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Snacks Alive!

Science Snacks are hands-on, teacher-tested activities that bring explorations of natural phenomena into the classroom and home. These Snacks explore different living things from big to small. What makes us different? What makes us the same?

Science activity using light projected through a drop of water to reveal an abundance of tiny organisms
Plankton Projector

Light projected through a drop of water reveals an abundance of life.

Science activity that explores growth rates for cultured cells
How Many HeLa?

Dividing cells expand exponentially.

Science activity to investigate earlobes
Ear Sort

Do your ears hang low—and what do textbooks know?

Science activity to explore variations in skin color and tone
Color Me Human

Explore variations in skin shade and tone.

Science activity demonstrating diffusion in cells
Agar Cell Diffusion

Use agar cubes to investigate how size impacts diffusion.

A science activity to discover the diversity of insect life in your neighborhood
Backyard Bug Bonanza

Get outside and discover the diversity of insect life in your neighborhood.

Science activity to simulate natural selection among predators and prey
Bean-Counter Evolution

Discover the meaning of evolutionary fitness in this predator/prey simulation.

Science activity that explores the properties of soap films and relates them to the properties of plasma membranes
Cellular Soap Opera

Use soap film to model a cell membrane.

Science activity to discover how a variety of traits in a group of living specimens can impact evolution
Critter Comparison

Observe physical and behavioral differences in locally collected creatures.

Science activity that demonstrates neuroplasticity
Distortion Goggles

Distort your vision and see what your brain learns.

Science activity to explore underwater color perception
Deep Blue

Submerge yourself in underwater color perception.

Science activity that uses falling dominoes to model signal transmission in a neuron
Domino Effect

Falling dominoes model signal transmission in a neuron.

Science activity that uses de-shelled eggs to explore diffusion and osmosis in cells
Naked Egg

Watch de-shelled eggs swell and shrink in different fluids.

Science activity that demonstrates photosynthesis
Photosynthetic Floatation

Show that gas is produced during photosynthesis.

Science activity that experiments with brine shrimp behavior
Plankton Rainbow

Shine some light on brine shrimp behavior.

Science activity to make a mini indoor compost pile
Tiny Hot Pile

Microbial decomposers heat things up.

 

NIH SEPA logo

This work was supported by the Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health (NIH) under Science Education Partnership Award Number R25OD016525. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

 


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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Attribution: Exploratorium Teacher Institute