The Scientific Toolbox

In their own words…

“MadSci Network represents a collective cranium of scientists providing answers to your questions. For good measure we provide a variety of oddities and other ends as well.”

In addition to their library and a search engine that will help you find scientific information on their own site and the world wide web, they have amassed a small collection of science experiments “that require little more than a quick rummaging through the kitchen cabinets.”

If you have an experiment that you would like to share with others, you can submit your ideas to using their on-line submission form.

They also provide links to a large number of scientific demonstrations for different age levels. Be aware that some of the links are no longer viable (e.g., Student Alleles Database).

Project Dragonfly began as a collaborative project between the National Science Teachers Association and Miami University funded in party by the National Science Foundation. The Dragonfly website contains collections of on-line articles written by children about specific scientific topics.

These topics include: Butterflies, Houses, Baseball in Space, Family Ties, Navigation, Space, Time, Water, People and Plants, and more…

“[Project Dragonfly] celebrate[s] good questions and investigations, rather than science as “following directions.” Avoid cookbook science and static “activities.” Making a leaf collection, for example, would not be sufficient unless the leaf collection answers a particular question, or unless it generated certain questions and investigations. Also, tell us of your different predictions, different possible methods for their study, different interpretations of their findings. What went wrong? What surprised you? Science is rarely perfect or undisputed–when it is, it is usually boring. We value students’ reasons for conducting their inquiries and their personal feelings. (We prefer inquiries generated by students and teachers or parents, but if the inquiry came from, or was based on, a suggestion in a book or other publication, please include the title, author, and publication information with your submission.)”

Children are invited to submit their own work (including articles, narratives, poems, stories, artwork, jokes, interviews, etc). Information on how to submit can be found at the following link.

Check out these applets that were created to help with the visualization of various concepts in math and physics (written by Paul Falstad, a software developer). Although not an applet, I especially like the pictures he took of objects around the house with a thermal camera.

[Note: My husband, who happens to be a physicist, found the link to this site on geekpress.com. ]

I found the PathFinder Science web site while surfing the web. Their tagline is “creating student scientists, not just science students.” What a great philosophy!! PathFinder Science is a national and international collaboration of teachers and students from over 1,000 registered classrooms in 21 differnt countries. The classrooms share data and work together in order to answer questions about our world. Collaborative projects include:

Science textbooks can be very pricey (as I am sure a lot of you already know.) The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has aquired the rights to publish some well-known biomedical text books on-line. The books include:

Biochemistry.
Berg, Jeremy M.; Tymoczko, John L.; and Stryer, Lubert. New York: W. H. Freeman and Co.; 2002.

Introduction to Genetic Analysis. 7th ed.
Griffiths, Anthony J.F.; Miller, Jeffrey H.; Suzuki, David T.; Lewontin, Richard C.; Gelbart, William M. New York: W. H. Freeman & Co.; c1999.

For a complete list of books, check out the main page of the NCBI Bookshelf.

I found an article on the Education World Web site about using the internet to connect classrooms across the country and across the world:

“Projects can use the Internet as “more than just as a large library!” It’s easy for teachers to integrate science and math projects on the Internet! The Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education (CIESE) provides teachers with the necessary classroom tools for five different projects and for several real-time projects that connect students worldwide.”

One of the CIESE projects described in this article is Square of Life, which I posted about a few days ago.

Fun Science Gallery is a Web site for the amateur scientist created and maintained by Giorgio Carboni. He has posted instructions for building “scientific equipments from relatively cheap materials. Projects include instructions for making telescopes, microscopes, batteries, sidereal indicators, and several other instruments…” Included along with each set of instructions is a history of the original device along with ideas for experiments and activities. Be sure to check out the Fun Science home page for details of his copyright agreement.

If you know of any other similar Web resources, please let me know. Either send me an e-mail or leave a comment on this post.

The Exploratorium has instructions for miniature versions of some of their most popular exhibits, which they call Science Snacks. The experiments are indexed alphabetically or by subject.

Subjects include: Chemistry, Color, Electricity, Fluids, Heat, Life Science, Light, Magnetism, Math, Mechanics, Perception, Polarization, Reflection, Refraction, Sound and Waves.

Examples include:

The site also offers a list of resources for buying “snack supplies“:

…a collection of resources recommended by the teachers who created the original Snackbook. It includes sources for some hard-to-get items, for books and print materials considered exceptionally valuable, for unique suppliers, and for items that might not conventionally be considered to be science resources. It does not pretend to be all-encompassing, exhaustive, or universal, but we hope it will be useful.

Here are some on-line references from Holt, Reinhart and Winston:

A World Atlas - click on the names of the continents, countries and states to find out about their total area, populations, natural resources, etc.

The Periodic Table of Elements (available as a pdf)

Holt Researcher - an on-line reference for “American History”, “World History and Culture” and “Economy and Government”.

The Census and History - “this site examines the historical context of the census, its impact on American political institutions, and what it reveals about our culture.”

Evaluation Rubrics for teachers.

Check out the online catalog of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute “where you’ll find a variety of award-winning publications, videos and other materials—all free.”

Here are the listings of their science education-related resources:

Teaching Resources (available as softbound publication or pdf)
• Evolution and the Fossil Record
• Exploring the Biomedical Revolution: A Look at the Work of Frontline Scientists and How They Are Changing Medicine
• The Accelerating Science Curriculum
• The Genes We Share with Yeast, Flies, Worms, and Mice

Multimedia Educational Products
• Scanning Life’s Matrix: Genes, Proteins, and Small Molecules (DVD, VHS)
• The Virtual Lab Series (CD-ROM)
• 2000 and Beyond: Confronting the Microbe Menace (DVD, VHS, CD-ROM, Teacher & Student Guide)
• Clockwork Genes: Discoveries in Biological Time (DVD, VHS, Teacher & Student Guide)
• Genes and Gender (DVD, VHS)
• Of Hearts and Hypertension: Blazing Genetic Trails (VHS, CD-ROM, Teacher & Student Guide)
• Senses and Sensitivity: Neuronal Alliances for Sight and Sound (VHS, CD-ROM, Teacher & Student Guide) Supplements
• The Immune System: Friend and Foe (VHS)
• The Virtual Immunology Lab (CD-ROM)