This issue of the free online magazine, Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears, examines physical science concepts, such as heat, conductors, and insulation, and applies this knowledge to the animals and people in the Arctic and Antarctica.

Follow along in this video segment from ZOOM as 13-year-old Nick explains how he came up with a design, tested materials, and constructed his own cardboard chair.

ZOOM guest Amy wants to be a meteorologist and volunteers at a weather observatory. In this adapted video segment, she shows us instruments used to predict the weather and describes how air pressure affects weather patterns.

Visit with Andres during fiesta time at Paracho Michoacan, Mexico's "guitar town". As Andres shows in this video segment from ZOOM, guitar music goes beyond simple sound vibrations.

This investigation is a lab where students find out if mass is created or destroyed in a closed system. Students will balance the chemical equation to re-enforce their findings.

This investigation is to help reinforce the idea that a mixture can be taken apart by physical means. It will be set up as a contest in which students will have 3 hours of class to separate as much pure substance as they can. These will be broken into percentages based on purity and the amount they have been able to separate. There is no procedure written so students have a completely open and inquiry based activity.

In this video from the Encyclopedia of Physics Demonstrations, observe how a laser beam is trapped in a water jet because the light reflects against the surface of the water.

In this video segment adapted from NOVA, scientist Mike Garcia draws lava samples at the foot of the active Kilauea volcano to see if it is related to its neighboring volcano, Mauna Loa.

This activity can be used to teach concepts how different densities of liquids can be layered and/or how the salinity of water affects the movement of ocean water.

This NetLogo model of leaf photosynthesis shows the macroscopic outcome of the reaction.

This activity is a whole group guided inquiry activity/lecture where students will learn what dimensional analysis is, how to use dimensional analysis and learn more about why it is so important. It will provide the foundation for moving into stoichiometry.

This activity is an inquiry lesson where students investigate solids, liquids, and gases through a variety of hands on experiments tied into writing and illustration of observable results.

Concepts underlying the first of the Essential Principles of the Climate Sciences are aligned with topics typically taught in the elementary grades. This article identifies lessons that will help elementary students develop an understanding of how Sun's light warms Earth and how variations in daylight hours are associated with seasonal change. This article appears in the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle.

Students wear nametags of an ion and find others throughout the school with whom they can create ionic compounds.

In this video segment adapted from NOVA, a team of archaeologists and engineers explores different uses of the lever by recreating the engineering feats of the ancient Easter Island peoples.

How can you lift a heavy metal table using air? In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, cast members succeed in lifting a table using their own breath and a few plastic bags.

This video segment adapted from Shedding Light on Science describes how astronomical distances can be measured in units of light-years, and how the finite speed of light allows astronomers to study how the universe looked long ago.

This video segment adapted from Shedding Light on Science demonstrates the law of reflection by showing how light energy is reflected off both smooth and rough surfaces at predictable angles.

An exercise in which students apply limiting reactants, mass ratios and percent yields to suggest an optimum industrial process. Cost figures are provided but students are told to come up with, and defend, their own criteria for their recommendation.

This video segment of Swift: Eyes through Time provides concrete examples to explain the concept that distance in space equals distance in time.