Since August, 2002 scientists from the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER)
have devised and conducted hands-on science experiments with 4th grade students at Russell Cave Elementary School
in Lexington, Kentucky. The 4th-grade students have created invisible ink, made generators and thermometers, extracted
color from leaves and studied energy. This is a way for our scientists to share their expertise with the students of
the community.
As the next step, we have put some of these experiments on our CAER web site for other educators to use. The experiments are formatted in Powerpoint presentations. Educators are encouraged to integrate these experiments into your classrooms. The researchers who contributed them are listed as contacts on the individual Powerpoint slides. Feel free to contact them if you need assistance. You may use this material for educational, non-commercial use only.
- Finding Hidden Colors in Leaves, a 4th grade chromatography experiment - Mr. Dennis Sparks, UK CAER Scientist. (ppt)
- Creating Fossils, a 4th grade fossil experiment - Dr. Robert Rathbone, UK CAER Scientist. (ppt)
- Using Density for Mineral Separations, a 4th grade science experiment - Dr. Jack Groppo, UK CAER Scientist. (ppt)
- Magnetism and Electric Motors, a 4th grade electric experiment - Dr. Jim Neathery, UK CAER Scientist. (ppt)
- Flowing Heat, a 4th grade science experiment - Mr. Matt Weisenberger, UK CAER Scientist. (ppt)
- Invisible Inks, a 4th grade chemistry experiment - Dr. Gary Jacobs, UK CAER Scientist. (ppt)
- Minerals in Our Daily Lives, a 4th grade science experiment - Dr. Jack Groppo, UK CAER Scientist. (ppt)
- Mineralogy, a 4th grade minerals experiment - Dr. Jim Hower, UK CAER Scientist. (ppt)
- Wonderful Weather, a 4th grade weather experiment - Dr. Gerald Thomas and Ms. Margaret Grider, UK CAER Scientists. (ppt)
- Weight and Density, a 4th grade demonstration and experiment - Mr. Roger Perrone, UK CAER Scientist. (ppt)
CD Cover of CAER's 4th Grade Experiments
