Activities from Scientific American were selected for the Wisconsin 4-H At-Home Activities list because they were age-appropriate, offered experiential learning, and used common household materials. Some of these activities have been translated into Arabic (AR).
Grades K-2
Robot, Make Me a Sandwich—AR—Youth must create detailed instructions for their robot to follow in order to make a sandwich. Because the robot follows the instructions exactly and literally, what do you think will happen?
Grades 3-5
Robot, Make Me a Sandwich—AR—Youth must create detailed instructions for their robot to follow in order to make a sandwich. Because the robot follows the instructions exactly and literally, what do you think will happen?
Make a Marble Roller Coaster—Youth use foam pipe insulation (or a pool noodle) to create a roller coaster for a marble. It’s a fun way to learn about energy, gravity, and physics.
Build a Paper Airplane Launcher—This activity brings paper airplanes to a whole new level. Youth learn about energy, engineering, physics, and more.
Flying Stick Chain Reaction—Youth will want to set up and watch this chain reaction again and again. It’s an exciting way to learn about physics and energy.
Build a Wind-Powered Car—Youth engineer their own small car powered by the wind as they learn about physics and forces.
Make a Colorful DNA Double-Helix—Youth become biologists studying and creating a double-helix of DNA to learn about our bodies’ building blocks.
Ready… Aim… Energize! Cotton Ball Launcher—Using simple materials, youth create a launcher… of cotton balls. How far can they make cotton balls fly?
Make Your Drawings Float—AR—Where art meets science… youth can draw pictures with dry erase markers that float on water.
Make a Toy Sailboat —AR—It’s time to set sail! Even if youth don’t live near a lake or ocean, they will get to do some sailing in this science activity as they build their own toy sailboat. Don’t let it capsize!
Grades 6-8
Make a Marble Roller Coaster—Youth use foam pipe insulation (or a pool noodle) to create a roller coaster for a marble. It’s a fun way to learn about energy, gravity, and physics.
Build a Paper Airplane Launcher—This activity brings paper airplanes to a whole new level. Youth learn about energy, engineering, physics, and more.
Shaky Science: Build a Seismograph—AR—Scientists study earthquakes so we can understand and predict them better. Youth will learn about one of the tools scientists use to measure the strength of an earthquake—and build a machine using simple materials.
Lift Water Uphill—AR—Can you think of a way to make water run uphill—without using electricity? In this activity youth will build your own hand-powered Archimedes screw from simple materials.
Surviving the Stormy Seas—AR—It’s one thing to build a boat that can stay afloat in calm water—but what about one that can survive large waves in a storm? Youth will build aluminum foil boats to carry pennies as cargo and test them in waves!
Science with a Smartphone—AR—Youth can use a smartphone to create each of the following scientific experiments:
