I am currently enrolled in an Early Childhood education program. I would love to teach 5th grade, particularly because of the emphasis on science. Earth science is my favorite subject. I want to find ways to get my students to see how interesting the earth and everything around us is. What kinds of hands-on resources could I bring to my class to supplement instruction and spark interest in science? Where could I find these resources?
Something really simple is sand from different sources. I have my students collect a little baggy of sand wherever they go on holiday and bring it back. For a lesson series (3-5 lessons ) we use microscopes to look at the different sands and try to find out where it comes from. Looking at the biological and mineral components of sand from a beach or the number of clear vs coloured sands from terrestrial sources. Even sand from places that used to be an ocean are really interesting on a microscopic scale.
If you or someone you know is handy, you could build a few of these "safe solar viewers" and your students could see sunspots change over time. I built one last summer at the camp I work for to prep campers for the August solar eclipse. http://richardsont.people.cofc.edu/safe_solar_folder/index.html
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