I have been very fortunate recently in coming across the above talk by Arvind Gupta called “Turning Trash Toys Into Learning”.
Gupta is that very rare person, a consummate communicator who is able to provide practical examples that fires up the imagination of the viewer. I watched as he showed example after example of experiments with forces and electricity using nothing more than “trash” materials.
I then looked up his website http://www.arvindguptatoys.com and found that it has a free library of downloadable books as well as literally dozens of videos that he has made showing the immense range of his practical science experiments.
I would really have loved to have had him as my physics teacher when I was at school and had to endure lesson after lesson of talk with mathematical formula that meant absolutely nothing to me. In Gupta’s world science is real things,with real effects and it is exciting and strikes a chord in you immediately.
I would strongly recommend that you look up his website and, if you are a physics teacher, get hold of some trash materials and get your students making and experimenting with them. You will probably find instant interest and many of the behaviour problems will disappear as occupied and interested students do not have the time or reason to be disruptive!