RootNest Lab — Start with what you see

All experiments

9 ready now, 21 on the way. Each one has four ways in: a narrated tour, a step-by-step guide, free play, and a classroom mode for teachers. Free, no sign-up — and you can download an offline copy that opens with a double-click in the computer lab.

Light & shadowImages · Refraction · Color

Move the candle closer — does the image get bigger?Images from a convex lens · PhysicsOffline
How can a tiny hole make a picture?Pinhole camera · PhysicsComing soon
How far away is the you in the mirror?Plane mirror images · PhysicsComing soon
Why does a straw look bent in a glass of water?Refraction of light · PhysicsComing soon
How many colors are hiding in white light?Splitting white light · PhysicsComing soon
When is your shadow at its shortest?Sun height and noon shadows · Earth & spaceComing soon

LifeCells · Photosynthesis · Circulation

What’s inside a thin layer of onion skin?Using a microscope · BiologyOffline
What are leaves doing in the sunlight?Photosynthesis · BiologyComing soon
How far does your blood travel?Blood circulation · BiologyComing soon
What does a seed need to sprout?What seeds need to germinate · BiologyComing soon

Earth & skyDay & night · Seasons · Maps

Who sees the sun rise first?Earth’s rotation: day, night and time zones · Earth & spaceOffline
Why is summer hot?Earth’s orbit and the seasons · Earth & spaceComing soon
Why does the sun never set in some places?Midnight sun and polar night · Earth & spaceComing soon
How do you say exactly where you are on Earth?Latitude and longitude · Earth & spaceComing soon
How do you draw a mountain on a flat map?Contour maps · Earth & spaceComing soon

Force & motionSpeed · Floating · Levers

Press the stopwatch 0.3 s late — how far off is the speed?Measuring speed · PhysicsOffline
What makes an egg float?Floating and sinking · PhysicsComing soon
How long a stick would you need to lift a person?Levers · PhysicsComing soon
What are the grooves on your shoes for?Friction · PhysicsComing soon
Why doesn’t a bed of nails hurt?Pressure · PhysicsComing soon

Changing matterReactions · Dissolving · Burning

Do things get lighter after a reaction?Conservation of mass · ChemistryOffline
To put out a fire, what do you take away?What Fire Needs · ChemistryOffline
Why does red cabbage juice change color?Acid–Base Indicators · ChemistryOffline
Where does sugar go when it dissolves?Dissolving and solutions · ChemistryComing soon
How does ice turn into steam?Changes of state · PhysicsComing soon

Shape & numberAngles · Pythagoras · Functions

Slide the point around the circle — does the angle change?Inscribed angle theorem · MathOffline
Can three flat views tell you the whole shape?Three Views · MathOffline
What secret do the sides of a right triangle share?Pythagorean theorem · MathComing soon
How can a shadow tell you how tall a tree is?Similar triangles · MathComing soon
What can one straight line tell you?Graphs of linear functions · MathComing soon

Every experiment is an idealized model or illustration for teaching, not a real measurement. To see where each one sits in the school year, open “By grade” on the star map and pick your country.