School Closure Planning

Free, easy science for remote learning

To help educators during this time of coronavirus, we have pulled our most popular science lessons and are offering them for anyone to use for free. No account or login is needed. Copy and paste the links below into your documents and use them however they might be helpful! Mystery Science is the creator of the most popular science lessons in U.S. schools. We’ve curated this starter set of science lessons that you can use remotely or share with parents. If you need more lessons than what is listed below, you can sign up up for a free account:
Teacher Sign-up for Full Lessons  |   Parent Sign-up for Mini-Lessons

All of the lessons below are expertly designed to engage students, achieve learning outcomes, and be easy for teachers to use. We have short mini-lessons that are completely digital and full lessons that include an activity. All of the activities are designed to use simple supplies a parent will likely already have at home.

Jump to lessons for:    Kindergarten  |   1st Grade  |   2nd Grade  |   3rd Grade  |   4th Grade  |   5th Grade

Kindergarten Lessons

Mini-Lessons (15-30 minutes, all digital)

Mini-Lesson

Who invented pizza?

5 Minutes + Bonus Top 5
Who invented pizza?

Mini-Lesson

Can animals laugh?

5 Minutes + Bonus Top 5
Can animals laugh?

Mini-Lesson

What's the biggest tree in the world?

5 Minutes + Bonus Top 5
What's the biggest tree in the world?

Mini-Lesson

Why do we get hiccups?

5 Minutes + Bonus Top 5
Why do we get hiccups?

Mini-Lesson

How do germs get inside your body?

5 Minutes + Bonus Top 5
How do germs get inside your body?

Mini-Lesson

How does hand sanitizer kill germs?

5 Minutes
How does hand sanitizer kill germs?

Full Lessons (45-90 minutes, w/ hands-on activity)

Animal Needs: Food

Why do woodpeckers peck wood?

Exploration (20 min)
Activity: Eat Like an Animal (20 min)
Why do woodpeckers peck wood?

Animal Needs: Safety

How can you find animals in the woods?

Exploration (21 min)
Activity: Gopher in a Hole (17 min)
How can you find animals in the woods?

Weather Conditions

Have you ever watched a storm?

Exploration (15 min)
Activity: Be a Weather Watcher (30 min)
Have you ever watched a storm?

Weather Forecasting & Seasonal Patterns

What will the weather be like on your birthday?

Exploration (10 min)
Activity: Circle of Seasons (30 min)
What will the weather be like on your birthday?

Pushes & Pulls

What's the biggest excavator?

Exploration (15 min)
Activity: Be a Digging Machine (15 min)
What's the biggest excavator?
Need more lessons than those above? 200+ lessons in our free teacher sign-up | parent sign-up for mini-lessons

1st Grade Lessons

Mini-Lessons (15-30 minutes, all digital)

Mini-Lesson

Why do baby animals look so cute?

5 Minutes
Why do baby animals look so cute?

Mini-Lesson

Were dragons ever real?

5 Minutes + Bonus Top 5
Were dragons ever real?

Mini-Lesson

How is syrup made?

5 Minutes + Bonus Top 5
How is syrup made?

Mini-Lesson

How were emojis created?

5 Minutes
How were emojis created?

Mini-Lesson

How do germs get inside your body?

5 Minutes + Bonus Top 5
How do germs get inside your body?

Mini-Lesson

How does hand sanitizer kill germs?

5 Minutes
How does hand sanitizer kill germs?

Full Lessons (45-90 minutes, w/ hands-on activity)

Camouflage & Animal Survival

Why are polar bears white?

Exploration (21 min)
Activity: Moth Hide and Seek (25 min)
Why are polar bears white?

Sun, Shadows, & Daily Patterns

Could a statue's shadow move?

Exploration (10 min)
Activity: Moving Shadows (30 min)
Could a statue's shadow move?

Sun & Daily Patterns

How can the sun help you if you're lost?

Exploration (12 min)
Activity: Sun Finder (20 min)
How can the sun help you if you're lost?

Sounds & Vibrations

How do they make silly sounds in cartoons?

Exploration (10 min)
Activity: Be a Sound Effects Artist (20 min)
How do they make silly sounds in cartoons?

Light, Communication, & Engineering

How could you send a secret message to someone far away?

Exploration (20 min)
Activity: Secret Signals (25 min)
How could you send a secret message to someone far away?
Need more lessons than those above? 200+ lessons in our free teacher sign-up | parent sign-up for mini-lessons

2nd Grade Lessons

Mini-Lessons (15-30 minutes, all digital)

Mini-Lesson

Are unicorns real?

5 Minutes
Are unicorns real?

Mini-Lesson

How is glass made?

5 Minutes + Bonus Top 5
How is glass made?

Mini-Lesson

Why is the ocean salty?

5 Minutes + Bonus Top 5
Why is the ocean salty?

Mini-Lesson

How are toys invented?

5 Minutes + Bonus Top 5
How are toys invented?

Mini-Lesson

How do germs get inside your body?

5 Minutes + Bonus Top 5
How do germs get inside your body?

Mini-Lesson

How does hand sanitizer kill germs?

5 Minutes
How does hand sanitizer kill germs?

Full Lessons (45-90 minutes, w/ hands-on activity)

Materials, Properties, & Engineering

Could you build a house out of paper?

Exploration (20 min)
Activity: Paper Towers (30 min)
Could you build a house out of paper?

Biodiversity & Classification

How many different kinds of animals are there?

Exploration (25 min)
Activity: Animals Sorting Game (30 min)
How many different kinds of animals are there?

Biodiversity, Habitats, & Species

Why do frogs say "ribbit"?

Exploration (20 min)
Activity: Who's Calling? (35 min)
Why do frogs say "ribbit"?

Rocks, Sand, & Erosion

Why is there sand at the beach?

Exploration (25 min)
Activity: Rocking the River (30 min)
Why is there sand at the beach?

Mapping & Earth's Surface Features

If you floated down a river, where would you end up?

Exploration (20 min)
Activity: Paper Mountains (30 min)
If you floated down a river, where would you end up?
Need more lessons than those above? 200+ lessons in our free teacher sign-up | parent sign-up for mini-lessons

3rd Grade Lessons

Mini-Lessons (15-30 minutes, all digital)

Full Lessons (45-90 minutes, w/ hands-on activity)

Habitats, Fossils, & Environments Over Time

Where can you find whales in a desert?

Exploration (15 min)
Activity: Fossil Dig (30 min)
Where can you find whales in a desert?

Animal Groups & Survival

Why do dogs wag their tails?

Exploration (30 min)
Activity: Field Journal (30 min)
Why do dogs wag their tails?

Environmental Change & Engineering

What's the best way to get rid of mosquitoes?

Exploration (30 min)
Activity: Bug Off! (30 min)
What's the best way to get rid of mosquitoes?

Natural Hazards & Engineering

How can you keep a house from blowing away in a windstorm?

Exploration (20 min)
Activity: Design a Windproof House (35 min)
How can you keep a house from blowing away in a windstorm?

Balanced Forces & Engineering

What makes bridges so strong?

Exploration (22 min)
Activity: Paper Bridge Engineering (30 min)
What makes bridges so strong?
Need more lessons than those above? 200+ lessons in our free teacher sign-up | parent sign-up for mini-lessons

4th Grade Lessons

Mini-Lessons (15-30 minutes, all digital)

Full Lessons (45-90 minutes, w/ hands-on activity)

Volcanoes & Patterns of Earth's Features

Could a volcano pop up where you live?

Exploration (20 min)
Activity: Mapping Volcanoes (35 min)
Could a volcano pop up where you live?

Erosion, Natural Hazards, & Engineering

How could you survive a landslide?

Exploration (15 min)
Activity: Slide City (30 min)
How could you survive a landslide?

Muscles & Skeleton

Why do your biceps bulge?

Exploration (25 min)
Activity: Robot Finger (30 min)
Where does energy come from?

Brain, Nerves, & Information Processing

How does your brain control your body?

Exploration (30 min)
Activity: Think Fast! (20 min)
Where does energy come from?

Renewable Energy & Natural Resources

Where does energy come from?

Exploration (30 min)
Activity: Power this Town (30 min)
Where does energy come from?
Need more lessons than those above? 200+ lessons in our free teacher sign-up | parent sign-up for mini-lessons

5th Grade Lessons

Mini-Lessons (15-30 minutes, all digital)

Mini-Lesson

How do things glow in the dark?

5 Minutes
How do things glow in the dark?

Mini-Lesson

How deep does the ocean go?

5 Minutes
How deep does the ocean go?

Mini-Lesson

How old is the Earth?

5 Minutes + Bonus Top 5
How old is the Earth?

Mini-Lesson

What is a black hole?

5 Minutes + Bonus Top 5
What is a black hole?

Mini-Lesson

How do germs get inside your body?

5 Minutes + Bonus Top 5
How do germs get inside your body?

Mini-Lesson

How does hand sanitizer kill germs?

5 Minutes
How does hand sanitizer kill germs?

Full Lessons (45-90 minutes, w/ hands-on activity)

Food Chains, Predators, Herbivores & Carnivores

Why would a hawk move to New York City?

Exploration (20 min)
Activity: Eat or Be Eaten (30 min)
Why would a hawk move to New York City?

Food Webs & Flow of Energy

Why did the dinosaurs go extinct?

Exploration (20 min)
Activity: Create a Dinosaur Food Web (30 min)
Why did the dinosaurs go extinct?

Seasonal Patterns & Earth's Orbit

Why do the stars change with the seasons?

Exploration (20 min)
Activity: Universe-in-a-Box (25 min)
Why do the stars change with the seasons?

Hydrosphere & The Roles of Water

How much water is in the world?

Exploration (30 min)
Activity: Map the World's Water (25 min)
How much water is in the world?

Groundwater as a Natural Resource

When you turn on the faucet, where does the water come from?

Exploration (30 min)
Activity: Wanted: A Well (25 min)
When you turn on the faucet, where does the water come from?
Need more lessons than those above? 200+ lessons in our free teacher sign-up | parent sign-up for mini-lessons