Description

Science is best understood by providing students with opportunities to make connections between their own world and scientific concepts. What’s more natural than using toys as learning tools to teach science to elementary and middle school students? For teachers and students alike, toys can provide motivational and experiential links between science concepts and everyday experience. This session is designed to help teachers guide their students toward exploring and understanding these connections through fun, hands-on activities using inexpensive, readily available toys or common household objects.

Suitable for: educators of elementary and middle school aged students

Books/written instructions: Copy of one or more books in the Teaching Science with TOYS 5-book series will be provided, depending on the duration of the workshop. Books are made available at 40% off retail price.

Workshop durations, topics, and lessons: These will be customized to meet your needs. View the downloadable Table of Contents and National Science Education Standards for the workshop source books listed below to see the available content for this workshop.

Exploring Matter with TOYS

Exploring Matter with TOYS: Using and Understanding the Senses
Begin to understand the science behind our senses.
"The more students explore with their senses, the more they become in touch with the world around them and how their senses enable them to interpret it. That premise is deeply evident throughout every aspect of this comprehensive book. This book is a must for any teacher’s resource library. Short of supplying the materials and presenting the lesson, it provides all of the ingredients needed for designing and delivering successful learning experiences for young learners." — NSTA Recommends
Purchase from our partner Educational Innovation.
Price: $24.95

Exploring Energy with TOYS

Exploring Energy with TOYS
Fun-filled science activities make the concept of energy come alive with a variety of exciting toys.
"This material is of high quality. Photographs, illustrations, sample data, graphs, and simple diagrams are used throughout the book to clarify and illustrate ideas. The book is easy to read and is organized in a user-friendly way with significant supporting instructions." — Horizon Research, Inc.
Purchase from our partner Educational Innovation.
Price: $24.95

Investigating Solids, Liquids, and Gases with TOYS

Investigating Solids, Liquids, and Gases with TOYS: States of Matter and Changes of State
Toys, gadgets, and fun-to-do experiments help students explore states of matter and changes of state.
"[Investigating Solids, Liquids, and Gases with TOYS: States of Matter and Changes of State] provides 24 activities that will empower any teacher to use simple objects to convey complex ideas. The activities in this book provide students in the middle grades with the great motivation to learn and provide teachers with the lessons and activities to help them do so."—NSTA Recommends
Purchase from our partner Educational Innovation.
Price: $24.95

Teaching Chemistry with TOYS

Teaching Chemistry with TOYS
Exciting projects use ordinary toys and play materials to demonstrate chemistry principles.
  • 42 activities grouped separately for grades K–3, 4–6, and 7–9
  • 296 pages
  • Grades K–9
  • Download the table of contents.
    • "All sections are clearly written, complete, and well-illustrated. This reviewer was particularly impressed by the thorough-and accurate-explanation sections. It should be of great value to any elementary/middle school teacher, parent, or other adult working with children in science."—Science Activities
    Purchase from our partner Educational Innovation.
    Price: $24.95

Teaching Physics with TOYS

Teaching Physics with TOYS
Your students have inquiring minds—Help them to discover physics! The first edition of Teaching Physics with TOYS brought fun and learning to thousands of classrooms. Now, the completely revised Teaching Physics with TOYS—EASYGuide Edition provides new activities in collaboration with K’NEX® Education, along with many new features to guide and support science inquiry in your classroom.
  • 22 hands-on investigations for grades 3–9 make physics principles fun and easy to teach! Students use common toys to explore inertia, kinetic energy, laws of motion, and many more physics principles.
  • Simple step-by-step teaching notes and reproducible and customizable student pages available online save you time preparing and teaching lessons.
  • K’NEX pieces — used to build assorted levers and pulley systems, balances, crank fans, tops, cars, and more — are a fun and economical alternative to single-use equipment.
  • Download the table of contents.
  • Download a list of relevant National Science Education Standards.
    • The "Teaching Students to Be Scientists" [section] provides an outstanding model of inquiry. Each activity builds on what students already know and includes important information such as time required, key topics concepts, and the relevant National Science Education Standards....This package contains excellent information, material, and fun activities useful to teachers at many levels.—NSTA Recommends
    Purchase from our partner Educational Innovation.
    Price: $24.95