Lab Notebook

~ a hands-on notebook for curious kids ~

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A series of ten interactive lessons that use the particle model of matter to explain why ice floats, why bridges have gaps, how thermometers work, and how forces change everything. Built for curious kids in grades 5–8. Best read in order — each lesson builds on the one before.
Matter
how particles build everything around us
1
Particle Model of Matter
The big sandbox. Drag a temperature slider from cold to hot and watch matter shift between solid, liquid, and gas — built from real particle behaviour.
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2
How Particles Behave
A four-step deep dive into the tug-of-war between attraction and motion that decides whether matter is a solid, liquid, or gas.
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3
Thermometers
How does a thermometer actually work? Who decided what "0°C" means? Plus an interactive thermometer where you can see ice, water, and steam at every temperature.
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4
Expansion, Contraction & Ice
Why does ice float? Why do fish survive winter under frozen lakes? And why does almost every other material get bigger when you heat it up?
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5
The Engineering Challenge
Put your knowledge to the test! Build a bridge, sidewalk, and train track that survives a full year of weather without cracking. Earn stars for the most efficient design.
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Forces
pushes, pulls, motion, and the energy behind them
6
Forces — Pushes & Pulls
Every interaction in the universe is a push or a pull. See how forces change motion, change shape, and transfer energy — with a tug-of-war you can play.
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7
Internal vs External Forces
Some forces come from outside (applied, friction, springs); others happen inside the material — tension, compression, shear, and torsion.
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8
Newton's Laws of Motion
The three rules that explain every moving thing — with a focus on the famous third law: every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
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9
Energy & the Slingshot
A slingshot game where every push and pull is drawn live — plus the energy story behind a flying rock and a falling apple.
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Space
our place in the solar system
10
The Solar System
Tour the family! Find out what makes a dwarf planet, where asteroids live, why comets have tails, and the three names of a falling rock.
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Interactive lessons on Grade 7 & 8 Number — from the symmetry of the number line to the full real number system with rational and irrational numbers. More units coming soon.

Number
positive and negative numbers, absolute value, opposites, negative fractions, comparing & ordering
Grade 7 · Number
The Number Line
Click or drag to place a number and watch its opposite appear on the other side. Every number has a partner that, added together, makes zero — the additive inverse.
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Grade 7 · Number
|6|=6
Absolute Value
Place a number, see its distance from zero as a coloured bar — then flip it to the other side and watch the distance stay exactly the same. Plus an ordering challenge.
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Grade 7 · Number
3 4 −1 2
Negative Fractions
Three ways to write the same negative fraction — minus sign on top, bottom, or out front. Build any fraction and see all three forms land on the same spot on the number line.
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Grade 7 · Number
−¾ −¼ ½
Compare & Order ★
Drag tiles of mixed fractions and decimals into order on the number line. Three rounds, each trickier than the last — earn stars for first-try accuracy.
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√2 ½
Number
rational & irrational numbers, the real number system, operations with rationals, order of operations
Grade 8 · Number
√3 ½ −2 5
The Number Family
Explore the nested sets that make up the real numbers — natural, integer, rational, and irrational — with an interactive Venn diagram and a 15-question classification game.
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Grade 8 · Number
1 3 = 0. 3 10÷3=3 r1
Fractions & Decimals
Every fraction is a division — watch the long division animate step by step. Discover why some decimals terminate and others repeat, then predict using the Secret Rule.
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Grade 8 · Number
√2 dense
Density of the Number Line
Zoom in forever and the rationals keep coming — but irrational numbers like √2 fill the gaps no rational can reach. Compare and order real numbers across three rounds.
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Grade 8 · Number
Working with Rational Numbers
Walk through the four operations on signed fractions and decimals, apply BEDMAS to multi-step expressions, and use estimation to catch errors. Three-round practice game with diagnostic feedback.
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~ made for curious kids ~