Teachable Moment is a collection of activities and lessons to help use the precious time of learners and caregivers. Iowa STEM collaborated with the Iowa Department of Education, AEA Learning Online, Iowa PBS and the Iowa Reading Research Center to provide access to educational enrichment options for students, parents and educators.

The lessons and activities are appropriate for the grade level listed and may also be suitable for learners of other ages and levels. Click on the activity title to access the activity or lesson.

The lessons and activities are provided for educational purposes only. There may be risk involved with replicating the experiment or activity. Individuals demonstrating the experiment or activity do so at their own risk. Attention needs to be given to all parts of the video and all steps in the video need to be followed. Children should be supervised by a responsible adult if replicating the experiment or activity.

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PK-Grade 5

*= Unplugged activities and lessons.

Subject: Science

PK-Grade 5 Teachable Moment for Science
Activity TitleGrade LevelDescription
Astronomical Society of the Pacific*PKResearch-based, science-rich astronomy activities.
Dancing Rice Experiment*PK-5Make rice dance like magic in this super simple kitchen science experiment.
Egg Experiments*PK-5Use one egg and a few simple kitchen items for some seriously egg-citing results!
Monterey Bay AquariumK-5See animals live in their own environments through the live cams at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Muddly Puddly*PK-5Visit this Instagram page for sustainable play ideas and lessons.
National Aquarium Virtual TourK-5Visit the National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD from the comfort of home! You can do a one-hour with a guided activity, or map out your own adventure.
NASA At Home*K-4Let NASA bring the universe into your home with e-books, activities, games and more. You can even build your own Apollo moon capsule craft or land a spacecraft on target!
Science Center of Iowa - At Home*PK-5Experience the Science Center of Iowa at home with fun resources for learners of all ages. Make everything from slime to bubbles with these fun kitchen chemistry experiments.
Surface Tension Experiment*PK-5Check out this fun experiment with food coloring, milk and soap that demonstrates how surface tension works.
Yellowstone National Park WebcamsK-5Learn about the history of the park and view live cameras of popular areas.

 

Subject: Technology

Teachable Moment PK-Grade 5 Technology
Activity TitleGrade LevelDescription
CS Fundamentals*K-5Students will create their own games, art and digital stories that they can share - all while developing problem-solving, collaboration, persistence and computational thinking skills.
NASA1-5Schedule a live virtual field trip at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility Visitor Center. 
The Tech Interactive*K-5Explore at-home experiments for all ages with The Tech Interactive's free resources.
Screen Free Coding*PK-5Teach kids to code with only a deck of cards.

 

Subject: Engineering

Teachable Moment PK-Grade 5 Engineering
Activity TitleGrade LevelDescription
DiscoverE*PK-5DiscoverE has several engineering activities to download. The Foil Boats challenge has participants design and build a boat, learning about buoyancy, density and displacement.
Lego Challenge*PK-5That Brick Life has put together a 30 days of LEGO play calendar. Challenge your kids to use their imagination and to create something new everyday.
Marble Run*PK-5Build a marble run with an unlikely material…play dough!

 

Subject: Mathematics

Teachable Moment PK-Grade 5 Mathematics
Activity TitleGrade LevelDescription
ST MathK-5Resources to mathematically equip all students, support schools and families, and explore math outside of the classroom.
Iowa Regents' Center for Early Developmental Education*PK-2Mathematics games for educators to download, print, cut out and play. Cooking with children explores properties of ingredients and how properties changes when mixed, heated or cooling.

 

Subject: STEM

Teachable Moment PK-Grade 2 STEM
Activity TitleGrade LevelDescription
Carolina STEM CurriculumK-5Weekly lesson plans with free resources for science – life, earth and physical.
Hand2MindK-5Downloadable daily lessons and videos by grade level, including this decimals and fractions mathematics activity.
National Inventors Hall of FamePK-5Activities and lessons that will turn any room into a classroom. Take this quiz to find out what kind of inventor you are, then do an activity for each style of inventor.
STEM Literacy Blog*K-5STEM book recommendations from librarians and readers. Many of the books are connected to STEM activities, for example the windmill activity.
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Grades 6-8

*= Unplugged activities and lessons.

Subject: Science

Teachable Moment Grades 6-8 Science
Activity TitleGrade LevelDescription
Alaska Volcano Observatory6-8Students can explore active volcanoes in Alaska and eastern Russia through resources and live cams of different sites.
Astronomical Society of the Pacific*6-8Science-rich, astronomy activities, materials and kits with downloadable documents, video and audio links for educators and families.
Carnegie Science Center Virtual Visits6-8Explore some of the Carnegie Science Center's most popular exhibits or choose a "theme" area with activities that include Engineering and Robotics, Animals and Aquaria, Space and Astronomy, and more!
Hot Ice*6-8Combine baking soda and vinegar to make sodium acetate, or hot ice!
NASA @ Home6-8Explore a variety of cool activities, books, videos, and podcasts from NASA.
NASA Wallops Flight Facility*6-8Schedule a live virtual field trip at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility Visitor Center. 
Science Center of Iowa - At Home*6-8Experience the Science Center of Iowa at home with fun resources for learners of all ages. Make everything from slime to bubbles with these fun kitchen chemistry experiments.
Virgin Islands National Park Exploration6-8Virtual tours give you the chance to explore marine life swimming amongst the underwater coral reefs, or investigate the remaining handiwork of the Taino Native Americans with up-close views of the ancient petroglyphs along Reef Bay Trail.

 

Subject: Technology

Teachable Moment Grades 6-8 Technology
Activity TitleGrade LevelDescription
CS Discoveries6-10An introductory computer science course that empowers students to create authentic artifacts and engage with computer science as a medium for creativity, communication, problem solving and fun.

 

Subject: Engineering

Teachable Moment Grades 6-8 Engineering
Activity TitleGrade LevelDescription
DiscoverE*6-8Engineering activities to download for students of all ages. The Foil Boats challenge has participants design and build a boat, learning about buoyancy, density and displacement.
Lego Challenge*6-8That Brick Life has put together a 30 days of LEGO play calendar. Challenge your kids to use their imagination and to create something new everyday.
Taking Risks and Iteration*6-8This activity focuses on risk-taking and the role it plays in that investigation and is part of a toolkit developed as a collaborative project coordinated by the talkSTEM organization.
The Tech Interactive6-8Explore a variety of design and building challenges using household items from The Tech Interactive. 

 

Subject: Mathematics

Teachable Moment Grades 6-8 Mathematics
Activity TitleGrade LevelDescription
ST Math6-8Resources to mathematically equip all students, support schools and families and explore math outside of the classroom.

 

Subject: STEM

Teachable Moment Grades 6-8 STEM
Activity TitleGrade LevelDescription
A-Z Career Lab6-8Join members of the A to Z Career Lab as they research exciting jobs.
Bootstrap7-12Engaging introductions to computer programming. Integrates with math concepts in prealgebra, algebra and data science with no prior coding experience. Compatible with PCs, Macs and Chromebooks.
National Inventors Hall of Fame*6-8Activities and lessons that will turn any room into classroom. Take this quiz to find out what kind of inventor you are, then do an activity for each style of inventor.
Raytheon Technologies*6-8Get advice directly from today’s innovators at Raytheon Technologies. Make crystal formations, form honeybee hotels and more!
STEM Literacy Blog*6-8STEM book recommendations from librarians and readers. Many of the books are connected to STEM activities, for example the windmill activity.
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Grades 9-12

*= Unplugged activities and lessons.

Subject: Science

Teachable Moment Grades 9-12 Science
Activity TitleGrade LevelDescription
Alaska Volcano Observatory9-12Explore the Alaska Volcano Observatory and active volcanos virtually thanks to a partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey. You can learn the process behind volcanic activity as well as view live cameras of hotspots.
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Foundation High School STEM Curriculum9-12Learn more about flight, aviation and piloting.
Spark of Science9-12The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, one of America's premiere science museums, produced fantastic (and brief!) videos depicting a variety of science phenomena.
NASA for Kids and Students*9-12Let NASA bring the universe into your home with e-books, activities, games and more. You can even build your own Apollo moon capsule craft or land a spacecraft on target!
Science Center of Iowa - At Home*9-12Experience the Science Center of Iowa at home with fun resources for learners of all ages. Make everything from slime to bubbles with these fun kitchen chemistry experiments.

 

Subject: Technology

Teachable Moment Grades 9-12 Technology
Activity TitleGrade LevelDescription
Discovery Education9-12Learn more about coding, STEM, and more with Discovery Education's online lessons and resources.
CS Principles9-12Introduce students to the foundational concepts of computer science and challenge them to explore how computing and technology can impact the world.

 

Subject: Engineering

Teachable Moment Grades 9-12 Engineering
Activity TitleGrade LevelDescription
DiscoverE*9-12Engineering activities to download for students of all ages. The Foil Boats challenge has participants design and build a boat, learning about buoyancy, density and displacement.

 

Subject: STEM

Teachable Moment Grades 9-12 STEM
Activity TitleGrade LevelDescription
Bootstrap*7-12Engaging introductions to computer programming. Integrates with math concepts in prealgebra, algebra and data science with no prior coding experience. Compatible with PCs, Macs and Chromebooks. Be sure to check out the Think Like A Scientist activity.
BrainPop9-12Keep students on track with BrainPOP’s animated movies, assessment resources and creative tools.
National Inventors Hall of Fame*9-12Activities and lessons that will turn any room into classroom. Take this quiz to find out what kind of inventor you are, then do an activity for each style of inventor.
Stay At Home With STEM*9-12Get advice directly from today’s innovators at Raytheon Technologies. Make crystal formations, form honeybee hotels and more!
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