Green Guardians Slides Green Guardians
Eco-Exploration & Nature STEM
Mission Briefing
Today, you are an environmental engineer! Your mission is to build a Mini-Bio-Filter to see how Earth's layers can clean water!
The Gear List
Clear Plastic Bottle
Cotton Balls / Cloth
Sand & Fine Gravel
Small Rocks & Stones
Dirty Water (Mud/Leaves)
Scissors & Tape
The Filter Build
1
Prep Your Vessel
Cut the bottom off your bottle. Flip the top into the bottom half like a funnel.
2
The Plug
Stuff cotton balls or cloth into the neck of the bottle. This is the final catch!
3
Earth Layers
Layer: Fine Sand → Gravel → Small Rocks. Smaller stuff goes at the bottom!
4
The Big Test
Slowly pour in your "mystery swamp water". Watch the magic happen!
Field Guide Journal Field Guide Journal
Mission: Green Guardians
Name: __________________________
Date: ___________________________
Part 1: Backyard Bio-Blitz
Head outside! Check the box and sketch or describe your discovery.
Something fuzzy
3 different colors
A jagged leaf
A tiny rock
Part 2: Water Filter Lab
Sketch Your Filter Layers
Bottle Guide
Before Filtration
Describe color, smell, and floaties:
After Filtration
What changed? What did it catch?
Change One Thing: Nature Mission Guide Teacher Mission Guide
Lesson 1: Green Guardians (Nature & Environmental STEM)
Duration
90 Minutes
Grade Level
K-5 (Adjustable)
STEM Skill
Environmental Eng.
1 Launch: The Water Mystery (15m)
Start with a discussion: "Where does the water in our taps come from? How does nature keep lakes and rivers clean?"
Show a jar of "mystery swamp water" (dirt, twigs, trash).
Predict if we can make it clear using only natural items.
2 Exploration: Bio-Blitz (20m)
Take the group outside. Use the Field Guide Journal for a mini-scavenger hunt. This connects them to real-world natural textures.
Pro-tip: Encourage students to look for smooth rocks vs grainy sand.
3 The Build: Water Filters (40m)
Guide students through the slide instructions. Key mechanics to explain:
Surface Area: Sand catches tiny dirt; rocks catch big leaves.Gravity: Gravity pulls the water through the layers.Safety Note: Remind students the water is NOT safe to drink!
4 Debrief & Clean Up (15m)
Compare results. Did the order of layers matter? Empty filter contents back into a nature bin and recycle bottles.
Preparation Checklist
Pre-cut bottle bottoms
Bucket of Swamp Water ready
Sand and Gravel bins set up
Lots of paper towels!
Cosmic Captains Slides Cosmic Captains
Flight & Space Science Mission
LESSON 02 AERODYNAMICS
The 4 Forces
Thrust & Drag
Thrust pushes you forward! Drag is the air pushing back, trying to slow you down.
Lift & Weight
Lift pulls you up! Weight (Gravity) pulls you back down to Earth.
LIFT
WEIGHT
DRAG
THRUST
Construction Zone
01
The Body
Roll a strip of paper around your straw (not too tight!). Tape the long edge together.
02
The Nose
Slide the paper tube off slightly. Fold the top over and tape it SHUT. It must be air-tight!
03
The Fins
Tape small triangles to the bottom of your tube. Fins help your rocket fly straight!
Launch Tip: Give a sharp, fast burst of air into the straw!
Rocket Launch Log Rocket Launch Log
Mission Control // Flight Science Div
Astronaut Name
Rocket Blueprint
Sketch design with fins & nose cone:
Fins Added
Sealed Nose
Flight Trials
Trial Angle Distance Notes 1 2 3
Post-Mission Analysis
Which design worked best and why?
Newton's 3rd Law:
For every Action (air blowing out), there is an equal and opposite Reaction (the rocket flying up!).
Flight Mission Briefing Flight Mission Briefing
Teacher Technical Guide // Lesson 02
Top Secret
Mission Objective
Investigate aerodynamics and propulsion by designing, building, and iterating on straw-powered rockets, applying Newton's 3rd Law of Motion.
00:00 - 00:15 // Pre-Flight Briefing
Introduce 4 forces of flight: Lift, Weight, Thrust, and Drag using arm motions.
00:15 - 00:45 // Construction Phase
Students build rockets. Key checkpoint: Ensure nose cones are air-tight.
Differentiation
Use pre-cut templates for younger students.
Challenge
Compare 3-fin vs 4-fin aerodynamic stability.
00:45 - 01:15 // Flight Trials
Record all results in the Rocket Launch Log. Watch for tight tubes that stick to the straw.
01:15 - 01:30 // Debrief
Discuss how center of mass and fin surface area impacted flight distance.
Launchpad Logistics
Regular straws only
Stock up on scotch tape
Clean straw hygiene
45° launch is ideal
Master Makers Slides Master Makers
Engineering & Simple Machines
ENGINEERING CHALLENGE
SIMPLE MACHINES
The Secret Six
Inclined Plane
A ramp! It helps you move things up with less force.
Lever
A bar that pivots. Like a seesaw or a catapult!
Pulley
A wheel and rope that changes the direction of pull.
Wheel & Axle
Helps things roll! Reduces friction.
Wedge
Two inclined planes back-to-back. Splits things apart.
Screw
An inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder.
Marble Maze Mania
! The Goal
Build a maze on a flat cardboard sheet that takes at least 10 seconds for a marble to finish. You must use at least 2 different simple machines!
? Think Like an Engineer
"How can I slow the marble down? Can I use gravity to my advantage?"
Supplies Needed:
Cardboard, Paper towel rolls, Tape, Scissors, Straws, Marbles (or round beads).
Mighty Machine Blueprint Mighty Machine Blueprint
Project: Marble Maze Challenge
ENGINEER: __________________________
ID: ST-03-ENG
Drafting Area Scale: 1:1 Engineering Grid
Design Obstacles & Fixes:
Machine Check
Mark machines in your maze:
Inclined Plane
Lever (Pivot)
Wheel & Axle
Screw / Wedge
Iteration Log
One problem and your fix:
!
Final Time Test
Goal: 10+ Seconds
Trial 01
____ sec
Trial 02
____ sec
Builder Boss Notes Builder Boss Notes
Lesson 3: Master Makers (Engineering & Simple Machines)
Time
90 Min
Complexity
High
Key Supply
Cardboard
Outcome
Marble Maze
1 Simple Machine Hunt (15m)
Use the slide deck to introduce the "Secret Six". Before building, have students identify simple machines in the room:
Wedge: A pair of scissors or a doorstop.Lever: A stapler or a light switch.Inclined Plane: A handicap ramp or a laptop stand.
2 The Blueprint (15m)
Hand out the Mighty Machine Blueprint . Emphasize: "A blueprint is an engineer's map. You can't build until you've drafted the path!"
3 The Build Zone (45m)
Assist with structural integrity and gravity logic. Common troubleshooting:
Friction Fix: If the marble stops, increase the angle of the inclined plane.
Speed Control: Use zig-zag paths or paper tubes to slow the marble down to reach the 10-second goal.
4 Expo & Cleanup (15m)
Each engineer demonstrates their maze. Students use stopwatches (or phones/wall clocks) to time each other's runs. Recycle scraps and save intact mazes for an "Engineering Expo".
Teacher Hack:
Cut long strips of cardboard (2" wide) beforehand. These are perfect for walls and ramps, letting students focus on the design rather than prep work.
Slime Scientists Slides Slime Scientists
Chemical Reactions & Non-Newtonian Fluids
What's the Fizz?
Reaction A: Acid + Base
When Vinegar (Acid) meets Baking Soda (Base), they create a gas called CO2!
Reaction B: Slime!
Mixing glue and contact solution (or borax) creates Cross-Linking . Tiny molecules grab onto each other like they're holding hands!
Vocabulary Spotlight
1
Polymers
Long chains of molecules (the "strings" in slime).
2
Exothermic
A reaction that gives off heat!
3
Viscosity
How thick or "flowy" a liquid is.
Lab Experiments
Lemon Volcanoes
Cut a lemon in half. Poke the inside with a stick.
Add food coloring and a drop of dish soap.
Pour baking soda on top. Mash it in!
Fluffy Slime
1/2 cup white glue + 1/2 cup shaving cream.
Add color. Mix until smooth.
Add 1/2 tsp baking soda + 1 tbsp contact solution.
SAFETY FIRST: Never eat your experiments and wash your hands after slime time!
Potion Recipe Card Potion Recipe Card
Gooey Discoveries Lab
Lead Scientist: __________________________
Date: _______
Fluffy Slime
Color Molecule:
Texture Observation:
Stretchy Fluffy
Stretch Test:
_______ INCHES
Volcano Lab
Reaction Sketch:
Sound:
Smell:
?
The Molecule Mystery
What happened to the liquid glue? Use the word MOLECULES!
Chemistry Lab Notes Lab Facilitator Guide
Lesson 4: Slime Scientists
Time
90 Min
Mess
High
Safety
Goggles
Concept
Polymers
Stage 1: Molecule Magic (15m)
Polymers human chain activity. Hand-holding = Cross-linked polymer. Letting go = Single molecules.
Stage 2: Lemon Volcanoes (30m)
Citric acid + baking soda = CO2. Mashing pulp fuels the reaction.
Teacher Notes:
Stage 3: The Fluffy Lab (35m)
Master Recipe (Per Student):
• 1/2 Cup White Glue • 1/2 Cup Shaving Cream • 1/2 tsp Baking Soda • 1 tbsp Contact Solution
"Activator bridges molecules, turning liquid to polymer!"
Student Progress:
Logistics
Table plastic covers.
Pre-measure glue in cups.
Warm water nearby.
Safety
No eating materials. Vinegar dissolves slime on fabric. Check activator allergies.
