Physics

Friction

The Magic School Bus Plays Ball · Netflix · Amazon

Magic School Bus · Season 1 · Episode 10

The class enters a hypothetical world where there is no friction to learn the importance this force plays in sports, and anywhere where things need to get around.

Aerodynamics

The Magic School Bus Taking Flight · Netflix · Amazon

Magic School Bus · Season 2 · Episode 8

The class learns how planes and birds are able to get up into the air and stay there.

Combustion

The Magic School Bus Revving Up · Netflix · Amazon

Magic School Bus · Season 2 · Episode 7

The class learns about how engines work while attempting to keep the Magic School Bus from being junked.

Structures

The Magic School Bus Under Construction · Netflix · Amazon

Magic School Bus · Season 3 · Episode 3

Somehow ending up shrunk and in a bathroom, an elementary class needs to learn about building stable structures on a small scale in order to escape. Some of the activities performed in this episode could be replicated afterward with your students to see if they really work.

Energy

The Magic School Bus Getting Energized · Netflix · Amazon

Magic School Bus · Season 2 · Episode 10

An elementary class uses energy of all kinds to get a ferris wheel turning.

The Magic School Bus In the Arctic · Netflix · Amazon

Magic School Bus · Season 3 · Episode 1

The school bus takes an elementary class to a frigid climate to learn how insulation keeps things warm.

Sound

The Magic School Bus In The Haunted House · Netflix · Amazon

Magic School Bus · Season 1 · Episode 8

When Ms. Frizzle's class visits a haunted house, they learn exactly how noises work by being able to see sound waves in action.

Electricity

The Magic School Bus Gets Charged · Netflix · Amazon

Magic School Bus · Season 4 · Episode 9

To fix a broken doorbell, Ms. Frizzle's class enters a simple electric circut to learn what causes electrons to flow through a wire.

The Magic School Bus Gets Programmed · Netflix · Amazon

Magic School Bus · Season 4 · Episode 13

Ms. Frizzle's class enters a 90's era computer to learn about how computers perform tasks by transferring electric signals, and how computers blindly follow program instructions.

Light

The Magic School Bus Gets a Bright Idea · Netflix · Amazon

Magic School Bus · Season 3 · Episode 5

Ms. Frizzle's class needs to learn about how light moves and reflects off objects in order to create a light show.

The Magic School Bus Makes a Rainbow · Netflix · Amazon

Magic School Bus · Season 3 · Episode 7

The school bus takes students inside a bizarre pinball machine where they must learn about how light gets absorbed, reflected, and refracted.