With many schools, museums, and science festivals still inaccessible due to COVID-19, now more than ever it’s great to be able to do some science at home! We’ve put together some fun experiments and demonstrations that you can do at home with common or easily-acquired ingredients. Click each square below to see printable instructions for the activity.
Kids, make sure an adult checks each activity for safety before you try anything by yourself!
Cabbage
Chocolate
Chromatography
Color Analysis
Thermodynamics
Passive Transport
S’mores
More Educational Resources
Over the years, we’ve collected a lot of educational resources like classroom activities and lesson plans related to our blog posts. They come from many different sources around the internet, and we’ve compiled them all here so you can explore hundreds of different activities for learning about various nano-related science topics! Many of these are aimed at teachers, but some will be fun for kids and families, too. Click the + sign on the right or the category name to expand each category and see the list of links.
Animals
Land Animals
- ‘Hunger Games’ Science: Investigating Genetically Engineered Organisms (New York Times Learning Network)
- Bacteria That Help and Hurt Cows (American Society for Microbiology)
- Colors at the Nanoscale: Butterflies, Beetles and Opals (NISEnet activity)
- Curiosity, discovery and gecko feet (TED-Ed video)
- Does Eating Turkey Make You Sleepy? (Answer: No, but tryptophan can teach us about nanotoxicology!) (Sustainable Nano)
- From Leap Year to Frogs to Nanotechnology (Sustainable Nano)
Feathers
- “The Nature of Feathers” Multidisciplinary Classroom Activities: Young Naturalists article (Minnesota DNR)
- Turkeys and Photonic Crystals: Lots to Be Thankful For (Sustainable Nano)
Fireflies
- How does nanoscale chemistry make fireflies glow brightly? (Sustainable Nano)
- Next Time You See a Firefly by Emily Morgan (National Science Teachers Association Press)
- Teaching children about science with fireflies by Darren Bagley (Michigan State University Extension)
Ocean Animals
- Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears: Growing Floaters and Shrinking Sinkers (National Science Digital Library, K-5)
- The Effects of Gold and Silver Nanoparticles on Brine Shrimp: A Toxicology Study (NISEnet/National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network, high school)
Bioluminescence
- Bioluminescence: Living Light activity (National Geographic Society, grades 3-5)
- Bioluminescence 2009: Living Light on the Deep Sea Floor Expedition lesson plans (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, grades 5-12)
Nature-inspired solutions
- Biomimicry: Synthetic Gecko Tape Through Nanomolding (NISEnet activity, ages 7+)
- How mimicking nature inspires new inventions lesson plan (PBS NewsHour Extra, grades 9-12)
Nature-inspired solutions
Art
- Art Conservation and Nanotechnology: A Wonderful Confluence of Arts and Sciences (Sustainable Nano)
- Art Integration: Easy Ideas Combining Science and Art (Scholastic.com)
- The Chemistry of Pottery by Stephen Breuer (Education in Chemistry)
- The Joy of Color in Ceramic Glazes with the Help of Redox Chemistry by Allen Denio in Journal of Chemical Education
- There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom… for Art! (Sustainable Nano)
- UCLA Sci/Art Nanolab summer program (high school)
- Using Nanoparticles in Glazes (Sustainable Nano)
- When Art’s A Craft Classroom Activity by Alison Zimbalist (New York Times Learning Network, grades 9-12)
Bacteria
- Bacteria, Microbes and Germs….Oh my! (Colorado School of Mines, grades 3-5)
- Bacteria in the Shell: A Nano-bio Hybrid for Solar Energy Capture (Sustainable Nano)
- Bacteria Virtual Lab Lesson Plan: Gram Staining Simulation (BrainPop Educators, grades 6-12)
- Graphene Oxide: A new tool in the war against bacteria (Sustainable Nano)
- Grow Your Own Bacteria activity(Science Kids, grades 6-12)
- How Can You Tell if Bacteria are Alive or Dead? (Sustainable Nano)
- How Do Nanoparticles Stick to Bacteria? Or, How Are Cell Membranes Like Velcro? (Sustainable Nano)
- What is in that Water? Bacterial Load and Water Quality Experiment (University of Florida)
- Why do Scientists Care about Bacterial Replication? (Sustainable Nano)
Batteries
- A New Road (activity on battery technology, Discovery Education)
- Analysis of 787 Dreamliner battery fires (National Transportation Safety Board)
- Battery Behavior in the Biosphere: How We Probed Nanoscale Battery Materials Interacting with Bacteria (Sustainable Nano)
- Batteries Lesson Plan: How Does a Battery Work? (BrainPop Educators, grades 3-8)
- Battery University (free educational website offering hands-on battery information)
- Explore the Secret Life of Batteries (Call2Recycle)
- How Many AA Batteries Would it Take to Power a Mercedes? (Sustainable Nano)
- Open-source technical article about the mechanisms of battery failure related to the cathodes (Science Direct)
- Teacher’s guide for “Drained: the Search for Long-Lasting Batteries” (original article is print only, ChemMatters, 2017)
- What’s With All Those Flaming Cell Phones? A Primer on Battery Safety (Sustainable Nano)
Chemistry
Carbon
- Carbon dots: a modular activity to teach fluorescence and nanotechnology at multiple levels (Pham et al. in Journal of Chemical Education, 2017. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b00995)
- Carbon Quantum Dots: A Safe Tool to Learn about Quantum Phenomenon in Nanomaterials: classroom activity for making your own carbon dots (Cruz et al. in Journal of Laboratory Chemical Education, 2017. DOI: 10.5923/j.jlce.20170503.02)
- Have you ever seen colorful “carbon”? (Sustainable Nano)
- Sulfuric acid carbon snake classroom demonstration (UC San Diego)
Click Chemistry
- How Click Chemistry is Like Playing with LEGOs (Sustainable Nano)
- Nobel Laureate K. Barry Sharpless lecture on “New Developments in Click Chemistry“ video (Oak Ridge National Laboratory Eugene P. Wigner Distinguished Lecture Series in Science, Technology and Policy)
Elements
- Aqua Regia (Chemistry in its Element Podcast)
- Element Math Game (Jefferson Lab)
- What is Aqua Regia, and what makes it royal? (Sustainable Nano)
Enzymes
- “Toothpickase” enzyme activity (Sciencegeek.net)
Fire
- 14 Fun Facts About Fireworks by Helen Thompson (Smithsonian)
- A Safer “Rainbow Flame” Demo for the Classroom video
- Burning to Learn: An Introduction to Flame Retardants (Journal of Chemical Education classroom activity, may need subscription)
- Carbon Nanotubes as Flame Retardants: Is the Cure worse than the Cold? (Sustainable Nano)
- On Fire virtual lab (NOVA)
- Why do certain elements change color over a flame? (Scientific American)
Mole Day
- Happy Mole Day 2016! (Sustainable Nano)
- High school Mole Day activities & resources (American Chemical Society)
- Introduction to the Mole (Pennsylvania Department of Education)
Reactions
- LEGO Atoms and Molecules: Chemical Reactions Teacher’s Guide (LEGO Group & MIT Edgerton Center)
- What’s New, CO2? Get to Know A Chemical Reaction Presenter’s Guide (American Chemical Society)
Computer Science
- Machine Learning Exercises for High School Students (Columbia University, high school)
- Molecular Workbench open source software with many educational simulations, activities, etc. (The Concord Consortium)
- Series of (mostly unplugged) activities about algorithms and computational thinking (Teaching London Computing)
- The Sweet Learning Computer activity (build a “computer” using cups and candy, Teaching London Computing)
- What is Machine Learning and How is it Changing Physical Chemistry and Materials Science? (Sustainable Nano)
Culture
- Art Conservation and Nanotechnology: A Wonderful Confluence of Arts and Sciences (Sustainable Nano)
- Black History Month (ScienceNetLinks)
- Careers in Science and Technology (videos of women talking about their jobs, PBS Learning Media)
- Celebrating Black History Month with Science (Sustainable Nano)
- How outstanding women in STEM fields overcame obstacles lesson plans (PBS NewsHour)
- What is the “Matilda Effect,” and How Can We Improve Recognition of Women Scientists? (Sustainable Nano)
- Women on the March: A Lesson Plan on Imagining the Future of Feminism (New York Times)
Electricity
- Are transistors getting too small? (How small is too small?) (Sustainable Nano)
- Moore’s Law instruction guide (STEMRobotics)
- Transistorized! teacher’s guide (Milwaukee PBS)
- Electrocute a Pickle classroom demo lesson plan (James Madison University)
- Electrocuting a Pickle: Demonstrating Major Concepts in Science (Sustainable Nano)
Environment
Climate
- Climate Generation Middle School Curriculum
- Greenhouse gas emission data that you can use to generate charts and tables of your choice (The World Bank)
- Nanotechnology and Climate Change: Finding Connections (Sustainable Nano)
- Studying CO2 from Pole to Pole activity (UCAR Center for Science Education)
Energy
- 5 geothermal energy activities (U.S. Department of Energy)
- Mapping Renewable Energy Around the World interactive (Smithsonian Magazine)
- The National Energy Authority in Iceland (Orkustofnun)
Oil
- “Can Nanotechnology Help Us Clean Up Oil Spills…?” ferrofluid activity (Science Buddies)
- Using Nano/Micromachines to Help Clean Up Oil Spills (Sustainable Nano)
Sustainability
- A greener gameday (NCAA)
- Game Day Green: Sustainability in College Football (Sustainable Nano)
- How Green is Iceland? (Sustainable Nano)
- Why Do Parks Care What Sunscreen We Use? (Sustainable Nano)
General
- Exploring tools: Dress up like a nanoscientist video and activity (NISEnet, ages 4+)
- Educational video podcast on the safe development of nanotechnology (American Society of Mechanical Engineers)
- Field Trip to the Minnesota Nano Center (Sustainable Nano)
- LIGO classroom activities (including star chart, building a spectroscope, etc.)
- MOLO Molecular Logic project
- What happens in a nano lab? video (NISEnet, ages 4+)
Genetics
- DNA to Protein Lab: students can enter a DNA sequence & watch animation of its transcription to RNA and then translation to proteins (Concord Consortium, middle school+)
- Gene Expression Essentials (interactive Java simulation, PhET)
- Human Genome Project lesson (PBS Learning Media, grades 9+)
- Ice Cream Sundae Gene Expression (CPALMS, grades 9-12)
- The Materials Genome Initiative (MGI) and the CSN (Sustainable Nano)
- Using Gene Expression to Learn About Nanoparticle Toxicity (Sustainable Nano)
- What Darwin Never Knew: Switching Genes On and Off video (NOVA, grades 8+)
Health and Human Body
Antibiotics
- E-bug Antibiotics young adult resource pack (Public Health England)
- Stopping Superbugsclassroom activity (Science Buddies)
Blood
- Blood Glucose Monitor activity (National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network)
- Teeny Tiny Motors That Fit in Your Body (Sustainable Nano)
- The Blood-Brain Barrier: “Keep Out” (Neuroscience for Kids, University of Washington)
Cancer
- “Cancer Warrior” lab activity (NOVA, grades 5-12)
- Battling Cancer with Nanotechnology video (NISE Network, ages 11+)
- Magnetic Nanoparticles in Cancer Treatment (Sustainable Nano)
- Nanomedicine: Problem-Solving to Treat Cancer (UW-Madison Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, middle school)
Cells
- Cell activities by Ellen McHenry, including a fluid mosaic model, human membrane group activity, and 3D membrane paper model
- How Do Nanoparticles Stick to Bacteria? Or, How Are Cell Membranes Like Velcro? (Sustainable Nano)
- Insights into cell membranes via dish detergent-Ethan Perlstein (TedEd animation)
- The Cell Membrane: The Gatekeeper of the Cell lesson plan (Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, grade 7)
Ears
- Anatomy of the Cochlea video (HHMI BioInteractive)
- Hair Cell Classroom Demonstration: Loud Sounds Can Damage Hair Cells video (National Institutes of Health)
- Helping Classmates Understand Hearing Loss (Cochlear Implant Online)
- Nano in your ear! Nanotechnology and hearing (Sustainable Nano)
Immune System
- Fighting Infections with Your Immune System (Science Buddies)
Medicine
- Curriculum in Toxicology & Environmental Medicine (UNC School of Medicine)
- Get in My Body: Drug Delivery (Teach Engineering, grades 9-12)
- Nanomedicine in Healthcare Forum (NISEnet)
- Nanoparticles Delivering Drugs Through the Skin (Sustainable Nano)
Stomach
- Does Eating Turkey Make You Sleepy? (Answer: No, but tryptophan can teach us about nanotoxicology!) (Sustainable Nano)
- Metabolism: From Food to Fuel (University of Utah Health Sciences)
- What happens when we eat too much? video (Reactions)
- Will Ingesting Gold Nanoparticles Make Me Smarter? (Sustainable Nano)
Light and Optics
Colors
- Coloring with Foods activity (ACS, grades 3-5)
- Discovering Color With a Prism lesson plan (NASA, grades 9-12)
Light
- Laser Science. Light Can Do Way More Than Just Bend (Sustainable Nano)
- Light Can Do Way More Than Bend: Part 2 (Sustainable Nano)
- Photolithography Laboratory Module To Explore Nanotechnology (Stelick et al. in Journal of Chemical Education, 2005. DOI: 1021/ed082p1361 ages 12+)
- Scattering of light & Tyndall effect (video by Mahesh Shenoy, Khan Academy)
Optics
- Exploring Properties – Invisibility (NISEnet, ages 4+)
- Science, Optics, & You (by Michael W. Davidson, Florida State University)
- The Original Double Slit Experiment video (Veritasium)
Materials
Aerogel
- Aerogel lesson (NISEnet, ages 7+)
- Aerogels: Nanotechnology to Space and Beyond (Sustainable Nano)
Bog Bodies
- Bog Bodies: Haunting questions from the depths of Europe (National Geographic)
- BOG MURDER MYSTERY (Morbid Minute), Ask a Mortician (Caitlin Doughty, Apr. 14, 2016)
- Bog bodies: the chemistry behind natural embalming (Sustainable Nano)
Carbon
- Turning Plastic Bags into Carbon Nanotubes (Sustainable Nano)
- World of Carbon Nanotubes (NISEnet, ages 4+)
Consumer Products
- Nano Waterproofing lesson plan (Teach Engineering, ages 8-18)
- Nanomaterials in bicycles???? Part 1 (Sustainable Nano)
- Nanomaterials in bicycles???? Part 2 (Sustainable Nano)
- Nanotechnology through Consumer Products (NISEnet, ages 11+)
- Nano-textiles: The Fabric of the Future (Sustainable Nano)
Minerals
- Exploring Materials – Graphene (NISEnet, ages 4+)
- Graphene Oxide: A new tool in the war against bacteria (Sustainable Nano)
- How can graphene nanotechnology improve smart contact lenses? (Sustainable Nano)
- Isolate Graphene from Graphite activity using pencil, paper, sticky tape, & tweezers! (UCSB Materials Research Laboratory)
- Making Paint with Minerals lesson plan (Royal Society of Chemistry)
- Making Simple Sustainable Paints with Natural Pigments and Binders (Journal of Chemical Education, 2017, 94 (2), pp 211–215 doi: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b00591)
- Nanotechnology Revolution: Graphene (National Geographic, high school)
- The Effects of Gold and Silver Nanoparticles on Brine Shrimp: A Toxicology Study (NISEnet/National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network, high school)
- The Power of Graphene lesson plan (Teach Engineering, ages 8-18)
- Thirsty for Gold hands-on activity on nanosensors (Teach Engineering, grades 7-12)
Math
- Average Height of Class activity (Victoria, Australia Department of Education)
- Education Resources on the Metric System (SI) including info on how to order SI Teacher’s Kit (National Institute of Standards & Technology)
- Finding Averages as Means (PBS LearningMedia, grades 4-7)
- Landing Among the Stars: Averages in Society (Sustainable Nano)
- Popcorn, Anyone? (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, may need membership)
- The SI system and nanoscale science teacher’s guide (NNIN Nanotechnology Education, middle school)
- What is a Nanometer? (TryNano.org, ages 8-11)
What’s in a Unit Anyway?
- Part 1: From Protons to Galaxies (Sustainable Nano)
- Part 2: When is a Kilogram Not a Kilogram? (Sustainable Nano)
Microscopes
- A Boy and His Atom: The World’s Smallest Movie – Friday Video (Sustainable Nano)
- An Introduction to Electron Microscopy (ThermoFisher Scientific)
- How Can We Photograph the Nanosized World? (Sustainable Nano)
- Project Micro classroom activities (Microscopy Society of America, middle school)
- Royal Rife’s Universal Microscope (and Why It Can’t Exist) (Sustainable Nano)
- Virtual Electron Microscope (Discovery Education, middle school)
Movies
- Animation video collection (PBS Learning Media)
- Computer Animation – lesson plan by Craig Russell (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, grades 9-12)
- Hair & fur advances in special effects (infographic) by Animation Mentor
- Pixar Reinvents Big Hair for Brave by Rachel Gross in Wired, 2012
- The Science Behind Pixar Exhibit: A Review (Sustainable Nano)
Noble Prize
- How to Understand Nobel Science? Food! (Sustainable Nano)
- The Nobel Prize Educational Games
Physical Properties
Crystals
- Directed Discovery of Crystal Structures (SERC at Carleton College, by David Mogk and Kent Ratajeski
- Growing “snowflake” crystals with borax (ScienceKids)
- Nano-Crystalline Metals and Sustainability (Sustainable Nano)
- SnowCrystals.com (Dr. Libbrecht’s website)
Phases
- Can gold melt at room temperature? Melting temperature depression! (Sustainable Nano)
- Exploring Properties of Heat Transfer (NISEnet, ages 4+)
- From Beer Bubbles to Nanoparticles: What is Nucleation? (Sustainable Nano)
Water
- Getting a grip on hydrogen bonds classroom activity (On the Cutting Edge geoscience teaching resources)
- Going for the Gold: The Science of Winter Sports (Science Buddies)
- How Do Skis Ski, and How Do Nanomaterials Make Skiing More Fun? (Sustainable Nano)
- The Science of Snow (Sustainable Nano)
- The Water Race: Hydrophobic & Hydrophilic Surfaces activity (National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network)
- Why does water expand when it freezes? (The International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam)
Nano
- How Small are Nanotubes? (Materials Research Science and Engineering Center)
- The Structures and Properties of Carbon WebNews Digest (National Science Teachers Association)
- ZnO-Based Sunscreen: The Perfect Example To Introduce Nanoparticles in an Undergraduate or High School Chemistry Lab (by Guedens et al.)
Fun with Food
- Mentos and soda eruptions- lessons on explosive volcanic eruptions (National Association of Geoscience Teachers)
- Milk Vs. Dark Chocolate: The Ultimate Showdown video (ACS Reactions)
- Salad Dressing Science: Emulsions (American Association of Chemistry Teachers, elementary, middle, or high school)
- The Science Behind our Food – Using Freezing-Point Depression to Find Molecular Weight (University of Georgia Extension)
- The Science of Chocolate: Interactive Activities on Phase Transitions, Emulsification, and Nucleation (Rowat, et al. in Journal of Chemical Education, ages 6+)
- What Does Nanotechnology Have to Do with Chocolate? (Sustainable Nano)
- Why Does Old Ice Cream Get Crunchy? (Sustainable Nano)
Plants and Soil
- “The Great Plant Escape” activity on soil types (University of Illinois Extension)
- A Leaf in Time – A Popular Introduction to Photosynthesis (Science & Plants for schools book, middle school)
- Digging Deep: Celebrating the Gem Beneath Our Feet (Sustainable Nano)
- “Dirt: Secrets in the Soil” series of modules & resources (Utah State University Extension)
- Engineered Nanoparticles Change Shape in Soil and Groundwater (Sustainable Nano)
- Essential Oil lesson plan (high school)
- From Plants to St. Patrick’s Day, It’s Hard to Avoid the Color Green (Sustainable Nano)
- Photosynthesis – A Survival Guide for Teachers (Science & Plants for Schools, ages 11-14)
- Superhydrophobicity — The Lotus Effect (Teach Engineering, grades 10-12)
Recycling
- Explore the Secret Life of Batteries (Call2Recycle)
- The Recycling Rates of Smartphone Metals (Compound Interest)
- Why Shouldn’t We Toss Lithium-Ion Batteries in the Trash? (Sustainable Nano)
US Green Building Council Learning Lab (K-12)
- Powerful Public Spaces (US Green Building Council Learning Lab, grades 9-10)
- Trash or Treasure (US Green Building Council Learning Lab, grades 3-4)
How to Talk about Science
- Everything you know is wrong 2: Beliefs & Behaviors (Leonore Annenberg Institute for Civics)
- Let’s Talk About Responsible Science Communication…(Sustainable Nano)
- Science vs. Pseudoscience lesson plan (CPALMS)
Space
- Aerogels: Nanotechnology to Space and Beyond (Sustainable Nano)
- Technology for Studying Comets activity (JPL Stardust, grades 5-8)
Water Pollution
- A DIY Groundwater Model (Science Friday)
- Carbon Nanotubes: the Next Generation of Global Water Purification? (Sustainable Nano)
- Curriculum in Toxicology & Environmental Medicine (UNC School of Medicine)
- Hands-on Activity: Make Your Own Water Filters (Teach Engineering, grades 3-5)
- Nano-Sensors: Small size, big impact (Sustainable Nano)
- Ocean Pollution (multiple activities & resources, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration)
- Scrubbing Water Clean! (National Park Service)
- Treatment of Water Teacher’s Guide (Worcester Polytechnic Institute, grades 5-8)