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This lesson focuses on how materials behave differently as their surface area increases.

In this activity, learners discover that nanoparticles of gold can appear red, orange or even blue. They learn that a material can act differently when it’s nanometer-sized.

In this activity (on page 2 of the PDF under GPS: Sailboat Design Activity), learners will discover how the shape of an object, not just its weight, determines whether it floats or sinks.

In this activity on page 11 of the PDF, learners use candle wax to make "invisible" designs that are revealed with watercolor paints.

In this activity, learners will use Google Sky to observe features of the night sky and share their observations.

Learners use shop tools and various materials to construct a magnetic spinner and a compass.

Visitors add drops of copper sulfate solution onto a steel nail. They observe the nail change color from silver to brown as the copper plates onto the nail.

In this two part activity, learners become draft detectives by constructing their own draft catchers to detect drafts around windows or doors.

If a sailboat is stranded because there is no wind, is it possible to set up a fan on deck and blow wind into the sail to make the boat move?

Visitors test solutions of water, sugar, salt, and hydrochloric acid and the solids salt and sugar. They clip leads from the hand generator to wires immersed in each substance.

Visitors prepare six solutions combining vinegar and ammonia that range incrementally from acid (all vinegar) to base (all ammonia).

In this activity, learners use a flexible magnet as a model for a scanning probe microscope (SPM). They learn that SPMs are an example of a special tool that scientists use to work on the nanoscale.

In this activity, learners explore how the power of the sun can be harnessed to heat and cool a building.

In this activity, learners explore how wind energy can be generated on both a large and small scale.

This simple construction activity teaches the importance of architectural structure. Learners build and test designs for a paper "doghouse" strong enough to hold the weight of a jumbo dog biscuit.

In this activity, learners use an old CD to construct a spectroscope, a device that separates light into its component colors.

In this design challenge activity, learners use a balloon and other simple materials to design an air-powered rocket that can hit a distant target.

In this activity, learners build an electric two-paddle boat using paint paddles, plastic knives, and empty water bottles.

In this activity, learners explore the engineering design process (EDP)—the process engineers use to solve design challenges.

In this activity, learners explore how packaging engineers develop customized shipping and packaging containers to meet the needs of many different industries.