5 Ways to add Hands-on Learning with Merge Cube + NGSS to Your Science Classroom

Hands-on learning is one of the most effective ways to help students grasp challenging science concepts, and the Merge Cube makes it easier than ever to bring those experiences into your science classroom. With the standards-aligned simulations and digital teaching aids, students can hold, inspect, and interact with science content in a way that supports NGSS and state science standards across grade levels. Here are five powerful ways to integrate the Merge Cube into your lessons and make science come alive, all while aligning to the NGSS science curriculum.

1. Visualize Abstract Concepts (NGSS PS2 & PS3)

Understanding energy transfer, motion, and forces can be tricky without seeing them in action. Merge Explorer activities like Definitions of Energy or Use the Force allow students to manipulate 3D simulations, observe cause-and-effect relationships, and connect hands-on interactions directly to Next Generation Science Standards in Physical Science. And with the corresponding activity plans, teachers can easily integrate into lessons.

Definitions of Energy

A wheel rolling down a hill can help us understand a lot about energy and motion. In this card, we’ll look at different ways energy is transferred, stored, and exerted.

Merge Explorer

Use the Force

To move a stationary object–or a person at rest–we need a few things. First, we need energy. Second, we need to use that energy to exert a force on the object. The larger the force, the heavier the object that we can move. Similarly, we need to exert a force to stop an object that is already moving. Sir Isaac Newton was the first person to figure out these rules, which he called the Laws of Motion. In the activities below, we will experience Newton’s Laws of Motion in action!

Merge Explorer

2. Explore Life Science Up Close (NGSS LS1 & LS3)

From examining plant and animal cells to dissecting a virtual frog, Merge EDU gives students the opportunity to study living systems in detail—without the need for a microscope or lab materials. The Cells and Human Anatomy collections in Merge Object Viewer align with NGSS standards for life science, helping students see structures, understand their functions, and explore how they contribute to an organism’s survival.

Prokaryotic & Eukaryotic Cells

Hold and observe various types of cells like a plant cell, an animal cell, a fat cell, a white blood cell, an amoeba, and more from every angle to learn about their structure and components.

Object Viewer for MERGE Cube

Human Anatomy

Learn about human anatomy and what makes you...YOU! Hold the various structures and systems that make up the human body and watch as objects animate and literally come alive.

Object Viewer for MERGE Cube

3. Investigate Earth & Space Systems (NGSS ESS1 & ESS2)

With Merge HoloGlobe, students can access real-time NASA and NOAA satellite data to study Earth’s weather, climate, and geological systems. Activities like Real-Time Cloud Data and Precipitation let them track atmospheric changes and connect observations to NGSS Earth and Space Science standards. They can rotate, zoom, and explore Earth as a living system right in the palm of their hands.

Clouds

Clouds are masses of water drops or ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere, and they form when water condenses in the sky. Cloud coverage is the percent of Earth’s surface covered by clouds relative to the portion of Earth that is not covered by clouds.

Merge HoloGlobe

Precipitation

Precipitation is the total rainfall measured in millimeters (mm). Starting at the Equator and moving towards the poles, there are alternating bands of low and high precipitation. Swirls close to the Equator are tropical storms; at higher latitudes, lows and frontal bands are visible. Everywhere around the globe, rain and snowfall occur in unsteady patterns.

Merge HoloGlobe

4. Model and Create in 3D (NGSS Science and Engineering Practices)

Merge Creator allows students to scan real-world objects or design their own 3D models, then view them on the Merge Cube. This supports engineering and design standards by encouraging students to plan, create, test, and iterate. They can model everything from an invention prototype to a geological formation, using multimedia labels to explain their thinking.

Introducing Merge Creator

The creative potential Merge Creator unlocks will enable a title wave of innovation for our students, inspiring the next generation of creators.

Merge EDUMerge EDU

• Learn how to use Merge Creator here

5. Compare and Classify Using Digital Teaching Aids (NGSS Crosscutting Concepts)

With over 1,000 3D objects in Merge Object Viewer, students can compare rock types, examine life cycles, or classify fossils—all while applying NGSS crosscutting concepts like patterns, structure and function, and cause and effect. Because the Merge Cube makes every object interactive, these comparisons become tactile and memorable learning experiences.

• Browse the collections in Merge Object Viewer on the Merge Dashboard
• View all the Science Standards for Merge Object Viewer

By combining the Merge Cube with NGSS-aligned Merge EDU activities, you can transform your science classroom into an immersive, hands-on learning environment. Whether you’re teaching forces, life cycles, weather patterns, or engineering design, the Merge Cube helps students engage deeply, think critically, and build lasting understanding.

New to Merge EDU? Get a free trial here: trymerge.com