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In this activity, learners create a simple “top” from a CD, marble and bottle cap, and use it as a spinning platform for a variety of illusion-generating patterns.

Did you know that a Slinky makes a handy model of earthquake waves?

In this activity related to magnetism and electricity, learners discover that a magnet falls more slowly through a metallic tube than it does through a nonmetallic tube.

Construct a simple battery that's able to power a small light or motor out of foil, salt water, and charcoal. A helpful video, produced by the Exploratorium, guides you along on this activity.

If you have access to a copper metal tube, this activity does a great job demonstrating what happens to matter when it's heated or cooled. This activity requires some lab equipment.

In this group activity, learners see and hear the speed of sound. A learner designated the "gonger" hits a gong, once every second, as the rest of the group watches and listens from a distance.

Make your own speaker with a magnet, wire, and paper cup! If you have a radio with a headphone plug and an old pair of headphones, this is a great tinkering activity.

In this activity, learners play a game that models what happens as stem cells differentiate into different cell types.

Ocean acidification is a big issue due to the amount of carbon dioxide humans release. CO2 in the atmosphere is absorbed into the ocean thus changing its acidity.

This trick from Exploratorium physicist Paul Doherty lets you add together the bounces of two balls and send one ball flying.

In this two-part activity, learners use everyday materials to visualize one mole of gas or 22.4 liters of gas. The first activity involves sublimating dry ice in large garbage bag.

In this demonstration, learners explore a variation of a Foucault pendulum, but upside down.

Electrolysis is the breakdown of water into hydrogen and oxygen. This Exploratorium activity allows learners to visualize the process with an acid-based indicator.

In this activity, learners conduct an experiment to find out if steel wool will weigh more or less when it is burned. Learners will explore the effects of oxidation and rusting on the steel wool.

In this activity, learners explore liquid crystals, light and temperature. Using a postcard made of temperature-sensitive liquid crystal material, learners monitor temperature changes.

In this activity, learners use geometry to predict the shape of carbon. Learners twist and attach chenille stem pieces that represent bonds between different carbon atoms.

An ordinary camera has a lens that makes an image on film. In a pinhole camera, a small hole replaces the lens.

In this demonstration/activity, learners observe as a regular size marshmallow is blown through a tube made from a manila file folder.

In this simple activity, learners create an electroscope by sticking two short pieces of magic tape together and then pulling them apart to find the sign of the charge on an unknown charged object.

In this activity, learners trap a thin layer of air between two pieces of Plexiglas to produce rainbow-colored interference patterns.