Back to School with Science Buddies: Squishy Circuits, Science Standards, and More!

Science Buddies is a 501(c)(3) charity that continues to offer science resources to students and teachers
free of charge thanks to generous support from sponsors and donors.

Explore Electronics: Get Creative with Soft Circuits!

Hands-on Fun with Circuits

What happens when you combine introductory electronics and play dough? Squishy circuits! In this new series of hands-on electronics science projects, students make conductive and insulating dough and then experiment with making circuits that light up. In three separate Project Ideas, students move from creating a single closed circuit that lights up an LED to exploring series and parallel circuits. In the final project, they take their squishy circuit knowledge and go 3D!

Making Science Connections

Exploring How Blood Coagulates

Sometimes doctors need to help prevent a patient's blood from coagulating. Patients with hemophilia, however, have a genetic problem that can lead to excessive bleeding. In the "Blood Clotting to the Rescue: How to Stop Too Much Blood from Flowing" health and human biology science project, students simulate blood and create cool balls of calcium alginate to explore the clotting process and the role of anticoagulants.

Science Buddies Project Ideas that support student exploration of global health issues like hemophilia and diabetes are sponsored by Novo Nordisk.

What Dyes Are in Grape Soda?

Can you separate the purple of grape soda into its separate dyes? In the "Column Chromatography: Can you Separate the Dyes in Grape Soda Using Space Sand?" biotechnology project, students make their own homemade chromatography column using magic sand and a syringe and then put chromatography to work!

A hands-on classroom exploration of column chromatography can be done using the classroom chromatography columns kit from Bio-Rad Laboratories.

Science Buddies Project Ideas in Biotechnology are sponsored by Bio-Rad Laboratories and its Biotechnology Explorer Program.

Science Buddies Brings Success

Award-winning Science Teacher Relies on Science Buddies

Science teacher Angela McDaniel uses Science Buddies resources and Project Ideas with her students and for the annual Family Science Night. Read her story to find out why Science Buddies is an important part of her classroom and STEM planning!

Guidance for All Students

Students conducting science projects at all levels find resources and support in the Science Buddies Project Guide and ISEF Project Guide.

This top science student stopped by Science Buddies as he prepared his Intel International Science and Engineering Fair-winning project last year.

New Science Standards and the Engineering Design Process

Making Room for Both Scientific and Engineering Methods

One aspect of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) is the importance of students learning to use both the scientific method and the engineering design process. Our two-part blog series helps clarify differences in the two methods and summarizes ways in which new attention to the engineering method in the NGSS may bring about exciting change in your
student's classroom and local science fair.

Part 1: New Science Standards Emphasize the Engineering Design Process

Part 2: Understanding the Engineering Design Process: Teachers Embracing Engineering Design

Science Buddies Community

Shop for Science Project Supplies at Elmer's

Shop Elmer's for your science fair display board supplies! Download the current Elmer's rebate coupon now.

Science Project Convenience!

Kits in the Science Buddies Store in Stock and Ready to Ship!

Visit the Science Buddies Store to view available science kits. Each kit is designed specifically to work with a Science Buddies Project Idea.

New Project Ideas and Resources

The following Project Ideas were recently added at Science Buddies:

Pinning Science Buddies

Do You Pin?

Our new grade-level Project Idea boards make it even easier to mark and share the Science Buddies Project Ideas you love.

Share Your Science Project!

Show Us Your Science, Technology, Math, and Engineering!

What hands-on science project or activity did you do last year or over the summer? Submit photos of your project to Science Buddies, and you might end up featured on the Science Buddies Blog, at Facebook or Google+, or in the newsletter.

Let us know--in photos--how your project went!

Science Buddies is a 501(c)(3) charity that offers science resources to students and teachers

free of charge thanks to support from sponsors and donors like:

Help support Science Buddies and K-12 STEM education.