Kide Science
Storytelling plus creative lesson plans make STEAM concepts come alive
Bottom Line: This wonderful collection offers lots of neat offline activities that'll delight students and shape their thinking skills.
Playground Physics
Fun video app lets students track motion to explore physics concepts
Bottom Line: This is a cheap way to get students out of their chairs to make physics real and tangible, empowering learners and encouraging curiosity.
California Academy of Sciences
Expert research and diverse, rich lessons inspire future scientists
Bottom Line: A perfect companion to (or substitute for) the Academy, this site delivers highly interactive resources and research with a lot of depth.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
STEM lessons creatively build off of NASA data and real space missions
Bottom Line: These hands-on lessons approximate the work of NASA scientists, engineers, and astronauts and make use of actual NASA satellite data.
NASA NeMO-Net
Learn about ocean life and help NASA map the ocean floor
Bottom Line: Simple actions to save the reefs empower students as citizen scientists.
Project Squirrel
Solid citizen-science site with good extension projects
Bottom Line: This online, collaborative science project is a solid resource for making data collection relevant to kids.
Zooniverse
Real research powered by volunteers makes classroom content relevant
Bottom Line: Engage in meaningful, relevant research with citizen scientists from around the world.
Esri GeoInquiries
Captivating, focused map activities support larger curricular lessons
Bottom Line: These inquiry-based activities are a valuable visual and investigative resource for teachers and students in many different subjects.
PlantSnap Plant Identification
Snap pics to (maybe) identify flowers and plants
Bottom Line: If teachers help students learn how to evaluate the plant matches provided, this could be an excellent nature reference source.
Project Noah
Engaging online community for relevant, hands-on science fieldwork
Bottom Line: Project Noah is a free and easy way to take part in biodiversity research with the support of a knowledgeable and global community.
Technovation Families
Family-focused site for learning AI well-suited to classrooms, too
Bottom Line: Makes artificial intelligence and machine learning accessible to students of many ages and abilities.
uHandy
Microscope attachment for mobile devices inspires field investigation
Bottom Line: The use of stickers instead of slides helps students examine their world at the microscopic level with safety and convenience.
The Explorers
Eco-minded app's quality visual content might inspire deeper learning
Bottom Line: The wide range of cool content is sure to fascinate students, but teachers will need to make sure that interest leads to deeper learning and research experiences.
Corgi
Upgrade graphic organizers to accommodate different learning styles
Bottom Line: Digital graphic organizers are accessible but templates are limited.
DataClassroom
Statistical analysis for science classrooms made easy
Bottom Line: Perform a t-test or chi-square analysis using your own data or provided data sets.
Galaxy Zoo
Citizen science site involves, inspires budding astronomers
Bottom Line: Classifying, comparing, and analyzing galactic data with this great, free tool can be influential to kids' involvement with science.
National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science
Science-based debates, discussions, role plays, and more for research, analysis, and critical thinking
Bottom Line: Great resource to address many skills, apply science, and adapt to work in your classroom.
Arduino Science Journal
Turn your phone into a lab sensor to collect and analyze data
Bottom Line: Science Journal does a good job recording real-time motion, sound, and light data using phones.
Scoutlier
Collect and share class data, pictures, and videos
Bottom Line: Works within Google Classroom to help kids record and share observations of the world around them.
The PocketLab
Gather and analyze live data anywhere
Bottom Line: A science sensor that pairs with your device to gather and analyze data is perfect for inquiry-based learning.
iNaturalist
Global citizen-science community for real-world research
Bottom Line: Teens can do hands-on nature research, but in a limited way.
Mars Student Imaging Project
Take science research out of this world with NASA's Mars project
Bottom Line: One of the best authentic inquiry space experiences out there: Use this tool to grow the next generation of researchers in your classroom.