Common Sense Media Review
By Emily Pohlonski
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Accessible family and school-oriented science activities.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
SCIENCE OF EVERYDAY LIFE is a free website sponsored by 3M and Discovery Education that focuses on STEM education. The site features lesson plans, virtual labs, videos, and student interactive modules. Family activities provide ways to do science at home and supports learning at school.
Is It Any Good?
At first blush, videos such as "Land: Earth's Important Resource" may not seem very interesting, but the site packs key concepts into two-minute clips, providing kids with the information they need to participate in engaging activities such as "Developing Possible Solutions -- Slippery Soil." For high school and middle school kids, student modules make attempts to connect with students' real lives. For example, "Taking the Energy Challenge" has kids compare the energy uses of two teenagers with realistic lifestyles. A few virtual labs are structured so students explore, plan, and experiment, mirroring NGSS scientific practices and encouraging students to think about designing their own investigations.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can discuss the physics of roller coasters and then try to build your own model using The Ups and Downs of Fun.
Families also can talk about ways in which we use energy everyday. How can we reduce our energy consumption? For families interested in reducing their carbon footprint, check out our list Going Green Online.
Website Details
- Subjects : Science : engineering , biology , chemistry
- Genre : Educational
- Topics : STEM
- Pricing structure : Free
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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