When teaching about how heat moves, I’ve found some really cool experiments that make learning fun! Here are some easy ideas to help you understand conduction, convection, and radiation.

Conduction

• Metal Rod Experiment: Take a metal rod and heat one end. Then, hold the other end. Students will feel how the heat moves along the rod. You can also check the temperature in different spots to see how conduction works.

Convection

• Colored Water Experiment: Get a clear container and fill it with water. Add some food coloring to the water. Heat the bottom of the container. Students will see the warm water rise while the cooler water sinks. This shows how convection currents work!

Radiation

• Solar Oven: Make a simple solar oven using a pizza box, some aluminum foil, and plastic wrap. Put s'mores inside the box and let the sun cook them! After a while, check to see how well radiation can heat food.

These fun activities not only help students understand the concepts better but also get them excited about learning!