Student Resources

There are several science websites out there that can help students understand difficult topics, prepare for exams, and ultimately serve parents and teachers as a virtual teacher’s aid. The best part: Many of the better ones are absolutely free.

Here’s a look at several popular websites that can get students hooked on science. 

HowStuffWorks

A companion to the books and TV shows, HowStuffWorks is more for the teen or young adult, so some supervision will be needed to direct the younger student to the right information.

The site uses illustrations, charts, and graphs to explain the detailed workings of everything from light bulbs to weather phenomena, space craft to submarines, nuclear fission to how ice cubes melt. Parents and teachers will find this a useful resource for explaining the way various items are created and function in the world.

The Science Museum of Western Virginia

The Science Museum has undergone a dramatic renovation of its home in Center in the Square. The museum continues to reinvent not only the exhibit galleries, but also the entire museum and its connecting spaces, classrooms, and programs in order to transform the way visitors engage in learning science. The museum features the Healthy Bodies Gallery, Healthy Earth Gallery, an expanded How it Works Gallery, Living River & Touch Tank, Maker Lab/Open Lab, and The Bubble, a multisensory space for preschoolers.

The Butterfly Garden at the Science Museum of Western Virginia has transitioned from an exotic butterfly habitat to a native pollinator garden. The new Hidden Garden reflects the growing awareness of the importance of supporting pollinators in all stages of their life cycle. Visitors will be able to search for eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises, and adult butterflies within the garden.source for explaining the way various items are created and function in the world. 

Science Toys

Remember making your own crystal radio or a clock from a potato way back when? Science Toys has collected the best of these old-school science projects for the current generation. Students can make things ranging from a steamboat to a solar-powered marshmallow roaster. The projects are best for the middle or high school student, but younger students could also enjoy the projects with adult supervision.

What we love most: the projects try to make use of what might be found around the house, although a few may require a trip to the hardware store.

Bill Nye the Science Guy

This site—which has a fantastic design, by the way—primarily reinforces material that Bill Nye presents on his TV show. His style and humor entertains and educates the student, while really getting the points of each lesson across.. Consider it a great resource to support classroom lectures and projects.

Science News for Kids

This website educates students on science-related topics in the news. News items—such as the decline of the population of honeybees and how forensic science is used to solve crimes—are explained with kids in mind. The site is more appropriate for middle and high school students, but again, younger students can benefit from it with some adult interpretation.

BrainPOP

Another really well-designed educational resource, BrainPOP is a very active site for younger students. They use animation, movies, and short interactive quizzes to interest and entertain the young science student on topics like cellular life and genetics, ecology and behavior, forces of nature, our fragile environment, scientific inquiry, and paleontology and anthropology.

Beginner’s Guide to Coding

Computer programming can be a fun and creative activity. It’s just like playing a game: first, you find out what the game is. Second, learn the rules. Third, find out what tools you may need to play the game. Lastly, playing the game! This kid-friendly tool teaches the basics of computer programming in a fun way.