Summary: Students will create a Lego structure (e.g. car, house, tower) and attach a temperature sensor to it. They will leave the structure in a safe spot and check the temperature regularly and chart it.

Summary: The invasion has taken place and it is time that we need to find a new home. To insure your survival past earth?s occupation you must design a shelter that can be built on another planet. Students will research the characteristics of a planet of their choice. They will design a shelter that will allow them to survive on a new planet, and explain it in words.

Summary: Students will construct bird nests and birdhouses. The students will research a bird of their choice in order to design a house that will meet that bird?s specific needs. This activity works well in conjunction with a 9th ? 12th woodshop class whose students would partner up with your class. However this is not a necessity.

Summary: Many of today?s popular sports are based around the use of a ball, yet none are alike. In fact they are all designed with specific characteristics in mind. Students will investigate different ball?s ability to bounce and represent the data they collect graphically.

Summary: After reading the story Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary, students will build an alarm system for something in the classroom, as the main character Leigh does to protect his lunchbox from thieves. Students will learn about alarms and use their creativity to create an alarm system to protect their lockers, desk, or classroom door. Note: this activity can also be done without reading Dear Mr. Henshaw.

Summary: Accidents happen, sometimes your packages are dropped, and letters get bent. How can you protect a special delivery from such unfortunate mishaps? Students will use their creative skills to determine a way to mail raw spaghetti. The students will need to choose a way to safely package their raw spaghetti using only the materials provided. To test the packing designs, the spaghetti will be mailed through the postal system and evaluated after delivery.

Summary: As Charlotte uses her web to communicate, the students will also create a web to send a small message. The students will learn how a spider creates its web. They will learn about the different types of webs spiders make. With this knowledge the students need to design and create their own web and incorporate a message.

Summary: Depending on your local climate the features of your house will be different to satisfy your particular needs; hot, cold, windy, and/or rainy weather. Students should be aware of the different types of roofs found on various houses in different environments throughout the world. This can be done with books and photos. Models of the houses will be constructed and tested against various climate elements.

Summary: Students will look at different types of fabric and their respective individual properties. Using a magnifying glass and sandpaper they will test the weave of fabrics and the wear quality of sample fabrics. By comparing the qualities of different fabrics they will better understand why there are so many different types of fabric and be able to recongnize or suggest different uses for them.

Summary: Students brainstorm and discuss the different types of materials used to build houses in various climates. Small models of houses are built and tested against different climates.

Summary: One of our most valuable and often over looked resources is water. We can survive for a couple of weeks without food but only a few days without water. Having clean water to drink is a luxury. The water that comes out of our faucets does not always start off safe to drink. Most often it has visited a treatment plant prior to reaching our glass. Students will learn about the importance of water and the role it plays in our lives. Students will be exposed to what occurs each day so that they will have clean water.

Summary: Heat flows from hot to cold an unfortunate truth of life, people have put a lot of effort into stopping this fact, however all have been able to do is slow the process. Working in groups of three to four, the students will investigate the properties of insulators in attempts to keep a cup of water from freezing, and once it is frozen, to keep it from melting.