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This demonstration/activity helps learners understand why higher elevations are not always warm simply because "hot air rises." Learners use a tire pump to increase the pressure and temperature inside

This activity requires a Pico Cricket (tiny computer).

In this activity learners explore surface tension. Why are certain objects able to float on the surface of water and how do detergents break the surface tension of water?

Learners see convection currents in action in this highly visual demonstration. Sealed bags of colored hot or cold water are immersed in tanks of water.

Learners pour equal amounts of coffee, mineral oil, corn syrup, and alcohol into a beaker. The liquids resolve into stacked layers, and learners can infer which liquids are the most and least dense.

In this activity, learners visualize the differences in water density and relate this to the potential consequences of increased glacial melting.

In this activity, learners explore the devices used over time to measure changes in temperature.

In this quick activity (located on page 2 of the PDF under GPS: Balloon Fiesta Activity), learners will see the effects of convection and understand what makes hot air balloons rise.

In this design challenge activity, learners build a boat that can hold 25 pennies (or 15 one inch metal washers) for at least ten seconds before sinking.

In this quick and easy activity and/or demonstration, learners use two empty soda cans to illustrate Bernoulli's principle.

In this activity, learners prepare four polymer elastomers and then compare their physical properties, such as texture, color, volume, density, and bounce height.

In this activity, learners explore how composites work by creating and testing their own composite for an imaginary company.

Learners experiment with water gel crystals, or sodium polyacrylate crystals, which absorb hundreds of times their weight in water. When in pure water, the water gel crystals cannot be seen.

In this goopy activity (page 2 of PDF under GPS: Glaciers Activity), learners will model glacial movement with “gak,” a white glue and liquid starch mixture.

In this activity, learners are asked to examine the differences between two materials in a pair.

In this activity, learners discover that some plastics will shrink when you get them hot. Learners bake polystyrene in a regular oven and discover what happens.

Build a hydrometer (measures the density of a liquid) using a pipet or eyedropper.

In this edible experiment, learners pour "Magic Shell" chocolate into a glass of cold water. They'll observe as pillow shaped structures form, which resemble lavas on the sea floor.

In this demonstration, learners can observe a number of small convection cells generated from a mixture of aluminum powder and silicon oil on a hot plate.

Learners observe a flask with a balloon attached over the mouth and inverted inside the flask.