WOW on Wheels Program Options

Shells – 2 years old-Kindergarten

This lesson starts with a reading circle introducing shells and the animals that used to be inside them. Each child then gets a collection of shells and a hand lens.  They spend some time inspecting the shells, sorting them, exploring them, etc.  Then each child can pick their favorites and make a “fossil” using air-dry clay that they can take home once dry the next day.
NGSS: K-LS1-1, K-ESS3-1 

Bubble Wonder – 4 years old-Grade 2

Become a bubble scientist and discover the unique physical properties of bubbles.  What’s inside a soap bubble?  Are bubbles always the same shape?  Can you shake hands with a friend through a bubble wall?  Investigate the answers to these questions and more at a variety of interactive learning stations.  Students and tables will get wet!  Straws are used as bubble blowers at some stations.
NGSS: K-PS2-1, K-2-ETS1-1, 2-PS1-1
Requirements: a room with a sink for clean-up OR an outdoor space, preferably on grass; tables (NO DESKS!) with chairs removed; for multiple classes, one room where classes come to us                         

Bee-bots – 4 years old-Grade 1

We start this lesson with a reading circle introducing the different jobs that robots perform in our society.   Students then get an introduction to basic programming by creating their own sequential program using arrows and floor mats with different physical activities pictured.  Finally, pairs of students are given the Bee-Bot children’s robot and learn the basics of programming it to move along a racetrack.
NGSS: K-PS2-2, K-2-ETS1-3

Feely Socks – Grades K-1

Students will learn about the important role played by all five of their senses: taste, sight, smell, hearing, and especially touch. By hiding various objects deep within long ’feely socks’, students must focus upon only their sense of touch to draw a picture of what they think is in each one before the big reveal at the end of the activity!
NGSS: K-PS3-2,1-PS4-3, 1-LS1-1, 2-PS1-2, K-2-ETS1-1, K-2-ETS1-2

Made in the Shade – Grades K-2

Put your little engineers to work designing and building a structure that will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area.  Through the building activity, students will learn that surfaces in sunlight are warmer than those surfaces in the shade.  Students work in pairs to build a structure and they have the option to keep the structures at the teacher’s discretion.
NGSS: K-PS3-2,1-PS4-3, 1-LS1-1, 2-PS1-2, K-2-ETS1-1, K-2-ETS1-2
Requirements: Must be done indoors; access to an electrical outlet

Magical Magnets – Grades K-3

Students work in pairs to discover the magical world of magnets.  First, we test a variety of items to determine what materials are magnetic and what are not magnetic.  Next, we learn that magnets can be used to make some objects move without being touched, due to a magnet’s special invisible power called the magnetic field.  Finally, we experiment with magnetic poles by racing cars without touching them.
NGSS: K-2-ETS1-1, 3-PS2-3, 3-PS2-4 

Slimy Science – Grades 1-4

This lesson starts with a brief introduction to chemical reactions and three states of matter.  Students will work in pairs to see Chemistry in action!  They measure and mix ingredients and discover substances with strange and surprising properties: non-newtonian polymers called slime.  Students will get to play with and make observations about their slime, and they will get the option to take the slime home with them after the lesson.
NGSS: 5-PS1-3, 5-PS1-4, 2-PS1-1
Requirements: for multiple classes, PREFER one room where classes come to us

Seed Dispersal – Grades 2-4 

Put your students’ STEM skills to work while learning about seed dispersal.  Students will design and test a wind-dispersed seed structure that will carry a single seed the farthest distance possible.
NGSS: 2-LS2-2, 3-5-ETS1-1, K-2-ETS1-2, K-2-ETS1-3

Balloon Rockets – Grades 3-5

Students will deepen their understanding of speed and energy through the creation and exploration of balloon rockets.  Groups of students will be given a kit of materials to create a device that moves a balloon 5 meters along a string.  Once built, students will also explore how the number of breaths and different string types affect the movement of the balloon.
NGSS: 3-PS2-2, 4-PS3-1, 3-5-ETS1-1
Requirements: a large space for pairs of students to space 2 chairs 5 meters apart (i.e. empty classroom or multipurpose room) 

Scientific Measurement – Grades 2-6

Students will practice measuring volume, mass, and temperature like a real scientist.  Each common household material that gets measured will be mixed together for a chemical reaction – elephant toothpaste!  It is called elephant toothpaste because a lot of foam is created and when it squeezes out of the flask it looks like toothpaste.
NGSS: K-2-ETS1-1, 5-PS1-1, 5-PS1-2, 5-PS1-4, MS-PS1-2
Requirements: a room with a sink, access to an electrical outlet, and space for 4 measurement stations; for multiple classes, one room where classes come to us 

I.D.E.A. (Invention, Design, and Exploration Adventure) – Grades 3-6

Test your students’ STEM skills in this student-directed lesson!  Students utilize the scientific method to solve a design problem.  By trial and error, they will understand how simple machines and forces in motion such as inclined planes, gravity, friction, and acceleration affect their plans and will discover what they can do to make improvements.
NGSS: 4-PS3-1, 5-PS2-1, 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, 3-5-ETS1-3

Marshmallow Towers – Grades 3-6

Using mini-marshmallows and pieces of dried spaghetti, students will be challenged to create the tallest, strongest tower possible! They will design their towers, create a prototype, test them, make changes, and test again. They will understand concepts like gravity, force, torque, and the design process.
NGSS: 3-PS2-2, 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, 3-5-ETS1-3, MS-ETS1-1, MS-ETS1-2              

Soda Bottle Rocketry – Grades 3-6

Using plastic bottles, water, and compressed air, students learn about aerodynamics as they design, test, modify, and launch rockets to high altitudes. A 60-minute lesson to allow for launch time.
NGSS: 5-PS2-1, 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, 3-5-ETS1-3
Requirements: a sink, an indoor location, and a 50 ft. x 100 ft. outdoor location. 

Converting Electricity – Grade 4-5

Following a brief introduction to current electricity and generators, students will work in pairs using hand-held generators to experience first-hand how electricity can be converted to heat, light, and motion.  They will connect the generators to a light bulb, a motor, and to another generator to explore energy conversion.
NGSS: 4-PS3-1, 4-PS3-2, 4-PS3-4

Waddle Bots – Grades 4-6

Students will learn about the autonomous aspect of all robots and the various ways in which they’re used in society. After a short lesson on simple circuits, students will use the knowledge to create a WaddleBot that they can redesign to cause different kinds of autonomous behavior!
NGSS: 4-PS3-4, 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2