Sphero Mini is a robot students can program to complete tasks, travel to exotic locations, and even play games. Students can control the Sphero Minis with a smartphone/tablet app using block coding, text coding, or a joystick to enable various robotic possibilities.

Teachers use Spheros to teach coding, Engineering design process, and other skills through hands-on activities.

Each kit includes a classroom set of 16 bots packed in a box and an additional box full of accessories. Each loan requests include iPads pre-loaded with the Sphero EDU app.

This is our little round friend, Sphero. Sphero is a robot that students can program to complete tasks, travel around to exotic locations, and even play games. Sphero is controlled from a smartphone / tablet app that unleashes a whole bunch of robotic possibilities. Students can control Sphero using block or text coding, or just using a joystick. iPads with the pre-loaded Sphero app included with loan request. Each kit includes a classroom set of 12 bots packed into a sturdy rolling charging case.

Launch lightweight “rockets” made from drinking straws while investigating Newton’s laws, aerodynamics, and iterative design. The Pitsco Straw Rocket Launcher lets students rapidly prototype, test, and refine their own rockets by adjusting fin shape, mass, and launch angle—turning the classroom into a low-cost wind-tunnel and ballistics lab.

DNA is a very abstract concept that can be difficult to grasp. With this DNA kit, extract “chunks” of DNA from strawberries and papaya that students can actually see. Students will learn about cell walls and cell membranes breaking down these walls and membranes are essential to the extraction process. Each kit contains 16 sets of materials for students to work in groups of 2 or more.

From the publisher:

In Hawai‘i and elsewhere in the tropics, the change in seasons often goes unnoticed. Sun and Rain will help children recognize and appreciate the seasons in Hawai‘i by calling attention to subtle details in the world around them. Color photographs vividly illustrating plants, animals, and weather patterns make the book suitable for young children, while older ones will find the clear, simple text engaging and instructive. A section for parents and teachers includes ideas on sharing the book with children of different ages.

Author: Stephanie Feeney

Photography by Jeff Reese, David Boynton, Ron Dahlquist, Moku Kaaloa, Melissa Kim Mosher, and others

Are you looking for a fun and educational way to teach your students about reflection, refraction, and color? The Tech Light Lab Kit is safe and easy to use, allowing your students to explore the fascinating world of light and color in a fun and engaging way. The kit includes everything you need to perform the ten activities and lessons in the box.

Looking for an educational tool that can help students learn about science in a fun and interactive way? Look no further than our test tube and rack set! Its sturdy construction and collapsible design makes this set perfect for classroom use and other educational activities. Use it to conduct experiments, explore chemical reactions, and more. Our teachers have used this tool to propagate Native Hawaiian plants while allowing the students to observe root development. Each kit includes one rack and 10 test tubes.

From the publisher:

Do your students need extra problem-solving and application practice? The Think Tanks are the perfect resource for all students. 

The Think Tanks save teachers time by providing 12 imaginative sets of 20 task cards that increase in difficulty for scaffolded independence. Think Tanks complement any curriculum and are suitable for any setting: whole group, small group, or independent work.

See for yourself. 

Are you looking for a hands-on EDP Challenge for your students? University of Hawai‘i engineering students designed and built the vertical wind turbine generator to help teachers learn and teach the Engineering Design Process (EDP). The vertical wind turbine activity challenges students to design and manufacture blades to transform wind energy into electrical energy using magnets and coils in a rotating base. The kit includes everything you need to perform the challenge. Teachers use this tool to cover EDP, electromagnetism, and circuits.

Quantity Available: 4

NGSS:

• MS-ETS1-1
• MS-ETS1-2
• MS-ETS1-3
• MS-ETS1-4

From the publisher:

This easy-to-play cooperative game is a big hit with kids! Players roll dice, float down the river, and draw “Saving” and “Wasting” cards to learn how to save water in everyday life, as well as “Quiz” cards (based on 4th-grade science standards).

Use this kit to collect water quality data without sensors. This kit includes reagent tablets and vials to measure nitrates, chloride, dissolved oxygen, and pH of a liquid. Combine with high-tech Vernier or Pasco sensors for a great lesson comparing the different types of technology used to gather data. Also included Carolina 120 cm Turbidity Tube, Standard Red-Alcohol Thermometers, and an Ocean Hydrometer to measure the specific gravity and salinity of water (ppt).

Wave Demonstration Kit

The Wave Demonstration Kit includes five tools for demonstrating the basic attributes of waves and wave energy.

The Wave Energy Buoy Kit introduces students to the science of wave energy conversion through hands-on engineering and experimentation. This classroom-friendly kit includes a buoy model that moves a magnet through custom-wound copper coils to generate electricity—demonstrating Faraday’s Law of Induction in an engaging and tangible way. A PASCO voltage and current sensor connects to a tablet or interface, allowing students to measure real-time data and analyze how wave motion converts to electrical power.

This kit was developed (and then improved) by STEM Pre-Academy interns!

The STEM Pre-Academy wave tank was designed by and fabricated by a former UHM mechanical engineering student in collaboration with middle school teachers. The tank can be use to demonstrate absorbed waves, standing waves, changes in frequency, wavelengths (1D wave equation), wave particles, single slot wave propagation, double slot wave propagation, and wave energy conservation.

Note: O‘ahu pickup only!