We are currently studying the 10 energy sources in class.  As we were discussing natural gas and petroleum, students built pipelines.  It was much tougher than we thought it would be, but many of them ended up being successful!

You will need (per group):

- aluminum foil - (4 foot section works well)
- 3 styrofoam cups (we used the larger size)
- 15 straws (we got bendy ones)
- roll of masking tape
- handful of craft sticks
- cup of blue water
- napkins or paper towels (for clean up)

We talked and shared some ideas as we worked.  Students figured out quickly that the starting cup had to be higher than the ending cup so they could use gravity to help the water travel into the second cup.  We colored the water blue so we could see it easier.

We measured the amount of water in the cup before we poured it in (11 cm), then measured the amount of water in the ending cup.  Our groups ranged from 2cm to 9cm of water in the ending cup!

Groundhogs Day is always a fun one for kids.  They usually know a few things about it by the time they reach the intermediate grades, but it could be a great chance to do some STEM with shadows and a little research on groundhogs as an animal.

Groundhog Research Poster

Groundhog STEM Challenge with Shadows

These two packs are a great way to learn a little more about groundhogs and shadows!