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Students plan and conduct an absorbency test on paper, plastic, aluminum foil, and felt to investigate the question: Which material absorbs water and why?

Students sort common objects according to characteristics such as shape, flexibility, and the material they are made from to investigate the question: Can you group objects based on their characteristics?

Students conduct a series of tests on different materials to learn about their properties to investigate the question: What are some of the characteristic properties of paper, plastic, and aluminum foil?

Students use what they’ve learned about the properties of paper, plastic, and aluminum foil to investigate the question: Which materials are best for making a boat that can hold the most pennies before sinking?

Students place small common objects made from wax, wood, metal, and rubber in water to investigate the question: Do certain materials tend to float or sink in water?

Students warm butter until it melts and then cool it until it turns hard again as they investigate the question: How do substances change when they are warmed and cooled?

Students do simple tests to observe the properties of water, mineral oil, and corn syrup on the surface of a zip-closing plastic bag to investigate the question: Can liquids that look similar have different properties?

Students design and conduct an experiment to see if baking powder causes more bubbling in warm or cold water to investigate the question: Does baking powder produce more bubbles when it is heated or cooled?

After an introduction of Snap Cubes as models atoms and molecules, students use Snap Cubes to investigate the question: How can Snap Cubes be used to make models of different molecules?

Student groups use four or five Snap Cubes to make as many different objects as possible to investigate the question: How many different objects can be made by rearranging four cubes?