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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Are Laminates Stronger?

For Students 3rd - 5th
If you love to hit the half pipe with your snowboard or skateboard, then you have tested the strength and durability of laminates. Laminates are sandwiches of different materials that are glued together in layers to give strength and...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: An Aerobic Exercise: Yeast Metabolism and Aeration

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a straightforward project on glucose metabolism in yeast. You'll grow yeast under aerobic and anaerobic conditions and measure carbon dioxide output to assess metabolic efficiency.
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Radiant Radish Seeds

For Students 3rd - 5th
We all know that plants need sunlight and water to grow big and tall. But did you know that inside seeds are baby plants, and that the fragile baby plant inside the seed needs to be protected? If you've ever had a sunburn, you also know...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria and Nitrogen Fertilizers

For Students 9th - 10th
Plants need nitrogen to build proteins and nucleic acids to grow healthy stems and leaves. Though the Earth's atmosphere is made up of 79% nitrogen, the form of nitrogen found in the atmosphere cannot be used by plants. In this...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: It's Crowded in Here! A Study of Plant Population Density

For Students 3rd - 5th
Like humans, plants can be negatively affected by overcrowding. Unlike humans, plants cannot get up and move to a new environment or explore how to utilize new resources. This experiment will explore the effects of crowding (population...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Gone With the Wind: An Experiment on Seed and Fruit Dispersal

For Students 3rd - 5th
If you have ever made a wish and blown the fluff of a dandelion, you have witnessed how some plants are adapted to spreading their seeds using the wind. The tiny, furry parachute allows the seeds to be picked up by the wind and to be...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Plants Are on the Move! A Study of Gravitropism

For Students 3rd - 5th
As we humans zip from place to place, we often forget to stop and smell the roses. Compared to our fast-paced lifestyle, plants seem rooted to the spot. Don't be deceived by appearances however, plants are on the move. This experiment...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: How Much Worm Is a Worm?

For Students 3rd - 5th
Worms are slimy, wiggly, and gross. But did you know that they have many unique abilities? One of the neatest things that worms can do is regenerate, or re-grow, parts of their body. After a piece of a worm is cut off, it can grow back...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Digital Photo Resolution

For Students 3rd - 5th
Do you have a favorite picture? When you have a photo that you treasure, you want it to look as good as possible. Find out how the resolution of a digital photo effects the way it looks when you print it out. How does the quality of the...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Estimation and Population Size

For Students 3rd - 5th
Have you ever wanted to take a short cut? How about when doing your math homework? In this experiment you can learn how estimation can save you time doing math calculations. But beware, some estimations are better than others. Can you...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Bones and Calcium

For Students 3rd - 5th
Why is your grandmother always wondering if you are drinking enough milk? Our bones are made out of calcium, a mineral found in milk, and drinking milk can lead to strong healthy bones. What about other animals? What are their bones made...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Who Has the Biggest Genome?

For Students 3rd - 5th
Humans are complex creatures, but do we have the biggest genome? All living things, from humans to worms to bacteria have genomes. In this experiment you will compare the genome sizes of different organisms to find out who has the...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: What Is Home Sweet Home to a Bug?

For Students 3rd - 8th
If you had to choose between having your favorite dessert, going to a movie, or spending the night at a friend's house, which would you choose? This project shows you how you can "ask" a sowbug (or pill bug) a similar question in order...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: A Magnifying Discovery

For Students 3rd - 5th
Have you ever looked through a magnifying lens? Why do things look bigger when you look at them through the magnifying lens? Even though the object appears to get larger, it really stays the same size. Each lens has its own unique power...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: From Gas to Rust: Measuring the Oxygen Content of Air

For Students 9th - 10th
Earth's atmosphere, the ocean of air that blankets the planet, is mostly nitrogen and oxygen, with small amounts of other gases. How much oxygen is present in air at sea level? Is air high up in the Appalachians or Rockies? Atop Mount...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Measuring Up

For Students 3rd - 5th
Measurements are very important for scientists. It is especially important that the measurements be accurate. Think about how important accuracy is when you want to know if you are taller than a friend of yours, every inch counts. In...
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Lesson Plan
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: A Puzzling Parallax

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Did you know that ancient astronomers could measure the distance to other stars? They could also distinguish between stars and planets. How could they do that without modern technology of telescopes? See if you can discover the link...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Changing Constellations

For Students 3rd - 5th
Do you like to look up into the night sky? There are so many stars, it can be mind boggling. Some ancient people marked time by the changes in star patterns. We still use changes in constellation patterns to mark astronomical time. This...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Which Stars Can You Use for Navigation

For Students 9th - 10th
A great science project from Science Buddies that examines how ancient peoples navigated without the benefit of a GPS. Find out which stars are important in navigation in the northern and southern hemispheres. The Science Buddies project...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Effects of Exercise: Changes in Carbon Dioxide Output

For Students 9th - 10th
Everybody knows that your body needs oxygen to keep going, and that you breathe out carbon dioxide as waste. What happens when you exercise? You've probably noticed that you breathe faster, and your heart beats faster. What triggers your...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Lichenometry: An Accessible Method for Dating Recent History

For Students 9th - 10th
Geology and archeology are examples of historical sciences. Their practitioners rely on multiple methods for establishing dates and temporal sequences as they seek to construct a history from the available evidence. This project will...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Leaves and Light

For Students 2nd - 5th
Leaves use sunlight to make food for the plant. Sunlight contains all of the colors of the rainbow, but are all of those colors used by the leaf? Can you find out if some colors of light are more important than others?
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Unit Plan
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Attack of the Killer Cabbage Clones

For Students 3rd - 5th
Do you like to watch outdated science fiction and cheesy horror movies? Many fictional tales of cloned organisms have been created based upon the scientific method for cloning animals or plants. In the real world, the cloning of plants...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Do Potatoes Regulate the Formation of New Roots?

For Students 3rd - 5th
Propagate potatoes by giving it the right environment for the eyes to sprout.