Science Scavenger Hunt

Science classes have, for generations, taught basic scientific principles to students. These principles often seem abstract to middle school kids. For this reason, seeing these concepts in action is an important part of both learning and applying the valuable lessons that today’s science teachers offer. This fun science activity for kids will let your children exercise their observational skills while witnessing their science lessons in action.

Activity Instructions

Ask your kids if you can borrow their science books and their syllabus. Using the syllabus, look up the most recent chapters that your children have learned. From these chapters, pull a list of scientific concepts that they have explored. For example, a student studying the different states of matter and how they change may need to know condensation, evaporation, freezing, melting, solids, liquids, gases, etc. You can also use different theories and laws.

Using the chart provided, make a list of these ideas and their definitions. Then, send your kids on a scientific scavenger hunt and ask them to provide an example of each of the concepts on the list.

Make sure that you define the boundaries of the scavenger hunt clearly (i.e., the backyard) and make sure that the ideas that you choose to include are evident within that space. Help your kids identify these ideas and talk to them about how these concepts shape the world.

Materials

• Your children’s science textbooks
• Your children’s science syllabi
• Chart

Outcome

This activity will teach your kids to recognize the scientific concepts they have learned in the outside world. As a result, they will better retain their knowledge of these ideas while developing an understanding of why they are important.