N.C.E.S
North Carolina Essential Standards for Science
Kindergarten
First
Second
Third
Fourth
Fifth
Our programs are designed to enhance your curriculum & go hand-in-hand with the NC Essential Standards for Science.
During an in-school field trip, students are given the opportunity to use the tools as a working scientist would use such as magnifying glasses, thermometers, graduated cylinders, scales & balances & more. Students are able to use these tools when experimenting to classify, measure, compare & hypothesize their observations. Access to these tools takes students beyond gathering data & helps to extend their senses.
INSPIRE
Encourage science discovery in children around the world!
Curriculum aligned programs
for grades K-2
Choose the Force
NC Essential Standard: K.P.1, K.P.1.2 - Forces & Motion:
Understand the positions and motions of objects and organisms observed in the environment.
Have FUN as we explore the fast-paced world of forces & motion! Investigate the viscosity of liquids & discover how air pressure works using our exciting suction cups. Compete in a race like never before & take home a molecule race track to keep!
Scientifically Science
NC Essential Standard: K.P.2.1, K.P.2.2 - States of Matter:
Understand how objects are described based on their physical properties and how they are used.
Have FUN as we watch properties of matter change right before our eyes! We'll shake things up as we get hands-on with our matter mix-up, investigate with REAL magnifying glasses, and explore magnetism! From floating rings to bubbling potions, we'll uncover the mystery of why matter matters!
Weather Wizards
NC Essential Standard: K.E.1.1, K.E.1.2, K.E.1.3 - Earth Systems:
Understand change and observable patterns of weather that occur from day to day and throughout the year.
The forecast for the day is FUN as students transform into mini-meteorologists! We'll discover the science behind our Planet's incredible weather systems as we uncover the reason for the seasons. Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall...this program has it ALL as we experience thunder, go ice cube fishing, touch lightning & more!
Survive & Thrive
NC Essential Standard: K.L.1.1, K.L.1.2 - Structures & Functions of Living Organisms:
Compare characteristics of animals that make them alike and different from other animals & nonliving things.
Prepare to embark on a WILD scientific adventure as we investigate the traits and characteristics that makes the animal kingdom so diverse! Discover what makes, fur, feathers, bird beaks, and blubber so amazing! Make a birds nest to keep and much more!
Invisible Forces
NC Essential Standard: 1.P.1, 1.P.1.2, 1.P.1.3 - Forces & Motion
Understand how forces (pushes or pulls) affect the motion of an object.
Discover the invisible forces of air pressure and magnetism! Prepare to push the pedal to the metal as we hold our very own magnetic car race! Find out what tricks we have up our sleeve as we get the job done learning about inertia, push and pull & more!
Zoom to the Moon
NC Essential Standard: 1.E.1.1, 1.E.1.2 - Earth in the Universe;
Recognize the features and patterns of the earth, moon, sun system as they are observed.
Discover the patterns of our living planet! Have FUN as we reach for the sky and get a feel for the clouds...literally! Make a real impact as we become Crater Makers & find out how delicious the phases of the moon can be. We'll study the planets, the Moon, eclipses & more through FUN, hands-on investigations.
EarthWorks
NC Essential Standard: 1.E.2.1, 1.E.2.2 - Earth Systems;
Understand the physical properties of Earth materials that make them useful in different ways.
Get the "dirt" on Earth's underground layers and apply the pressure to create your own igneous rock! We'll go on a gem panning expedition & uncover Earth's hidden treasures of real gems, rocks & minerals! Students transform into mini-geologists as they sort, test & investigate all that they find. Everything you find...you keep!
NC & Me
NC Essential Standard: 1.L.1.1, 1.L.1.2, 1.L.1.3 - Ecosystems & Environments:
Understand the environments that meet the needs of plants and animals that are native to North Carolina.
Discover the incredible science of the state we call home. From photosynthesis to habitats, we'll learn about the native plants & animals that call NC their home, too. We'll dissect the relationship between predator/prey with the help of some N.C. owls! From Mountains to the Sea, we'll get a hands-on look at timber lines & vegetative zones, dive into some cool coastal science & more!
Primarily Plants
NC Essential Standard: 1.L.2.1, 1.L.2.2 - Plant & Animal Biology
Understand the characteristics of various environments and behaviors of humans that enable plants & animals to survive. Summarize the needs of living organisms for energy & growth.
This field-trip is sure to turn your students into a class of smarty plants! Find out what all plants need to survive & thrive on our planet. Explore the world's ecosystems, the five laws of nature, different types of seeds & how they all play their part in nature's delicate balance. Discover osmosis & diffusion and get a hands-on look while extracting real chlorophyll!
Sounds Like FUN
NC Essential Standard: 2.P.1.1, 2.P.1.2 - Forces & Motion;
Understand the relationship between sounds and vibrating object.
Do you hear what I hear? It's the sweet sound of science! Have FUN as we tune into the different media. Students will be picking up good vibrations as they get hands-on with sound waves, make salt dance, send water flying & build their very own ear drum to keep!
What's the Matter
NC Essential Standard: 2.P.2.1, 2.P.2.2, 2.P.2.3 - Properties & Change;
Understand the properties of solids and liquids and the changes they undergo.
This field trip focuses on what really matters...hands-on FUN! Get ready for a hands-on property party celebrating matter & the changes it makes! Have FUN with the properties of solids & liquids as we race 'em, spread 'em and mix 'em. Start your engines & join the molecule races, explore evaporation rates & create real chemical reactions that you get to take home! This programs includes the HTHT fan-favorite, Space Mud!
Weather or Not
NC Essential Standard: 2.E.1.1, 2.E.1.2, 2.E.1.3, 2.E.1.4 - Earth Systems;
Understand the patterns of weather and the factors that affect them.
Calling all future-meteorologists! Have FUN as we explore the many different types of weather that affect our planet. Brrr...it's time to bundle up as we make our own wind chill! Discover how weather conditions can change & what affects our local weather each day. Students will learn though hands-on investigation as they make their own bubble atmosphere, experiment with wind bags, make anemometer pinwheels & more!
Cycle Babble
NC Essential Standard: 2.L.1.1, 2.L.1.2, 2.L.2.1, 2.L.2.2 - Structures & Functions of Living Organisms;
Understand animal life cycles. Remember that organisms differ from or are similar to their parents based on the characteristics of the organism.
When it comes to science, sometimes there's a change in plans! Have FUN as we investigate the life cycle & witness some of Mother Nature's coolest magic acts via metamorphosis. From birth to adult, these animals prove that growing up is FUN to do! Follow a ladybug as it grows up, build your own edible cocoon, spin a spider web & more!
EXPLORE
Discover the power of observation as students journey through experimentation!
Curriculum aligned programs
for grades 3-5
Newton in a Nutshell
NC Essential Standard: 3.P.1.1, 3.P.1.2, 3.P.1.3 - Factors that affect motion;
Understand motion and the factors that affect it.
We all have potential...potential & kinetic energy that is! Your class will get ramped up as students get hands-on with a few incline plane antics. Our gyroscopes will have everyone going in circles! Prepare your students to be transformed into junior physicists as they discover inertia and motion with our Fun Flicks & more!
Matter Matters
NC Essential Standard: 3.P.2.1, 3.P.2.2, 3.P.2.3 - Properties of Matter;
Understand the structure and properties of matter before and after they undergo a change.
It's just a matter of time until your classroom transforms into a scientific laboratory! Get ready to investigate the properties of matter including solids, liquids & gases. Find out exactly why matter matters as we discover bubbling potions, watch air take up space, & more! Chemical reactions have never tasted so good as we make our own science ice cream...YUM!
The Heat is On
NC Essential Standard: 3.P.3.1, 3.P.3.2 - Transfer of Energy;
Recognize how energy is transferred from one object to another.
Things are about to heat up as we investigate the transfer of energy! Have FUN as we get energized & discover how light and heat absorb & reflect. Become conductors as we encounter heat transfer, conduction, friction & more!
Cosmic Capers
NC Essential Standard: 3.E.1.1, 3.E.1.2 - Earth, Moon & Sun System;
Recognize components & patterns of the earth, moon and sun system.
3..2..1..BLAST OFF! Get ready to shoot for the stars as we discover our planet, the moon & our sun system. Students will learn how to keep time using the sun as they make their own sundial clocks. Get hands-on with the patterns of the night sky constructing your very own constellation, make glow-in-the-dark Space Mud and more!
Earthscapades
NC Essential Standard: 3.E.2.1, 3.E.2.2 - Structures of Earth's Surface;
Compare structures of the Earth's surface using models or 3D diagrams.
This field trip is erupting with FUN as we investigate Earth's dramatic landforms first hand. Your students will transform into mini-geologists as they study the lands from around the globe- from the tops of majestic mountains to the depths of mysterious caves and everything in between. Set out to find the facts on natural acts as we get a hands-on look at earthquakes, volcanoes & more! Finally, we'll get the beef on coral reefs as students make their own 3-D Living Reef to keep!
The Body Shop
NC Essential Standard: 3.L.1.1, 3.L.1.2 - Functions of the Human Body;
Understand how systems of the body provide protection, movement & support.
Discover the systems of the human body. Have fun as we explore digestion, our reflexes and more! Learn about our blood cell factory, put on gloves like doctors, and touch real cow guts!
Smarty Plants
NC Essential Standard: 3.L.2.1, 3.L.2.2, 3.L.2.3, 3.L.2.4 - Characteristics of Plants;
Understand how plants survive in their environments.
Plants are everywhere around us but how much do we really know about them? Prepare to get all the "seedy" facts as we dig into the fascinating world of botany. Have FUN as we study the science of soil & find out how delicious dirt can truly be! Get a hands-on look at real earthworms, dissect a seed, make & take home a pollen catcher. Build your very own working terrarium to keep!
Edison's Workshop
NC Essential Standard: 4.P.1.1, 4.P.1.2, 4.P.3.1, 4.P.3.2 - Forces that affect motion;
Explain how forces affect the motion of an object. Recognize that energy takes various forms that are grouped based on their interaction with matter.
Find out all of the current science on electricity & magnetism as students explore Edison's inventions! They'll get to build their own electroscope to take home, get hands-on with static & current electricity, and have FUN with our electromagnets! Discover the shocking facts experimenting with our lightning globe & more!
Dig It
NC Essential Standard: 4.P.2.1, 4.P.2.2, 4.P.2.3 - Rock Classifications;
Understand the composition and properties of matter before and after they undergo a change or interaction.
Students will become junior geologists for the day & find out why science really rocks! Set out on a mining expedition as we go searching for rocks, meinerals & real gemstones. But the FUN doesn't stop there...students will dig deeper & perform 6 different geological tests & then classify their findings! Everything you find...you keep!
It Doesn't Phase Me
NC Essential Standard: 4.E.1.1, 4.E.1.2 - Earth, Moon & Sun System;
Understand the causes of day and night. Be able to explain the phases of the moon.
Calling out all future astronomers! We're blasting off for an out-of-this-world odyssey to study the causes of day & night. Take a bite out of the 8 different phases of the moon & have FUN as we make a real impact becoming crater makers. Get up close & hands-on with solar & lunar eclipses, the planets, our solar system & more!
Jurassic Classic
NC Essential Standard: 4.E.2.1, 4.E.2.2, 4.E.2.3 - Fossils & Changes in the Earth;
Understand the use of fossils and changes in the surface of the Earth as evidence of the history of Earth and it's changing life forms.
A field trip of prehistoric proportions! Transform your classroom into an exciting dig-site as we become mini-paleontologists & examine a variety of REAL fossils. Students will get hands-on with earthquakes, volcanoes & erosion to learn how the Earth's landscape has changed since the dawn of the dinosaur. Students will make their very own fossil to take home as a super souvenir to their Jurassic journey!
Extreme Scene
NC Essential Standard: 4.L.1.1, 4.L.1.2, 4.L.1.3, 4.L.1.4 - Animal Survival & Adaptations;
Understand the effects of environmental changes, adaptations and behaviors that enable animals (including humans) to survive in changing habitats.
Journey though the Earth's extreme environments! From super cold to super deep, we'll discover the amazing adaptations that help them to survive & thrive in their ever-changing habitats. Have FUN as we shine some light on bioluminescence, build an igloo & more!
Nutty Nutrients
NC Essential Standard: 4.L.2.1, 4.L.2.2 - Benefits of Nutrition;
Understand food and the benefits of vitamins, minerals and exercise.
Get the essentials as we take a bite out of nutrition & learn why they say "you are what you eat!" Discover the satisfying science behind vitamins, minerals, exercise & why your body needs them. Learn how making healthy choices part of your daily routine can be FUN as we see what Vitamin C is all about. Explore "My Plate" as we examine the food groups, go on a starch march, become a fat tester & more!
Forced to Change
NC Essential Standard: 5.P.1.1, 5.P.1.2, 5.P.1.3, 5.P.1.4 - Forces that Affect Motion;
Understand force, motion and the relationship between them.
Find out why things are forced to change as we discover how different forces can change motion with our bicycle gyroscope. Join in the FUN as we examine inertia, motion and the potential of kinetic energy! Prepare to get the job done with push, pull & more!
Energy & Me
NC Essential Standard: 5.P.2.1, 5.P.2.2, 5.P.2.3, 5.P.3.1, 5.P.3.2 - Conservation & Transfer of Energy;
Understand the interactions of matter and energy and the changes that occur. Explain how the properties of some materials change as a result of heating and cooling.
Join us as we shed some light on what happens when energy and matter collide. Have FUN as we heat things up investigating the Sun's energy and learn the basics of solar power. Students will get a hands-on look at our planet's water cycle, erosion & reach for the sky as they touch a cloud! Get energized as we up a chemical concoction, explore the electromagnetic spectrum, go on a search for Ultra Violet light & much more!
Meteorology Madness
NC Essential Standard: 5.E.1.1, 5.E.1.2, 5.E.1.3 - Weather Conditions & Patterns;
Understand weather patterns and phenomena, making connections to the weather in a particular place & time.
The forecast for the day is FUN as students transform into mini-meteorologists. Map out the facts as we investigate our planet's unpredictable weather patterns. Prepare to feel the pressure...the air pressure that is! Experience the winds of change as we get an up-close & hands-on look at the changing conditions experimenting with tornadoes, hurricanes, thunder, lightning & more!
All Systems Go
NC Essential Standard: 5.L.1.1, 5.L.1.2 - Structures & Systems of Living Organisms;
Understand how structures and systems of organisms (to include the human body) perform functions necessary for life.
Investigate the wonders of the human body from the inside out! Students will have FUN studying the structures & systems of the human body and discover how they all come together to create one bodacious body machine. From brains to blood cells, students will gain a whole new "funderstanding" of their own body as they find out what makes them tick! Set out of a quest to digest, expand your knowledge of the respiratory system, get hands-on with real organs, make your very own spinal column to keep & more!
Eco-Safari
NC Essential Standard: 5.L.2.1, 5.L.2.2, 5.L.2.3 - Interactions within Ecosystems;
Understand the interdependence of plants & animals with their ecosystem. Explain how animals use adaptations & behaviors to survive in their habitat & the environment's changing conditions.
Are you ready to explore Earth's more incredible ecosystems? Students will set out on a scientific safari to discover the amazing habitats that can be found across our planet and the wild animals that call it home! Have FUN as you build your very own rainforest, your own coral reef & much more!
DNA is Here to Stay
NC Essential Standard: 5.L.3.1, 5.L.3.2 - Animals & Genetic Inheritance;
Understand why organisms differ from or are similar to their parents based on the characteristics of the organism.
Dive into the gene pool & discover why DNA is here to stay! Learn about our unique fingertip patterns & how we have certain traits that are passed down by our parents. Explore the fascinating world of dermatoglyphics and discover what makes you genetically unique and genetically different from everyone else. From ancient dinosaurs to newly discovered insects, we'll investigate how organisms can be related & completely different. Watch as your class bonds over genetics, takes a bite out of delicious DNA & more!
ENGAGE
Participate in FUN science experiments with easy to use scientific tools!
Programs
Now!