Science
Science Featured Resources
Latinx Heritage Month
Dr. Ellen Ochoa is a veteran astronaut who, in 1993, became the first female Hispanic astronaut in space. To conduct important research about the ozone layer, she spent nine days aboard the Discovery space shuttle. Later, Ochoa served as the first Hispanic director of the Johnson Space Center and as a Director of Flight Crew Operations at NASA.
Ochoa was awarded NASA’s highest award—the Distinguished Service medal—for her work and, according to her NASA biography, has had six schools named after her. Check out the video below to learn more about Ochoa’s achievements in astronomy.
France Córdova's career in science and education included becoming the first woman, the first Latina, and the youngest person ever to become NASA’s chief scientist. She is also credited with making a major discovery in X-ray astronomy for double-star systems and developing the most powerful X-ray telescope ever sent into space.
One scientist who has made a life’s work of crusading for global policy to protect the environment is atmospheric chemist Jose Mario Molina-Pasquel y Henríquez, though informally he uses Mario Molina, the first Mexican-born scientist to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Molina knows more than anyone that when people come together to work toward a common goal, great strides can be made. Before he embarked on his personal mission on behalf of climate change awareness and policy, his groundbreaking research on the ozone layer led to an international treaty to ban human-made chemicals that were destroying Earth’s protective shield.
Juan Lujan was one of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who worked in the National Parks as a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. Lujan describes the pride he developed from contributing to the parks when so many were struggling.
George Melendez Wright, a wealthy San Franciscan of Salvadorian heritage, was a pioneer of efforts to preserve animals in their natural state in the national parks.
Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 69 flight engineer Frank Rubio of NASA answered questions about life and work on the orbiting laboratory and discussed his record-breaking mission during an in-flight conversation recorded on Tuesday, Sept. 5, with NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei.
Rubio surpassed Vande Hei’s previous record for the longest single spaceflight by an American astronaut – 355 days – on Monday, Sept. 11. Rubio will wrap up his long-duration flight on the station on Wednesday, Sept. 27, with 371 days in space. Research conducted during long-duration missions benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future human exploration through the agency’s Artemis missions, which will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future expeditions to Mars.
4th-Grade Students Free CA State Park Pass
California State Park Adventure Pass
A state park pass program, the California State Park Adventure Pass, is for 4th-grade students. The pass provides free entry for fourth graders and their families to 54 amazing participating state parks throughout the state. For more information on the California State Park Adventure Pass program, please visit the State Parks’ website at parks.ca.gov/AdventurePass. Additional details at About the California State Park Adventure Pass.
Parent Science Navigation Videos
Twig Parent Navigation Videos
English - Parent/Student Twig Science Navigationhttps://learn.twigeducation.com/twigsciencenextgen-student-digital-assignment-accessSpanish - Parent/Student Twig Science Navigationhttps://learn.twigeducation.com/tutorial-en-espanol-para-padres-de-familia
Previously Featured Science Resources
No backyard (or local park) expedition is complete without this trusty activity pack. Prepare for five days of outdoor, close-to-home adventures with guided videos, crafts, and hands-on experiments.
Coral reefs are home to all the colors of the rainbow—and 25% of all fish species in the sea. From microscopic baby corals to mega-sized sea turtles, there’s room for everyone on the reef. Enjoy a week under the waves with science crafts, activities, coloring, and more
Searchable science/agriculture themed games that are for students TK-5 with integrated reading and math skills.
Be a CDC disease detective (Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer - EIS officer) trained in epidemiology and sent to investigate global outbreaks.
NASA’s citizen science projects are collaborations between scientists and interested members of the public. Through these collaborations, volunteers (known as citizen scientists) have helped make thousands of important scientific discoveries. Want to work on some real NASA science?
Families of 4th-grade students will have access to their own Every Kid Outdoors pass, good until the end of August 2021. This pass, worth about $80, will give families free access to national parks, national forests, and national wildlife refuges.
Science Snacks are hands-on, teacher-tested activities that bring explorations of natural phenomena into the classroom and home. These Science Snacks showcase Black artists, scientists, inventors and thinkers whose work aids or expands our understanding of the phenomena explored in each Snack.
Check out these Gizmos that celebrate the accomplishments of black scientists and engineers.
Time for some winter STEM activities for kids! Read on for 30 science experiments, math activities, engineering design challenges, and even coding fun - all with a winter theme!
Website with a list of winter STEM activities for students ages 6-8.
PBS Digital Studios
NOVA Science Videos
The Olympic and Paralympics are here again and a great opportunity for learning across the curriculum. Here are some ideas to support learning in science, maths, D & T, geography and of course PE!
Perot Museum of Nature and Science video series exploring multiple science topics from the human body to paleontology to engineering. Has both English and Spanish student activities and subtitles.
National Geographic Kids
Recycling Round-Up Game
Help clean up the park! Your job is to sort the stuff people throw away and put it in the proper bin. Is it recycling, compost, or trash? Get facts about climate change and tips on how you can help save the earth.
Thursday, February 18, 2021 – Mars: Mission Perseverance Rover landed on Mars. This website is to follow the progress of the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity as they explore Mars. -- Exploratorium Mars Perseverance Rover Events -- Smithsonian article What to Know Before Perseverance Lands on Mars -- Exploratorium Countdown to Mars (video) showing the history of Mars exploration -- NOVA 5 Facts About Mars Video
From visiting mission control to seeing where space robots are built, the interactive tour lets online users explore the historic space facility from anywhere in the world. The interactive tour takes visitors to several locations at the 177-acre laboratory, which together provide an overview of JPL’s rich history and its many space missions, past and present. Each location is embedded with dozens of points of interest – including videos, fun facts, and images.
Gizmos
Science Computer Simulations
Phet
Science Computer Simulations
Engineering Challenges
Design Squad Global (PBS)
American Farm Bureau Foundation - increase awareness and understanding of agriculture.
American Farm Trail - tours and facilities of real like agriculture experiences.
Valley PBS Science
Valley PBS for Parents (TK-3) - shows, games, articles for parents
Valley PBS - (TK-8) videos for the students searchable by grade and topic.
PBS Learning Media - (TK-12) Learn at Home (Valley PBS) - videos, lessons, activities, and interactive to explore science.
Click image below for educational weekly TV scheduling and more.
Citizen Science Projects
PBS American Spring Live Once on the page scroll down to the center to find more citizen science projects including butterflies and sunflowers.
iNaturalist Nature Tracking/Exploration
To take part in this large community, all you need to do is log in to the website or the mobile app, enter your data, and get activated immediately to explore, discover, record your observations and share them with everyone. The app is very intuitive and simple to use: just take a photograph of a plant or animal, upload it directly to the app or website and record a report that will be added to all the others. Providing data is very simple, you just have to observe, photograph, and upload photos on the website that will send this data directly to scientists who can use it in specific studies of flora and fauna.
Make Earth Day Every Day
Virtual SCICON Trails
Sheheroes
Join us Sunday, March 17 at 2 PM PST to meet former Firefighter and Fire Chief Cindie Schooner-Bal at
First Woman Graphic Novels and Interactive Experiences that tells the tale of Callie Rodriguez, the first woman to explore the Moon.
San Diego Zoo
Virtual Field Trips & Games
Take a trip to the San Diego Zoo for a virtual field trip. Pick your favorite animal or area of the park for live webcams and to learn more information about the plants and animals found inside the zoo. See what is going on right now...
San Diego Kids (stories, live cams, games & more)
Animals and Plants (habitat & information)
San Diego Safari Park (hover over the “videos & cams” tab to see live cams & animal videos)
Explore Livecams
View livecams and recorded highlights from around the world. Visit the elephants in Africa, bears fishing in Alaska, kitten rescues playing, hatching eaglets, the beaches of Oahu, Hawaii, and so many more. There is a livecam for all interests. Click on the above link and choose where you would like to explore today.
Virtual field trips also open doors to educational experiences all over the country and the world, both past and present. Many different options are provided on this site.
National Park Tours
National Park Tours provided by Google Arts & Culture. Learn more about the park and lead your own virtual tour.
Discover engineering and computer science activities designed to be completed anywhere: at-home, on-the-go, and in community events. Based around real-world problems, users have fun problem-solving unique solutions to each challenge.