The 2012 Google Science Fair likes SMILE, a lot. The Fair’s Educator Toolkit page recommends Howtosmile.org as a great resource for helping spark learners’ interest in math and science.
At Howtosmile.org, a number of activities use Google Earth in connection with other hands-on components. Green Buildings Virtual Tour lets learners travel the globe online to explore “green” buildings, looking for and recording the characteristics that make buildings “green.” In Aerial Imagery, learners view online images of Earth taken from above Earth’s surface. Learners imagine they are traveling in a spaceship to visit Earth for the first time, and explore how their view changes as they approach our planet’s surface. Google Earth Geology Field Trip takes learners on a tour of California rock formations, including a lava landscape.
Howtosmile.org can help you inspire learners to enter their school or community science fair, or the Google Science Fair which challenges students aged 13-18, around the world, to carry out scientific investigations into real-world problems or issues that interest them, through rigorous experimentation, recording and conclusions.
Download and print the free Google Science Fair 2012 poster. As the poster says, “Everyone has a question. What’s yours?”