" or "seals" instead.]

Assign each of the groups a different color. This will be the color of the bandana that they will tie around their arm to denote their role in the activity.

Give each student a paper bag or envelope, which represents their stomach.

After assigning some boundaries for the play area, spread out the colored paper squares evenly throughout the area. These represent "plankton" in the activity.

How to Survive as a Shark illustrated by Erica Salcedo Science Activity

Game play: 

The goal of the small fish is to collect as much plankton as possible and put it in their stomachs.

The goal of the large fish is to eat the small fish, by gently tagging them, and transferring all of the plankton paper squares from the stomach/bag of the small fish to their own.

Similarly, the sharks will eat the large fish by gently tagging them, and transferring all of the plankton paper squares from the bag of the large fish to their own. (In reality, sharks may also eat small fish, but for simplicity's sake they will not in this simulation.)

Give just a few minutes (no more than 5) for game play. In order to have survived the round, small fish must have 5 plankton in their stomachs, large fish must have 10 plankton in their stomachs, and sharks must have "eaten" at least one large fish with 10 plankton in its stomach.

Write down how many of each animal survived after each round for graphing and data collection extensions.

How to Survive as a Shark illustrated by Erica Salcedo Science Activity

Wrap it up:

Be sure to discuss the results of the modeling activity.
Guide your discussions with questions such as:
  • What trends do kids notice? 
  • How is this activity realistic or unrealistic?

Create a data table or graph the results. Introduce the idea of a trophic, or ecological, pyramid and show how the amount of energy changes as it moves through the ecosystem.

Ecological Pyramid

 

Extend the Energy Transfer Activity

 

To continue modeling important ideas around energy transfer and balanced ecosystems, see what happens when you change the rules of the game. Try these adaptations of the simulation and discuss the results with your kids or students:

  • Change the number of sharks / small fish / large fish 
  • Set out more "plankton"
  • Release the small fish first, then the large fish, and eventually the sharks
  • Set up a "safety zone" for fish


Align with the Next Generation Science Standards


This activity fits with the following 5th grade science standards:

Additional Energy Transfer and Food Chain Book Recommendations 


Teaching about ecosystems is one of my favorite topics. If you are looking for other great books to share on the subject of energy transfer and food chains, you will definitely want to get your hands on a copy of Pass the Energy, Please! and The World of Food Chains with Max Axiom: Super Scientist.

I love Pass the Energy, Please! because of it's rhyming text and beautiful illustrations. Although it is a rhyming picture book, the vocabulary used is at an upper elementary level. The World of Food Chains with Max Axiom: Super Scientist appeals to upper elementary readers because it is written and illustrated in a graphic novel style.



Ocean Learning Activities


Ocean Science STEM Activities

If your kids love learning about the ocean, then you won't want to miss these other fun ocean-themed science activities!

Experiment with fizzing sea shells in this activity on the Teaching Without Chairs blog, and recreate the layers of the ocean with this density activity over on From Engineer to Stay at Home Mom.

More Shark STEM and Science


Shark Week Science and STEM activities

Can't get enough shark science? Same here. Check out these AMAZING shark eggs we saw at the Shedd Aquarium.

You'll find a bunch of shark STEM activities here, particularly fun for all of you "shark week" fans.

Want to know how sharks float? You'll find cool hands-on shark experiments here and here.


Buy a Book and Help a Good Cause


You may not be aware of this, but when you purchase a book published by The Innovation Press, like How to Survive as a Shark or How to Survive as a Firefly, you are not only getting a great book for the children in your life, but also helping others. For every 10 books sold, The Innovation Press donates one book to First Book, getting books into the hands of kids and schools in need.


DIY Seed Germination Jar: A Must-Have for Your Plant Unit!

Seed germination is one of nature's little wonders. Giving your kids and students the opportunity to grow a plant of their own can be a magical experience. Unfortunately, we most often stick the seeds in some soil where we cannot see what happens as the seed becomes a tiny sprout. You can easily solve this problem by building a germination jar so that kids can see the entire process in action!

Building the germination jar is easy, and it is the perfect addition to your plant unit at school or in your home-school. This inquiry-based science activity is linked to K-2 Next Generation Science Standards and offers an extension idea to align with Common Core English and Language Arts standards as well. Paired with a wonderful children's book, you'll definitely want to add this to your spring to-do list for school or home!
Elementary School Seed Plant Science Experiment

This post contains affiliate links, meaning I will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you make a purchase after clicking a product link. Please see disclosures page for more details.
 

Growing "One Bean"


There are so many science lessons and life lessons learned when children grow something themselves. You can make this activity a part of a science unit on life cycles or just an introduction to gardening with children.

First, we read One Bean, a sweet picture book by Anne Rockwell. In this story a boy plants a bean seed and watches it grow. Although told in a narrative style, anyone could follow the process of growing a bean seed themselves along with the story.



The boy puts the bean in a damp paper towel to prepare it for planting. Once it is wrinkled, he plants it in some soil and waits for his seed to sprout. This is where most planting projects become mysterious! The beauty of your germination jar is that you'll be able to watch the process unfold.
Fava Bean Germination Science Experiment NGSS Aligned

Build a Germination Jar 


To build your seed viewer, or germination jar, you'll only need a few supplies:
Water beads are pretty amazing! You only need a few at a time, and you can dry them out and reuse them for other projects.(They would be great to study absorption as well, as they soak up that water and grow to be 100's of times their original size.)

There are many ways to germinate a seed by keeping it moist, including wrapping in a damp paper towel like in the bean story we read. However, I like that by using the water beads, you do not have to cover the top of the jar up with plastic wrap or something else to hold the moisture in. I have used that method many times to teach children about plants. It works, but it can also lead to mold growing because it sometimes stays too wet.
Build a Seed Germination Jar for Science Experiments

You will have to experiment with how many water beads and how much water to use. The jar we began with ended up being far too large, so eventually we moved our experiment to a smaller glass. Start by using just a few water beads- a tablespoon of them can go a long way. Pour a bit of water on and let them absorb it for a couple of hours before adding anything else.

You want your jar to be moist, but not too wet. You will need enough water beads to hold your seed in place, but not so many that there is no room to grow. This is the experiment within the experiment!


Watch a Seed Germinate


Before you start, soak your bean seed(s) in a glass of water over night. This really helps to get them off to a quick start. We chose fava beans because they are easy for small hands to hold and are large so you can really see what is going on with them.

Once you've soaked your seed and prepared your water beads, place the bean seed so that it is close to the side of the glass and easy to view. Be sure that there are water beads over the top of the seed so that it stays moist.

Watch a seed germinate, great activity for plant unit

Then, you wait! Until the seed begins to germinate, you might want to give the jar a little more water each day, carefully pouring it around the outside of the jar where the seeds are. Within a day or so, you should begin to see that first part of the sprout, the radicle, emerging from the seed.

Keep an eye on your jar. If your water beads seem to be shrinking, add just a bit more water. Once you have a green sprout, you can choose whether to leave the seed in the water beads, or plant it in some soil. If you plan on trying to keep your plant growing to maturity, I'd suggest planting it before too long.
Watch a seed germinate! Plant science experiment

If you are lucky enough to have garden space, then that is the obvious place to grow your beans, but for those with space at a premium, particularly schools, I would suggest investigating growing a pocket garden on a wall. Here is one type of pocket planter, and another, different but more affordable version. 

Composite Raised Beds

 

Meet Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards


This seed investigation will work towards meeting these Next Generation Science Standards for K-2.
NGSS K-LS1-1
NGSS K-ESS3-1
NGSS 2-LS4-1

You can also work towards these K-2 Common Core English and Language Arts Standards by creating an observation journal that includes words as well as drawings.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.K.3
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.3
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.3

More Plant Science Investigations! 


Learning with plants can continue throughout the spring and summer seasons. It is a great way to teach early measurement skills in preschool, or investigate biology concepts like pollination with elementary students.

If you are looking for other ways to use those water beads, you'll definitely want to check out this cool plant experiment idea from Steve Spangler science. It shows how to grow a seed INSIDE a water bead. 

One of my favorite experimental plant projects is growing an avocado plant from its pit.

Grow an Alphabet Themed Kids Garden

Try growing a themed garden with kids. Some theme ideas are: an alphabet garden, a rainbow garden, a taco garden, or a pizza garden. 

Explore math and science with sunflowers, and learn the parts of the flower with students in preschool all the way through High School by doing a flower dissection

Storybook Science Series


This activity is part of the Storybook Science series. You can find more great book-linked science activities in this series on the Inspiration Laboratories blog.  

http://inspirationlaboratories.com/storybook-science-3/

You'll also want to visit my Storybook Science posts from past years: