FIRST GRADE SCIENCE KITS 1A HOW OUR WORLD MEASURES UP Students will experience a hands-on approach in learning about linear measurement (standard and nonstandard) weight, and volume. This kit incorporates inductive thinking and cooperative learning groups. (11 Activities) 1B LIVING THINGS Students will prepare the aquarium and terrarium habitats and care for the living animals. They will focus on gold fish, aquatic snails, and insects. At the end of the study, the fish and snails are distributed to the students able to care for them. The kit has 7 books, and 4 poster sets with coordination cards. (12 Activities) 1C SPROUTING ABOUT In this kit, hands-on activities will focus on the important role plants have in the survival of numerous life forms. Students will learn how plants grow, what they need to survive and how people benefit. The kit has 8 books, a selection of seeds and visual aids. (11 Activities) SECOND GRADE SCIENCE KITS 2A ROCKS: OUR CHANGING EARTH There are many short activities to demonstrate how the Earth is constantly changing. The kit includes 3 books, and a set of 7 Earth posters. The students will make a clay Earth, and a pet rock. (30 Short Activities) 2B WEATHER: OUR CHANGING EARTH This kit contains activities for student awareness that the weather on Earth constantly changes and affects their lives daily. Hands-on activities create the opportunity to discover the elements that make up our weather. The students can make a weather journal. It includes 6 books, water cycle poster, and 12 Discovery Weather magazines. (30 Short Activities)
2C DIG THEM DINOSAURS This kit contains activities for a study on dinosaurs, discovering what fossils reveal about dinosaurs, the differences between modern reptiles and dinosaurs, and the scientists who study them. Kit has 4 books, 4 dinosaur puzzles, and Fun-to-Know cards. (9 Activities) 2D WATER: OUR CHANGING EARTH Students will study water and how it affects everything on Earth. A fact or fiction game, similar to a pre/post test, introduces and ends the unit. Students will learn the properties of water, conservation, pollution, water and health, and water safety. It has 5 books, and 4 posters. (28 Short Activities) THIRD GRADE SCIENCE KITS 3A LIGHT ENERGY In this kit, students will learn about the light rays, color and solar heat. It includes 2 books, a kaleidoscope kit, prisms, concave and convex lenses. (14 Activities) 3B ELECTRIFYING EXPLORATIONS This unit was developed as a hands-on approach for students to gain a working knowledge of electricity utilizing various simple materials and phenomena as static electricity, circuitry, batteries, and the measurement of electricity. The unit incorporates inductive thinking and cooperative learning groups, as well as engaging activities for the students. (12 Activities) 3C WHAT ON EARTH This hands-on mini-kit introduces students to a fraction of the many facets of Earth Science. Each activity is a modified version from the 3 rd grade Harcourt Science textbook. (8 Activities) 3D SIMPLE MACHINES This kit is designed to introduce students to the study of simple machines. By performing experiments using simple machines, students will understand how machines make work easier. Through observation and hands-on activities, students will develop an understanding of how machines are used in their environment. (14 Activities)
3E THE SKY This unit will develop an understanding of our solar system and the five circumpolar constellations. It is designed to be used with the STARLAB portable planetarium. (12 Activities) 3F THE SUN & OUR SOLAR SYSTEM This mini-kit is adapted from Bridging II TAKS. This unit will develop an understanding of our solar system and the planets, the sun and its characteristics, and sun rays as light and heat energy. (5 Activities) FOURTH GRADE SCIENCE KITS 4A ANIMALS IN ACTION The purpose of this kit is to introduce your students to adaptations and patterns of behavior in animals by observing them in action. Students will be introduced to the concept of objective observation, behavior and humane treatment of animals. They will also conduct their own research and process gathered data to increase their ability to make scientific predictions. The live animal studied in this kit is the mealworm. (15 Activities) 4B SAVE OUR EARTH WORMS This unit was developed to offer students hands-on discovery of an invertebrate species. Students will be observing and studying the behavior of red wigglers worms. Various activities in this unit will challenge students to think inductively, work in cooperative learning groups, design their own scientific experiments and responsibly study and care for these living creatures. (6 Activities) 4C FABULOUS FOLIAGE This kit includes two units of study. The first unit of study focuses on the Wisconsin Fast Plant, Rapid-cycling Brassica Rapa. The Fast Plant unit will allow children to experience the complete life cycle of a plant in a very short time. The other unit is a general study of botany focusing on flowering plants. It includes lessons on parts of a plant, photosynthesis, geotropism, parts of a flower, and a performance task on seed dispersal. (19 Activities)
4D TALES FROM THE CRUST This hands-on science kit introduces students to the wonders of our changing Earth, past and present. The students will learn to identify and classify rocks and observe soil textures and the ability of soils to hold water. (17 Activities) FIFTH GRADE SCIENCE KITS 5A SHAKE, RATTLE, AND FLOW This kit introduces students to our changing Earth, past and present, focusing on Earth science. The students will study fossils with actual sets and make a mold and a cast to keep. Properties of minerals, soil testing, earthquakes, volcanoes, erosion, and the stages of coal are a few of the areas covered. (16 Activities) 5B RIVER CUTTERS Students have the opportunity to model the passage of geological time, so they can simulate the effects of thousands of years of erosion in minutes. The students will cut a river using sand and water in a paint tray. They will learn to identify geological formations and develop vocabulary related to river geology. The students are introduced to erosion, sequencing of geological events, pollution, and human manipulation of rivers. (7 Activities) 5C THE SCIENCE OF ENERGY PROJECT NEED This kit demonstrates different types of energy. The kit is designed to be taught by the students to other students, with a teacher demonstration as the introduction. The Science of Energy Test can be used as a pre and post test. (7 Activities) 5D SKYWITNESS This kit is divided into five parts, focusing on stars in our galaxy and beyond. Students construct a model of the sun using different colors of clay and a constellation model on plastic wrap using a hanger and fluorescent paint. This kit is used in conjunction with the portable planetarium. (24 Activities)
SIXTH GRADE SCIENCE KITS 6A TOYING AROUND WITH FORCES The purpose of this kit is to introduce your students to the natural forces of their world through various inquiries and hands-on approaches which are centered on toys. Students will sharpen their observation skill, manipulate and demonstrate different experiments and the variables within those experiments, and they will increase their thinking ability to make better scientific predictions in given experiments. (18 Activities) 6B KITCHEN CHEMISTRY This kit is designed to study the fundamentals of chemistry. Students study chemical reactions by doing experiments with acids and bases, using different indicators to distinguish one from the other. The unit will introduce the ph scale to your students. (11 Activities) 6C SOUNDS GOOD TO ME The purpose of this kit is to explore the characteristics of sound with special emphasis on examining the various components of this type of energy. Students will discover how sound works for us in communication, medicine and music. (10 Activities) ADDITIONAL KITS VARIOUS GRADE LEVELS M1 MEASURING WITH METRICS (GRADES 3-6) - Students will use a variety of manipulatives to compare height, length, and width, with an introduction to the meter, decimeter, and centimeter and practical experience measuring in the metric system. The second unit emphasis is temperature, surface area, and three dimensional polygons. (14 Activities) MII SINKING OR SWIMMING WITH METRICS (GRADES 3-6) Students will use various manipulatives to garner an understanding of volume, mass, and density. This kit has three units: measuring volume, measuring mass and weight, and measuring density. (15 Activities)
RARE AND WILD TEXAS (GRADES PreK-3) A Texas Parks and Wildlife generated kit to introduce children to the threatened and endangered plants and animals in Texas. The kit includes A Home for Pearl video and instructional guide, Texas Endangered Species Activity Book. The kit has a set of slides of the threatened and endangered species of Texas. RARE AND WILD TEXAS (GRADES 4-6) A Texas Parks and Wildlife generated kit with educational materials and activities to introduce students to the threatened and endangered species in Texas. The kit also explores biodiversity, sea turtles, the web of life, and the short grass prairie. Two slide shows are available with this kit, Threatened and Endangered Species of Texas, and America s Sea Turtles. OWL PELLET TEACHER DEMO KIT (GRADE 3) This is a smaller version of the Owl Pellet Kit. OWL PELLET MINI-KIT (GRADES 4-6) This kit includes a video of the Barn Owl and its life cycle, and laminated bone charts. Students get to examine the pellets using forceps and hand lenses. RAINY DAY STREAMWALK (GRADES PK-8) Students construct a model of a stream. They discuss the model as an ecosystem and the role each part plays. Discussions take place about pollutions and what happens to life in the stream and the importance of clean streams. BATS (GRADES 3-6) Smithsonian mini-kit about bats; Noises in the Night. This kit was given to the SRC and has not been developed with all the supplies needed. There is a teacher s guide, video, and a class set of books about bats. WHAT S THE BUZZ (GRADES 3-6) Smithsonian mini-kit about bees; this kit was given to SRC and has not been developed with all the supplies needed. There is a teacher s guide, video, and a class set of books about bees.
THE PRIVATE EYE (GRADES 3-6) This is a complete kit purchased by the SRC that teaches through analogy. You can teach science and incorporate reading, writing, and vocabulary into the lesson. FOSSIL KIT (GRADES 4-6) This kit teaches students about what paleontologist do and the fossils they find. This kit contains geologic time scale charts, fossil reproductions, sand, and fossil digging tools. TRAVELING KIT: WHAT AM I? (GRADES K-6) This kit contains fur pelts, skulls, snake skins, jaw bones, antlers, and a turtle shell for students to see if they can identify. BIRD BUDDY KIT (GRADES?) This kit is designed to introduce students to bird watching. There are several books in the kit to learn about the behaviors of birds. It also contains bird feeders and food, and binoculars. (Grade level for this kit has not been assigned.)