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Science NetLinks Afterschool is a new resource for afterschool facilitators and daycare providers who would like to bring more hands-on science to the children in their care. Below you will find a list of activities, grouped by age. Each experiment includes a facilitator page and a student page. The facilitator page not only includes the instructions for setting up and running the activity, but also offers an explanation of the science involved in plain English and suggests related activities for further follow-up. The student page is just that—a page where it's safe to send the child directly. It includes a link to the student's instructions for conducting the experiment or online activity, as well as one or two links to additional youth-friendly resources, such as videos, podcasts, or websites. Science NetLinks hopes these activities will help providers feel comfortable including science activities and experiments during the afterschool hours.

Activities

All Systems Go!
Marble Mania    NEW!
Ages: 8-12

Facilitator Page
Student Page

   By the Light of the Moon
A Touch of Class    NEW!
Ages: 8-10

Facilitator Page
Student Page

Introduce kids to probability and chance with a fun interactive. By flipping coins and pulling marbles out of a virtual bag, students begin to develop a basic understanding of how probabilities are determined.

  

Scientists classify organisms in many ways. Kids will come up with their own classification schemes, and then use an online interactive to choose plants and animals that fit into different categories.
     
All Systems Go!
All Systems Go!
Ages: 8-10

Facilitator Page
Student Page

   By the Light of the Moon
By the Light of the Moon
Ages: 8-11

Facilitator Page
Student Page

Through this online interactive activity, kids learn about the concept of separate body parts working together to build a body system. Take your kids on an adventure inside the human body!

  

The moon looks a little different each night, ranging from not there at all to full. Your group will act out how the sun illuminates the moon as it orbits Earth, to see how the moon moves through its phases.

     
Dances with Bees
Dances with Bees
Ages: 8-10

Facilitator Page
Student Page

   Fun with Forces
Fun with Forces
Ages: 8-10

Facilitator Page
Student Page

Honeybees communicate with “dances” to tell other bees where to find nectar and pollen. Your group will reenact a couple of these dances to learn about bees and how they communicate with each other.

 

Almost any place can become a “lab” for exploring forces. Your group is going to experiment with the forces of going around a curve really fast and of swinging in an object in a bucket overhead.

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