The Science Behind SciQuest

Can I make a confession? Even though I totally geek out on science- I’m far from a science nerd. No one can believe that I haven’t watched a Star Wars movie nor any of the Harry Potter movies. (Gasp! I know.) It’s just not my thing! The wizardry stuff, meh… doesn’t do anything for me. Well, imagine my shock when I went on a family vacation to Great Wolf Lodge and there was this interactive game called MagiQuest. It was a wizard themed scavenger hunt where kids would use clues in a book to find items located all over the hotel. They would use their digital wands to collect magical items and ultimately runes, which would give them more power. Sounds lame… right? NOPE! EV-ER-Y kid had a wand and they were eating this game up. I mean, like completely! I have never seen kids so engaged in an activity, but after all, it was like a virtual video game where they were playing the main character. I liked it because it made me use my brain (because let’s be honest… the clues were over my daughter’s head- she was there to just point and shoot the wand) and I got a TON of steps walking all over the hotel grounds. Academics and exercise- it’s a win all around!  

And then it clicked. “Ohh.. What if all students could play this game, but with science questions instead???? And that is when SciQuest was born! Yup, I use that same wizardry nerdiness to draw the students in, and students collect items on their quest by answering science questions They will love getting to move around the room or their campus to hunt for icons in this mythical-themed science scavenger hunt. A pocket-sized quest booklet will be the guide for their journey. When all the correct items are collected for the quest, the students will receive a rune- moving them up to the rank of Master Mage. (Full disclosure- I had to do a ton of research and recruit my super nerdy brother to help me out because wizard talk is a foreign language to me)

See what Teachers who have used SciQuest are saying…

I can’t even start to tell you how much I LOVE THIS PRODUCT. I have transformed my classroom into a SciQuest Wizard Academy. Students are searching for hidden symbols on canvas and doing the task cards when they find the clues. 8th graders are EXCITED about doing these quizzes. 10/10 This product saved me and my students during distance learning. It made class fun and engaging.

My students were completely engaged while we used this resource. They made it into a contest and we created levels of mastery since we used multiple scavenger hunts to review our 9 weeks unit. We used both the digital quest book and I created the booklets and checked some students manually. Overall I believe this is a great resource and I will and have bought everyone that fits with my 5th grade curriculum.

My students LOVED this resource. We turned on fun wizard music and turned the lights off so our fun lights lit their path. They talked about this for weeks and have their name sheets taped to their desks now months after. I will definitely be utilizing quests in more of my units.

This was incredible. It was so easy to put together, literally print, cut and hang around the room. No prep! My 7th grade life science special education students LOVED this! They were honestly racing around the room to be the first group to complete it! I gave out bonus points and candy in addition to the certificates! Thank you so much!

My students loved this! I printed out the smaller versions and hid them around the room on colored card stock. I told my students if they “unlocked” all of the ruins then they would open the treasure chest and be able to collect a gemstone (jolly rancher). I loved that my students were 100% engaged (even though some rolled their eyes at my nerd excitement in the beginning!) I also loved the self-checking piece that’s is built in like escape rooms (students came and checked their answers once each “location” was filled to collect a rune). The questions tested their knowledge as well, which when used as a review for the upcoming test it worked wonderful! It is like a beautiful baby between a gallery walk and an escape room!

This was AWESOME! My 7th graders loved this scavenger hunt and I loved setting it up! I hid the little jewels all over the entrance hall, hallways, science lab, and classroom. They loved finding the jewels and searching for the questions. I will definitely purchase again from this seller!

Just used this with my students this morning and they loved it! Since many of them are so-called “nerds,” they found it extremely engaging. Love the aspect that they can check their work on the Google Form! Great resource! Thank you!

Each SciQuest topic comes with 5 quests with 4 questions each in printable and fully digital versions. Check out the complete list of SciQuest Topics! There are over 50 science topics to choose from. Try this FREE Lab Equipment SciQuest Scavenger Hunt.

Flask and Beaker Melty Beads

I love being creative! Crafting is an outlet for me and is one of my passions (other than science). Put those two together and boom- I’m in heaven! My daughter has always been into melty beads (just feel around the rug and you will find a whole colony of colored beads living deep in the depths of the rug or ask my vacuum cleaner that has become accustomed to eating them). One of the things I love to do is to combine science into her crafts, so we made a melty bead beaker and flask. It’s a very easy way to sneak in science and to have a casual learning experience outside of the classroom.

To make the science flask and beaker, you just need a square peg board (any size depending on how large you want them to be). I used a 15×15 peg square for the beaker and a 21×21 peg square for the flask. The pattern is pretty simple on both items, just use clear melty beads for the glass and whatever color you want for the liquid. You can also put clear beads in the liquid portion to represent bubbles. When you are done, just iron, and Voila! I say it like it’s that easy, but ironing is something that I still don’t have down. (It’s either a complete melted mush of beads, or slightly melted and when I pull it off the peg board, beads start to pop off.) One of these days I’ll figure out the perfect amount of heat and pressure. I’m going to stick a magnet on the back and use it as a magnet on my dry-erase board. This could also be a fun afterschool activity for your students or a fun camp activity. You can let your students use their imagination to see what science-themed model they can come up with!

5 Spring Activities that Will Keep Your Students Engaged

Spring time is great for so many reasons. There is something about the combination of the cool air and the warmth of the sun that is so invigorating to me. One of my favorite things to do is to sit on a restaurant patio, bask in the sunlight and enjoy a relaxed, slow-paced lunch (preferably tacos or crawfish).  Everything outdoors starts blooming, the sun shines a little brighter, and oh yeah… most importantly- Spring Break. Are your students going bonkers, and you don’t think you will make it until Spring Break? I’ve got 5 ways to celebrate Spring in your classroom that will keep your students engaged (all the way until you chauffer your students to the bus ramp, bag on shoulder and car keys in hand).

1. St. Patrick’s Day Cupcake Dichotomous Key

If your unlucky and St. Patrick’s Day does not fall during your Spring Break (seriously- middle schoolers make the holiday so annoying), then your students can have fun celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with a dichotomous key activity. Students will enjoy naming these St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes. There are 13 St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes to discover with clever pun names like “Irish You Were Here” “Get Clover It” and “Shamrock and Roll”.  (Psst… they don’t even know they are doing science) You can get the St. Patrick’s Day Cupcake Dichotomous Key here. Your students may also enjoy this St. Patrick’s Day I Spy and this free St. Patrick’s Day Coloring Sheet. (Keep your students’ hands coloring instead of pinching…)

2. Spring time Escape Room

Want to tame all that extra student energy? Have your students work together against the clock to make an escape from this Springtime Escape Room. It spirals science topics and is the perfect activity to do before Spring Break. (cause let’s be honest… no one wants to work the last day before Spring Break- but they do want to play!) Get the Springtime Escape Room here.

3. Easter Cupcake Dichotomous Key

Y’all, if you have done any of my holiday cupcake dichotomous keys, you know I’m all about that pun. Puns are how eye roll (…. Get it!) Students will love discovering these Easter Cupcakes names like “For Peeps Sake” , “No Eggs-cuses” and “Chick Magnet” with this Easter Dichotomous Key. You can get the Easter Cupcake Dichotomous Key here and can see the complete list of Holiday Cupcake Dichotomous Keys here. Here’s a free Easter Color Sheet too.

4. Spring fun puzzler bundle

Fun Puzzlers are a great thing to have handy just in case (cause you know there is a lot that can happen). These Spring themed puzzlers offer something for everyone and are great for early finishers. Get the Spring Fun Puzzler Bundle here.

5. Enjoy the Outdoors

Take the kids outside! You know you want to. When it’s a gorgeous day, you simply cannot waste it inside your classroom. One of my favorite things to do outside with my students is to draw models or examples of what we are learning with sidewalk chalk. Tell your students what you want them to draw, or you can choose from over 15 topics of premade drawing task cards. You can see the complete list of Chalk Talk Task Cards here.

You can do this! You got this! Find engaging activities for your students so that they continue to learn, even when your students (and sometimes you) want to give up and just be done. Take care of yourself on your well-deserved break. Wake up late. Sit out on a patio and enjoy your favorite food (and beverage)! Enjoy the sunshine, and just do whatever you feel like doing (even if its nothing)- guilt free.