This 1 to 2 hour program will introduce your students to the scientific principles of sound based on the current state standards. Following an engaging instructional session, your students will explore our sound stations loaded with hands-on sound tools. Your students will learn:

• What is sound energy?
• Describe the properties of sound.
• How is sound produced?
• How does sound travel through different media?
• Why do we sometimes hear echoes & how they are used?
• What makes the different sounds we hear?
• How do we hear sound?
• How does vibration affect sound?
• Why do different instruments sound different?
• What is the Doppler effect?
• How the ear really works.

The sound exploration stations include the pepper dance, thunder tube, slinky echo, whisper tube, vibrations, pitch, the always popular instrument petting zoo, and dozens more.

Your students will be “enlightened” by this unit and introduced to the basic scientific concepts of Light in a fun and educational way. Following an instructional presentation, your students will explore a variety of exciting and engaging light stations. Your students will learn:

• What is energy?
• Why light is a form of energy?
• What are the properties of light?
• Where does light come from?
• How light travels
• What causes shadows?
• What happens when light travels from one substance to another?
• Why we need light to see things around us?
• Why do we see colors?
• What happens when we mix colors?
• Is there a difference between color in lights and color in objects?
• What is the difference between conductive and reflective material?
• Why some materials are heated more by light energy.

The light discovery stations include solar spectrum, shadows, light mixers, CD spinners, holograms, miracle mirror, refraction, reflections, water prisms, look into infinity, and much, much more.

These Earth Science Curriculum units address State Science Elementary School Benchmarks and some MEAP objectives. The Concepts were chosen, as were the other Curious Classroom Curriculum Science units, in response to teacher requests for assistance with these topics. Units were designed and developed in consultation with a certified Earth and Space Science Elementary and Junior High School Teacher, Matt Severin, as well as trained Curious Kids’ science Instructors. [Units can be taught at your site, or at Curious Kids’ Discovery Zone-for the Water units particularly, or at Curious Kids’ Museum.]

Each Water objective will be taught to the grade level it occurs in your school. Water classes for all grade levels are most effective when taught at the new Curious Kids’ Discovery Zone (Mondays and Tuesdays) with its 6 new Hands-on Water Exhibits (as well as other fun exhibits for students). When possible or desired, units will involve the environment nearby, St. Joseph River and Lake Michigan. Water units are adapted to your different grade level and will address any of the following objectives you choose:

• Describe how water exists on Earth in three states.
• Trace the path that rainwater follows after it falls.
• Identify sources of water.
• Describe the origins of pollution in the hydrosphere.
• Explain how water exists below the Earth’s surface and how it is replenished.
• How humans use water.
• Our St. Joseph River Watershed size, shape, location, habitats, animals, pollution prevention.
• Additional water topics: Water Conservation/Clean Drinking Water, Forces of Water.
• How Waves are formed; Simple Machines using Water.
• How Groundwater moves through soil, sand, rock.
• Hands-on Exhibits and Activities, grade-level oriented: Wriggling Water Droplets, Groundwater Race.
• Groundwater Model and Plume demo, Density-Tinfoil Boat Displacements, Locks & Dams, Fantastic Cloud Maker and more. Students will use the Large, Hands-on new Water Exhibits to demonstrate the concepts above.
• Lake Michigan Water Table: Water currents, Wind Generators, Locks/dams to lower and raise Lake Michigan Water levels, 20 offshore Shipwrecks and their histories, Water Mushrooms, Build a Boat & more. (Physical and Earth Science, History, Engineering)
• Water Power Tower: 15 hands-on activities showing water power use by humans.
• Hand pumping water to tower (like African children), measuring tower water fill, Archimedes Screw, Water Turbines, Build a Pipe engineering, Water Wheels, Heroes Engine, Tippy Buckets, Vortex, Torricelli Pressure Pipe, Squirt gun forces and more. (Physical & Earth Sciences, Force & Motion, Energy)
• Wave Table: Students learn how waves are made by wind and how waves sculpt the land (Earth Science, Force, and Motion)
• Bio-Sand Filter-Simple biological algae and sand layers provide clean drinking water for millions of children in poverty around the world. (Earth Science, Life Science, Health)
• Groundwater Climbing Wall—where our water is stored underground and how it works (Water)
• Groundwater Model and underground movement of water through particles of soil, sand (Water)
• How drinking water underground gets polluted and spreads the pollution (Water Conservation)
• Watersheds: St. Joseph River Watershed model with habitats, animals, pollution (Watersheds)

Study the night sky and space either at your site or at Curious Kids’ Museum with the huge portable planetarium, StarLab. Whether for 1st and 2nd graders or for 4th thru-6th graders, StarLab recreates inside this 12-foot planetarium, a close up look at the stars and planets accompanying Earth around the Sun. Surrounding StarLab are 5-7 tables of Space and Astronomy hands-on activities. Students will remember lessons in:

• Characteristics of objects in the sky.
• Patterns of objects in the sky.
• Relationship and distances between Sun, Moon, Earth; the path of the Sun, Moon, and Earth.
• Orbits of planets, planetary positions.
• Sky constellations—Find the North Star, identify important stars.
• Cultural differences and similarities among space folklore and mythology of the Greeks, Africa, Chinese and Native American civilizations. Compare/contrast expectations.

In this 1-2 hour class, your students will receive an introduction to simple/complex machines, demonstrations on simple machines that save work for humans, and learn extensive simple/complex machines used in: kitchens, art rooms, tool garages, autos, musical instruments, and playgrounds. Students will learn:

• Force and movement at work, pushing, pulling objects over distances.
• Measuring the amounts of force needed to move objects.
• Types of Simple/Complex Machines by hands-on manipulations.
• Ways Simple/Complex machines save humans work in a variety of areas.
• What Friction means thru activities involving overcoming or creating friction.
• Searching/finding machines at work with the Simple/Complex machines Treasure Hunt.

Simple/Complex Machine Unit Stations Include:

Lever, Inclined Plane, Wheel and Axle, Screw, Pulley, Wedge, Friction, Complex Machines, and an active Machines Treasure Hunt using Museum Exhibits.