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This lesson focuses on how materials behave differently as their surface area increases.

Visitors add drops of copper sulfate solution onto a steel nail. They observe the nail change color from silver to brown as the copper plates onto the nail.

Visitors prepare six solutions combining vinegar and ammonia that range incrementally from acid (all vinegar) to base (all ammonia).

In this design challenge activity, learners use a balloon and other simple materials to design an air-powered rocket that can hit a distant target.

In this activity, learners investigate Scanning Probe Microscopes (SPM) and then work in teams using a pencil to explore and identify the shape of objects they cannot see, just as SPMs do at the nano

In this activity, learners explore how various energy sources can be used to cause a turbine to rotate.

In this engineering activity, learners build a device (an anemometer) to measure how fast the wind is blowing.

In this activity, learners explore the human influences on the carbon cycle and examine how fossil fuels release carbon.

In this design challenge activity, learners build a machine out of cardboard that runs smoothly and dependably. Learners must be precise to make sure their component works properly.

In this invention challenge activity, learners see how many objects they can grab with a homemade "bionic" arm.

In this activity, learners use simple items to construct a device for indicating air pressure changes.

Learners make a simple battery out of "sandwiches" of aluminum foil, pennies, and a salt water-soaked paper towel.

In this activity, learners explore clouds and how they form.

In this activity, learners experiment and collect data during a simulation of the fluid shifts experienced by astronauts' bodies in microgravity.

This activity explores the basic workings of a siphon, which is the core technology that makes toilets work.

This quick demonstration (on page 11 of PDF) allows learners to understand why scientists think water ice could remain frozen in always-dark craters at the poles of the Moon.

This activity models the necessary balance of creating power and cleaning up its associated waste. Learners participate in a game where they attempt to move forward toward a goal.

Visitors observe a bottle with a balloon attached around the mouth. The bottle contains a solution of yeast, sugar, and water.

In this Engineering Design Challenge activity, learners will use balloons to investigate how a multi-stage rocket, like that used in the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission, can propel a sat

In this activity, learners make a miniature greenhouse or "terrarium" to explore the greenhouse effect.