Weather

• Start a weather chart in the classroom that shows what the weather is on each day. Put a sun on the chart for sunny days, a rain drop for rainy days, a snowflake for snowy days and a cloud for cloudy days. Talk to the students about types of weather. Have the students make posters depicting the different types of clouds. Have the students make a rain gauge out of a small plastic jar. Put a ruler against the outside of the jar, and mark a line on the jar every inch to the top. Then number the lines starting with 1 at the first line at the bottom of the jar. The students will then put the jars outside of their house, and record the amount of water in the container each day. Have the students pour out the water each day after writing down the rainfall for that day. Each child will keep a chart of the rainfall at their home, and after a few weeks, have a class discussion comparing rainfall amounts.
  
  

Biology

• Discuss animal habitats, and let the students make a model of a habitat of their favorite animal in a shoebox. Display the habitats around the room. Have the students write a paper about their favorite animal, and display it with the habitat. Another fun activity is growing a bean plant. Put a bean into a plastic baggy with a damp paper towel inside, hang the baggies with clothespins on a piece of clothesline strung across the room. If the paper towel starts looking dry after a few days, open the bag, and add a little water. Have the students check the bean daily, and write down what it is doing. After the bean sprouts, put it into a milk carton from the lunch room filled with dirt, and let the plants grow. Continue making notations on how the plant grows each day. Discuss plant growth and plants in the environment.
  
  

Chemistry

• Do an experiment on solids and liquids. Show students items that are solid or liquid, and discuss the properties of each item. Then show students how to make something (called Gak) that has both the properties of a solid and liquid. Mix 3 tablespoons of borax laundry booster with 1/3 cup water that is between 90 to 100 degrees. (Note: The teacher should handle the hot water.) Keep stirring until the mixture looks clear. In a second container mix ¼ cup of school glue and ¼ cup of water together. It looks like it won't mix at first, but keep stirring until it makes a thin glue mixture. Pour the glue mixture into the borax mixture, lift the container and swirl the contents of the container around. Do not stir the mixture with a spoon. Let the students pinch it, lift it in their hands and play with it. Discuss the findings with the class, and let them decide what it is. Pour the contents of the container into a plastic baggy, and seal it. The contents last for several weeks before dissolving.
  
  

Physical Science

• Have the students try a few experiments on seeing the effect of different atmospheric contents on yeast. For Earth's atmosphere, have the students put 1 cup of warm water, 3 sugar cubes and 1 packet of yeast into a 16- to 20-ounce plastic bottle with a balloon on top, and wait to see what happens. For the other planets and moons, the water and yeast is heated or cooled depending on the planet's atmosphere. For Venus' atmosphere orange juice and lemon juice is substituted for water, and Epsom salt is added for Europa and Callisto (the moons of Jupiter.) Some of the balloons stay the same, while other balloons blow up with carbon dioxide produced by the yeast. Have the students record what happens to the balloon every 3 minutes.