Subjects & Topics
Take a look inside 5 images
Science Bob
Pros: Encourages kids to engage in fun science, and great experiment ideas are available if kids are willing to dig through the lists.
Cons: It doesn't point kids toward the right experiments according to age or interests.
Bottom Line: A well-rounded, fun place to explore science activities.
Bringing Science Bob into the classroom opens up a lot of doors for fun study. Kids can view videos, do science demonstrations, and link to other websites about space, earth science, and more. A nice resource: Kids can also browse through a decent list of science fair projects. The site posts a response to a user-submitted question each week; writing letters to Science Bob could be a fun class activity.
Science Bob is a website offering experiments and videos to get kids excited about science. With a funny host (Science Bob, of course) to guide them, students can check out science fair project ideas, submit science-related questions, and access instructions for more than 25 experiments, ranging from floating a ketchup packet in a bottle to learn about buoyancy to building a rocket from a 35mm film canister. The site helps kids tell the difference between a true science inquiry and a science demonstration such as building a model volcano. Each set of directions also provides ideas for how to turn a cookbook demonstration into an investigation.
Standout experiments:
- Build a Film Canister Rocket – Students can make it an experiment by changing the amount of water or size of antacid tablet.
- Make an Electromagnet – Students can vary the size of nail or the thickness of wire and see how it changes the strength of the magnet.
Printable instructions are easy to follow and clearly explain how the experiment works. Still, students may need more detail to understand exactly what to do. Be aware that several experiments require supervision; you probably don't want kids mixing sugar and boiling water to make rock candy or creating an exploding lunch bag alone.
Kids are connected to online resources on various science topics, but redirect links are hit or miss: You could be redirected to the National Severe Storms Laboratory or to less professional sources that feature ads. Video clips are engaging because they’re short and to the point. Especially engaging: Kids will love to laugh at lovable geek host Bob Pflugfelder, who drives around in a mobile lab made from an old ambulance and has appeared on media outlets such as "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
Learning Rating
The 4 C’s in motion
Just as Bill Nye brought the world to us through fun and interesting demonstrations related to Science, Bob becomes a newer version of this desire for visual explanation and inquiry for students to question the world around them. The Science Bob website engages students with cool experiments, in some cases on a larger scale, not possible in the classroom setting (e.g. elephant toothpaste). Science Bob is making the 21st Century Education skills happen using the 4 C’s (Critical Thinking, Creating, Collaboration and Communication). He is the collaboration part of the C’s, developing a team to help create a digital tool to provide students with important topics in Science. They are able to collaborate with their own team to model these skills to online learners utilizing the platform. Common core standards are visible and embedded in the website for educators to choose specific areas of the website to use or not use depending on the lesson being taught. Which allows for conceptual understanding and critical thinking from the students and motivates creativity. The links to various research topics are great but not all links are working on the platform. The designer/presenter is relatable, knowledgeable and specific to science. The tool for Science Fair ideas is an added bonus expanding the minds of students to think outside the box when preparing to perform their own experiment and communicate their own understandings.