Science teachers, how are you integrating the March holidays into your science curriculum? One way to motivate students is by including the holidays in their learning. They love the topical references and enjoy understanding and celebrating popular days of the year. Use the following ideas in your science classroom this month!
Monthly Science Activities
If you are like me, frustrated by the lack of holiday spirit in your science curriculum but need and want to follow the NGSS standards, then hold on to your hat, teacher friend, because these science activities and experiments are for you!
March Holidays Include:
- National Nutrition Month
- Women’s History Month
- Spring Equinox – March 20
- March Madness
- St. Patrick’s Day – March 17
National Nutrition Month
Bringing real-life topics into the science classroom helps students understand the importance of science and its relation to life. For example, a topic like nutrition allows students to see a direct correlation between science and their everyday life.
One way to recognize this holiday in your science classroom is by having students understand what a healthy lifestyle looks like. This might include:
- Studying carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and minerals
- Amount of exercise in a week
- Design a menu for a healthy meal
- Conversations about finding balance in consuming foods
This topic also blends well with a discussion about the digestive system. One demonstration that I like to incorporate into my March science activities is showing students how food digests. Knowing that both mechanical and chemical processes need to occur allows students to better understand how our bodies break down food which turns into energy. Get a closer look at this activity here.
Women's History Month
Women made huge contributions to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Encourage your female students and bring awareness to ALL students of these achievements by researching different female scientists. Students can share their findings and bring recognition to the hard work made in the different areas of science.
St Patrick's Day
Build a pot of gold!
Students LOVE using their creative design and engineering skills to complete this March science activity.
Have students use simple materials that they gather or you provide to build the biggest pot to hold all the gold their leprechauns steal on St Patrick’s Day.
An activity like this can be designed and engineered in a class period and use another to see who the winner is. Students will be in suspense to see who can hold the most gold.
March Madness
Learning more about basketball can be motivating for many students. So get your science classroom in the spirit of March Madness by learning more about basketball history.
After students learn all about basketball, they can work collaboratively to build a basketball hoop. Students can see what is needed structurally to build the hoop and operate it correctly.
Another way to incorporate March Madness into your classroom? How about March MAMMAL Madness? This science event is epic and uses animals that compete against one another instead of NCAA basketball teams. Learn all about it here.
Spring Equinox
This March science activity does not only bring joy because of the upcoming warmer weather, but students will also learn about:
- About the spring equinox season celebrated in March
- Differences between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres
- How patterns of rotation and revolution of Earth, sun, and moon help to create seasons
Teach students what an equinox is and how it varies throughout the world. Then bring in your NGSS expectations by having students create a sun, Earth, and moon model to show their alignment during the equinox.
Models can be as simple as a drawing or a little bit more elaborate, like in my ready-made lesson. Check it out here.
Looking for Ready to Use March Science Activities?
Students will learn about:
- Nutrition
- Digestive system
- Problem-solving and engineering
- Seasons
- Equinox
- Women in the field of STEM
- Famous scientist, Garrett Morgan
March Science Activities include:
- Teacher tips and instructions to implement the activities into your classroom
- Digital instructions to distribute the Google Slides activities through your secure learning management system
- Nutrition Article: Students will learn about the nutritional needs of the human body
- Digestive system lab demonstration: Students observe how mechanical digestion helps break down food in the human body.
- Women’s History Month project: Students will research facts and contributions of famous women in STEM.
- Basketball STEM activity to integrate March Madness in your classroom. Students will design, engineer, and test a basketball hoop out of materials.
- St. Patrick’s Day Build a Pot of Gold STEM activity in which students come up with a creative design to build the biggest pot of gold.
- Spring Equinox to learn about how and why Earth has seasons. Students read about the spring equinox, create a sun, Earth, moon model, answer questions, and complete a graphic organizer.
- Scientist in the News article on Garrett Morgan, who shares a birthday in March
- Answer keys and rubrics where applicable
Still wondering if it's right for you?
Remember, science friend, these March science activities are designed to save you prep time while increasing student engagement. Your students will love the different activities and thoroughly enjoy science class!
Check out teacher feedback below.
