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This design challenge is an open-ended exploration of linkages, a group of parts connected by hinges, and the types of motion they can create.

In this demonstration, learners discover that nanoparticles behave differently, in part because they have a high surface area to volume ratio.

In this activity, learners use multiple thermometers, placed at different angles, and a lamp to investigate why some places on Earth's surface are much hotter than others.

In this activity, learners discover that the way a material behaves on the macroscale is affected by its structure on the nanoscale.

In this activity, learners explore how nanotechnology is being used to create new types of protective fabrics.

Learners experiment with a 2-liter plastic bottle containing water and four “divers." The divers consist of open, transparent containers with the opening points downward.

In this activity, learners explore how nanosized structures can create brilliant color.

In this activity/demo about piezoelectricity, learners discover how some crystals produce electricity when squeezed.

In this activity/demo, learners discover how liquid nitrogen cools a creamy mixture at such a rapid rate that it precipitates super fine grained (nano) ice cream.

In this activity, learners use chemistry to “self-assemble” gummy shapes. Learners discover that self-assembly is a process by which molecules and cells form themselves into functional structures.

In this activity, learners investigate how inkjet printers produce tiny, precise drops of ink.

If you have access to a copper metal tube, this activity does a great job demonstrating what happens to matter when it's heated or cooled. This activity requires some lab equipment.

In this activity (on pages 4-5), learners make fake snow by adding water to the super-absorbant chemical from diapers, sodium polyacrylate.

In this activity (pages 3-4), learners investigate the properties of smart materials, which are materials that respond to things that happen around them.

Make your own speaker with a magnet, wire, and paper cup! If you have a radio with a headphone plug and an old pair of headphones, this is a great tinkering activity.

In this online interactive simulation, learners will add different salts to water and then watch the salts dissolve and achieve a dynamic equilibrium with solid precipitate.

Learners observe working lava lamps to understand how they work (included in PDF link).

In this activity, learners will make homemade jello that glows under a blacklight. They will learn about quinine, an ingredient in tonic water that is fluorescent.

In this activity, learners will use string and salt to lift an ice cube out of a glass of water. Salt depresses the freezing point of water, allowing it to melt around the string and refreeze.

In this activity, learners will explore the ways natural materials can produce sounds. Appropriate for any age, learners can make individual music or create a symphony with others.