Adding a 3D modeling component to any class has been made easy with usecubes. Usecubes allows learners to create simple 3D designs that can be colored and then easily shared via a link, Google Classroom, or other popular social media websites. The interface is pretty easy to use and works on any device a student can get their hands on...even cellphones and iPads!

Watch the tutorial below to see usecubes in action.

I am always a sucker for free curriculum resources. In fact, anytime I here free my ears are perked. Often though the free part comes with a catch. This is not true for Elementary GLOBE. Elementary GLOBE is a resource sponsored by NASA and the National Science Foundation and then further supported by NOAA and the US State Department.

Elementary GLOBE provides units on:

• Climate
• Earth Systems
• Clouds
• Soils
• Seasons
• Water
• Aerosols

Each unit provides a book, teacher guide, and student activities. The activities themselves are often priceless resources! If you want to learn more about this resource and see a brief demo of what Elementary GLOBE has to offer, watch my YouTube demo below.

Do you have that special person in your life who always takes that simplest task and makes it ten times more complicated than it needs to be? Well if so, they may be great at creating Rube Goldberg machines.

A Rube Goldberg machine is a machine that takes a simple process and makes it a multi-step process. Why? Because it is fun! Here are two great websites to introduce Rube Goldberg machines to your students. 

Goldburger to Go is a PBS Kids activity that challenges students to move a hamburger from point A to point B. Students will have to learn via cause and effect to solve this Golberg puzzle.

Burglar Catcher is another Golberg type puzzle, but this one adds a nice layer of physics to the mix. Students have to adjust several simple machines to accomplish their goal. 

After challenging students to solve these puzzles, enjoy the below music video featuring a very complex Rube Goldberg machine.