10 Ways to Make Online Math and Science Fun

As stay-at-home learning continues into this school year, teachers are challenged to come up with creative ways to make online learning exciting and fun. I’ve asked local teachers and searched the internet to find new platforms and programs to help spark your students’ interest in science and math. The best part is that parents can use these resources too!

Best Ways to Bring Science and Math Home, Virtually

Check out Tri-State’s  Virtual Story Behind the Switch session. The program brings the science of energy to students virtually. Schedule an engaging and participative session for your students. They’ll see a plasma ball light up while discovering the science behind the electricity inside. They’ll also be shocked to see electricity jump through the air with the Van de Graaff generator as we explore electricity, electrical safety and power generation by wind, solar, hydro and fossil fuels.

• Kahoot! is an online and classroom game-based learning platform that makes it easy to create and share learning games or trivia quizzes in minutes. The Kahoot! website lets you choose from ready-to-play games on many different subjects or create your own Kahoot! in minutes.  

• Quizlets’ mission is to help students (and teachers) master what they are learning through flash card sets to reinforce their lessons. The Quizlet website lets you either search from its library to find existing flashcard sets to complement your content, create your own sets or play Quizlet live. All you have to do is choose a set, start a game and you’re on the way to engaging  all of your students.

• Bill Nye, the science guy, has a collection of science experiments to try at home. Students can choose from a variety of science projects from making a Twistin’ Tornado to a Barometer in a Bottle and so much more.

• Let students show off their science experiments during a virtual science fair on Zoom. Another platform for a virtual science fair is Padlet, which is ideal because it can house all the student videos/demos in one place. 

• Mystery Doug inspires students to ask questions with perfect five-minute breaks for your classroom. In these well-done videos, Doug answers actual student questions such as ‘Why do we get goosebumps?’, ‘Can a turtle live outside its shell?’, and ‘Why does soap make bubbles?’.

• Mystery Science is a favorite resource where every lesson begins with a mystery that hooks your students. Mystery Doug then narrates an unforgettable story told with stunning images and videos, and is punctuated with opportunities for discussion. Every lesson concludes with simple hands-on activities designed to use supplies you already have (or that are easy to get).

• JeopardyLabs provides an easy way to create a customized jeopardy template without using PowerPoint. The games you make can be played online from anywhere in the world. Make your own template or choose one of the many that have already been created.

• EdPuzzle provides teachers with the opportunity to use videos (self made or internet found) to create a lesson. To check your students’ understanding during the video lesson, you can make stopping points for students to answer questions as they follow along.

• Center for Interactive Learning, CILC, provides students with a wide variety of interactive video learning sessions from over 200 cultural content providers including museums, national parks, zoos, and art galleries. Students have access to live, interactive sessions as well as a YouTube Channel for recordings of the past live programs. Students can access sessions ranging from ‘Climate Change-ing our Health: ‘Weather’ We’re Ready or Not!’ by Cleveland Museum of Natural History to ‘Can You Match the Tech? by Penn Museum’ which solves riddles by looking closely at Penn Museum artifacts. 

• SeeSaw creates a powerful learning loop between students, teachers and families. Students explore a variety of powerful and intuitive tools, such as collage, video and more, to respond not only in a written form, but also via audio and video recording. They can show what they know in the way that works best for them. 

Tri-State is a not-for-profit cooperative of 45 members, including 42 member utility electric distribution cooperatives and public power districts in four states, that together deliver reliable, affordable, and responsible power to more than a million electricity consumers across nearly 200,000 square miles of the West.