Hello Valley View Super Scientists!
Here are some fun science lab experiments you can do at home! These all require simple ingredients/materials that you can find in your pantry, kitchen or garage. I encourage you all to create a lab notebook/journal. Please use the scientific method (ask a question, form a hypothesis/make a prediction, follow the directions, conduct the experiment, make observations, record your results) for a complete at home science lab experiment! I hope to see the students in the lab soon!! I miss them all! Happy Experimenting!
Your Valley View Lab Lady,
Mrs. Leppek
EXPERIMENT NUMBER 1 ~ MAGIC MILK COMMOTION!
Question? Can you create a chemical reaction with milk and soap?
MAKE A PREDICTION!
Materials: Milk (with full fat content), plate with a lip, food coloring, Dawn Dish Soap, Q-tip
Directions:
Pour some milk on a plate
Place a few drops of different food coloring into the milk
Dip a cotton Q-tip into the dish soap
Dip the Q-tip into the middle of the food coloring drop
Watch what happens!
What's Happening?
It's Science! Milk is made up of minerals, proteins and fats. When the dish soap is added to the milk, those molecules run around and try to attach to the fat molecules in the milk. You should see amazing color bursts and movement!
DON'T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR RESULTS! :)
EXPERIMENT NUMBER 2 ~ CLEANING COINS
Question? What solutions will help eliminate the copper oxide on pennies that give it a dull appearance?
MAKE A PREDICTION!
Materials: Pantry items to use as solutions (mustard, ketchup, vinegar, soda, hot sauce, lemon juice, shaving cream, soy sauce, etc...get creative!) old, dull pennies and paper towels.
Directions:
*Put one penny in each of the liquids and make sure it is fully submerged.
*Let it sit for about 10 minutes. Or for better results, let it sit for a few hours or even overnight!
*Take the pennies out one at a time, rinse in water and dry with a paper towel.
*Make a chart or graph to keep track of your pennies and which substance it was soaked in! Compare your results. Which one has the best shine?
What's Happening?
It's Science! The word "tarnish" refers to the dull coloration found on older pennies. It isn't just dirt, it is the result of the copper in the pennies interacting with the oxygen in the atmosphere. When the oxygen and the copper on the coins interact, a substance called COPPER OXIDE is formed. To remove this tarnish, an acid needs to be used to weaken the bonds between the copper and oxygen atoms.
DON'T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR RESULTS! :)
EXPERIMENT NUMBER 3 ~ WALKING WATER
Question? Do you think water can walk?
MAKE A PREDICTION!
Materials: 2 empty glasses, paper towels cut into strips, food coloring.
Directions:
Fill one glass of water to the top and place on an elevated surface (a small book works great).
Add food dye to the cup with water.
Place the strip of towel so that it is both in the top full glass and the lower empty glass.
Observe for at least 30-60 minutes.
What's Happening?
It's Science! Movement of water within a space is called CAPILLARY ACTION. It happens because water molecules like to stick to each other. This helps the water "climb" the paper towel and move into the other cup. Extend this and try with two full glasses of different colored water elevated and one empty glass in the middle. The towels will absorb the water and siphon the water into the empty glass. A fun way to see how colors mix and create a new cup of colored water. You can even draw colored spots with markers on the paper towels to see if colors run down the paper towel?
DON'T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR RESULTS! :)
EXPERIMENT NUMBER 4 ~ PENNY BOAT FLOAT ENGINEERING CHALLENGE
Question? Can the shape of a boat affect the amount of buoyancy it has? How much weight can it hold?
MAKE A PREDICTION ~ How many pennies do you think your boat will hold?
Materials: A tub of water (this also would work well in a sink or bathtub), pennies, a sheet of tin foil.
Directions:
Design a tin foil boat that will hold the most pennies without sinking. Draw it. Think it out! This would be a fun family competition!
Create your boat.
Test your boat to see if it floats.
Begin testing the number of pennies that each boat can hold by putting in one penny at a time.
The boat must remain floating for 10 seconds before it is considered successful. After 10 seconds, you can add another penny.
If water enters the boat or the boat touches the bottom of the container/sink/bathtub, the boat is considered to be "sunk".
What's Happening?
It's Science! BUOYANCY is the upward force that keeps things afloat. When placed in water, an object will float if the buoyancy is greater than the weight. An object will sink if the weight is greater than the buoyancy. Archimedes is the scientist responsible for the theory of floatation and buoyancy.
DON'T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR RESULTS! :)
EXPERIMENT NUMBER 5 ~ DANCING RAISINS
Question? Can you create a chemical reaction to make raisins dance?
MAKE A PREDICTION
Materials: Raisins or Craisins, clear jar or glass, water, baking soda, vinegar.
Directions:
Mix 2 Tablespoons of baking soda with water and stir.
Soak the raisins in the baking soda mixture for 20 minutes or more.
Fill up the jar with vinegar.
Drop the soaked raisins in the vinegar.
What's Happening?
It's Science! The raisins start to float as the vinegar (an acid) reacts with the baking soda (a base) to form carbon dioxide bubbles. The raisins look like they are dancing around in the jar until the chemical reaction stops.
DON'T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR RESULTS! :)
EXPERIMENT NUMBER 6 ~ MAKE A GEODE
Question? How do geodes form?
Materials: An egg, epsom salt, 1/4 cup warm water, plastic cap from a water bottle or milk jug, food coloring.
MAKE A PREDICTION
Directions:
Crack open the top of the egg shell. Empty out the yolk and gently clean it out. Use the plastic cap as a holder for your shell to sit in.
Create a mixture of the epsom salt and warm water. Add a few drops of food coloring if you want.
Pour the mixture into the eggshell and set it in a safe place (near a warm window sill would work great).
Wait until the water evaporates. This may take a few days. You have to be patient.
What's Happening?
It's science! Real crystal geodes are formed when dissolved minerals trickle into hollow spaces in the earth and harden into an outer shell. The mineral crystals keep growing inside the outer shell, just like the salt crystals grow in your eggshell. You can also try this experiment using regular salt or sugar and compare crystals.
DON'T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR RESULTS! :)
EXPERIMENT NUMBER 7~ MARBLE ROLLER COASTER MAZE CHALLENGE
Mission: Construct a marble slide using force and motion as an opportunity to use engineering and science. Investigate POTENTIAL ENERGY (stored energy) and KINETIC ENERGY(the energy of motion).
Question? Can you build an amazing marble run? Challenge a family member to build one too!
MAKE A PREDICTION
Materials: Save up empty toilet paper rolls :), empty paper towel rolls, empty wrapping paper tubes, popsicle sticks, hot glue, painter's tape or scotch tape, glue, recycled materials, scissors, measuring tape, stop watch and measuring tape, marbles or ping pong balls to test your run.
Directions: Build at ground level or if you can use painter's tape, build it on the wall.
What's Happening? It's science! Compare your marble run to a roller coaster that you might have been on at an amusement park and investigate how much the marble's POTENTIAL ENERGY at the beginning of the track is converted to KINETIC ENERGY at various points along the track. Use a timer to see how fast you can get your marble from start to finish of your track. Remember - TEST, FAIL, LEARN, REPEAT when trying to improve results!
DON'T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR RESULTS! :)
EXPERIMENT NUMBER 8 - CANDY ICE TUNNELS
Question? What happens when you put candy on ice?
Materials: Candy that dissolves easily (skittles, jolly ranchers, jawbreakers, conversation hearts), ice (preferably in an ice cube tray so it doesn't slide or tip)
MAKE A PREDICTION
Directions:
Put the ice cube tray on a flat surface, or put an ice cube on a plate.
Place a piece of candy on each ice cube.
Wait 10 to 20 minutes.
Observe what happens.
What's Happening? It's science! As the sugar dissolves off of the candy, it mixes with the liquid water from the melting ice cube. Sugar water has a lower freezing point than regular water, so the sugar water melts the ice beneath it. When you put the candies on ice, they dig right in making little ice tunnels. For more fun, freeze a tupperware container to make a large ice cube. ***Because sugar lowers the melting point of ice, you can also use candy to melt ice cubes that are still in the freezer. Put some skittles on ice cubes in your freezer and check back in a few hours. Do they seem to dig into the ice?
DON'T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR RESULTS! :)
EXPERIMENT NUMBER 9 ~ BUILD A HOVERCRAFT
Question? Can you build a working hovercraft using a ballon and an old CD?
Materials: An old CD or DVD disc, a balloon, a pop top cap and a hot glue gun.
MAKE A PREDICTION
Directions:
Use the hot glue gun to glue the cap to the center of the disc.
Create a good seal to keep air from escaping.
Blow up the balloon and pinch the neck of it. Don't tie the balloon.
Make sure the pop top cap is closed and fit the neck of the balloon over the pop up portion of the cap. When you are ready to start hovering, put the hovercraft on a smooth surface (floors and tables work best) and pop the top open.
What's Happening? It's science! The airflow created by the balloon causes a cushion of moving air between the disc and the surface. This lifts the CD and reduces the friction which allows the disc to hover freely.
DON'T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR RESULTS! :)
EXPERIMENT 10 ~ UPCYCLED EGG CARTON GREENHOUSE
Question? Can you build a greenhouse out of a simple recycled cardboard egg carton?
Materials: Cardboard egg carton, seeds, soil, toothpicks, plastic wrap and tape.
MAKE A PREDICTION
Directions:
Poke 4 small holes into the bottom of each cell of the egg carton for drainage.
Cut the inside section off of the top of the carton.
Tape a strip of plastic wrap to the top and make sure the carton can still close (You can also put the entire carton in a recycled bread bag or ziploc bag to make the greenhouse effect).
Fill each cell about 3/4 of the way with moist soil.
Poke a hole inside the soil using a small stick.
Place 1 seed inside each cell. It might be fun to plant a few different kinds of seeds to see which ones start growing first. Keep a chart of their growth and measure with a ruler.
Cover the seeds with a bit more soil and moisten again with water.
If you are keeping your carton inside, place a small cookie sheet or piece of tin foil beneath it to catch any drainage.
Place your egg carton in a sunny window or on the patio and wait for the first sprouts to appear. Don't do too much peeking as it will lower the interior temperature and the greenhouse effect. As soon as the plants get too large for the egg carton, you can replant them into a garden or place the entire cardboard egg carton in the garden as it will decompose.
What's Happening? It's science! Sunlight shines into the greenhouse and warms the seeds and air inside. The greenhouse effect works much the same way on Earth. Gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, trap heat just like the glass roof of a greenhouse.
DON'T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR RESULTS! :)
EXPERIMENT 11~ PLANT PRESS
Question? Can you create a specimen guide of leaves and wildflowers you collect on your nature walks or from your backyard?
Materials: Squares of newspaper or corrugated cardboard, 2 plywood boards or 2 heavy books, something to bind the stack such as a belt or bungee cord or heavy ribbon and a weight such as a brick or heavy book. **
MAKE A PREDICTION
Directions:
Go on a nature walk and bring a pair of scissors. Collect your flowers or leaves when they are free of dw or rain. Select small, flat flowers as they will be easier to press.
Make a plant press sandwich. Place each specimen in between a folded piece of newspaper. Then place a piece of corrugated cardboard on top of the newspaper (the cardboard will enable air circulation so the plants will dry more quickly).You can lay numerous flowers or plants on the same piece of paper as long as they don't touch.
Place the wooden boards on either side of your layered pile. Bind it with the bungee cord or a belt and then stack some kind of weight on top to create pressure that will help the plants dry.
Let these dry for 10-14 days. If they are still moist, change the newspaper and let it dry some more.
When they are dry, make a plant specimen journal by gluing the leaf or flower to a paper and add some research notes about the type of plant, where it was found, color, size, blooming stage, etc.
You could also take your pressed flowers and make them into a bookmark or notecard or placemat for a family member.
What's Happening? It's science! You are creating a guide of a preserved exploration of all the native specimens in our area. Everything is in full bloom right now so this is a great time to go on your search for different wild flowers and then do some research about what kind of flower you have found.
EXPERIMENT 12 ~ REGROW A FRUIT OR VEGETABLE
Question? Can you regrow a fruit or a vegetable?
Materials: Any of these will work.....a clean avocado pit, a sweet potato, a green onion, celery, a whole carrot, water, shallow dish or glass, toothpicks.
MAKE A PREDICTION
REGROW AN AVOCADO
*Remove and clean the pit. Locate which side is up and down (the slightly pointier end is the top and the flat end is the bottom). Take three toothpicks and arrange them around the circumference of your pit. Place seed half-submerged in a glass of water. Wait for your seed to sprout. Pot in soil when your tree is about 15 cm tall.
GROW A SWEET POTATO VINE
*Place the sweet potato in a container of water. Keep the top 1/3 of the potato exposed by placing toothpicks into the sides. The pointed end should be down in the water. Change water every few days. In a few weeks a vine with several stems will begin to sprout.
REGROW A GREEN ONION
*Put a bunch of scallions with their roots into a glass filled with water and put the glass in a sunny spot like a window. Change water every few days.
REGROW CARROTS
*Fill a glass with water up to and barely touching the bottom of edge of a carrot stump (you will need about an inch of the root). Set the glass in a sunny window. Add water to keep it touching the edge and watch the roots sprout.
REGROW CELERY
*Chop a celery stalk at the base. Put in a small bowl of warm water in a sunny window. Make sure that the base side is facing down, while the cut stalks face upright. Change the water every few days.
What's Happening? It's science! When a plant grows from a seed, the first root that comes out of the seed is called a taproot. The main function of the taproot is to give stability to the plant and that is why it grows deep down into the ground. The taproot has small fibrous roots on it which absorbs water and nutrients from the soil until the plant grows well. Once the taproot has grown enough and the plant is stable, then lots of secondary fibrous roots start growing from the sides and base of the plant.
DON'T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR RESULTS! :)
EXPERIMENT 13 ~ ERUPTING LEMON VOLCANOES
Question? Can you create a chemical reaction using a lemon?
Materials: Lemons, baking soda, food coloring, dish soap, toothpick or craft stick, tray, cup and spoon
MAKE A PREDICTION
Directions:
Prep the lemon by cutting the lemon in half and then slicing off the bottom to make it sit flat.
Place the lemon in a tray. Use a toothpick or craft stick to mush the center of the lemon and bring out the juices. Make sure to keep the lemon juice inside the lemon.
Place a few drops of food coloring in the center of the lemon.
Add a good squeeze of dish soap to the lemon.
Add 1 Tablespoon of baking soda into the lemon. It should start to fizz. Take your craft stick and stir the lemon and the lemon juice. It should start producing foam and fizz.
To keep the reaction going, alternate more baking soda, food coloring and dish soap and use the other half of your lemon to squeeze more juice on top.
What's Happening? It's science! Lemon juice contains citric acid which when mixed with baking soda (sodium carbonate) reacts to form carbon dioxide which causes the liquid to fizz and bubble.
DON'T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR RESULTS! :)
EXPERIMENT 14 ~ CELEBRATE EARTH DAY!!! (Wednesday, April 22)
Earth Day is an annual world wide event observed on April 22 that celebrates the environmental and raises awareness about pollution and ways to maintain a clean planet. 2020 marks the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day! The theme for Earth Day 2020 is Climate Action.
Ways you can celebrate this year while sheltering in place .......
*Have an Earth Day Family Movie Night. Watch Wall-E, Dr. Seuss-The Lorax, Arctic Tale, March of the Penguins, Planet Earth.
*Eat dinner by candlelight.
*Make a bird feeder. Use a milk carton, a large water or soda bottle or a pinecone to build your own.
*Make a terrarium.
*Create recycling bins.
*Grow something! Plant a new tree or bush or sprinkle some seeds outside.
*Use glass bottles.
*Clean up your neighborhood or collect trash on your next walk.
*Read a book about the earth or do some research on The Earth Day Movement or take a virtual tour of amazing spots on our planet.
*Brainstorm ways to go green.
*Make a spring scavenger hunt and go on an outdoor adventure with your family.
EXPERIMENT 15 ~ SOAP MONSTERS
Question? What happens when you place Ivory Soap in a microwave?
Materials: Fresh bar of Ivory Soap (this is the only brand that works) cut into 4 pieces, microwaveable dinner plate, microwave and parent supervision.
MAKE A PREDICTION
Directions:
*Unwrap your bar of Ivory. Place in a bowl of water and observe if it sinks or floats? Try other brands of bar soap in your house to see if they sink or float?
*Break the soap in half and observe the bar. Is it solid or hollow?
*Next place the soap on a microwaveable plate. You can cut it in a few pieces if you don't want to use an entire bar.
*Place in the microwave.
*Heat for 1 minute on high. Stop cooking when it stops expanding. Let your child watch as this is really fun to see! Watch as it grows and changes! It should be moving and wiggling as it expands.
*The plate and soap will be quite hot for a minute or so after being removed, so please let it cool down before handling.
*Investigate how the soap has changed.
What's Happening? It's Science! Ivory soap floats because it has a high content of air. Microwaves make the water molecules in the soap heat up. When the water gets hot, it turns into a gas (water vapor). The water vapor forms bubbles which expand with the heat. These bubbles make the whole bar of soap grow and causes the soap to soften.
DON'T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR RESULTS! :)
EXPERIMENT 16 ~ OREO MOON PHASES
Question? Have you ever looked up at the night sky and noticed how the Moon changes shape each night and wondered why? Can you make an edible model to represent the moon phases?
Materials: 8 Oreo cookies, a paper towel and a plastic spoon or plastic knife, a piece of paper
MAKE A PREDICTION
Directions:
Halve and scrape Oreo cookies to illustrate the 8 Moon phases. Then arrange cookies on a poster in linear fashion beginning with the New Moon and ending with the Waning Crescent Moon.
Make a chart with 8 spaces labeling :
New Moon (Completely dark)
Waxing Crescent (A small sliver of light showing on the right side)
First Quarter or Half Moon (The right half of the Moon is light)
Waxing Gibbous (Three quarters of the right side of the Moon is light)
Full Moon (The entire Moon is bright)
Waning Gibbous (Three quarters of the left side of the Moon is light)
Third Quarter Moon (The left half of the Moon is now light)
Waning Crescent (A small sliver of light now appears on the left side)
What's Happening? It's Science! National Geographic Kids (https://www.natgeokids.com) has a great site for explaining the phases of the moon and why it appears to change shape each night. Make a chart in your journal to track the nightly shape of the moon!
DON'T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR RESULTS! :)
EXPERIMENT 17 ~ BOUNCY BALLS
Question? Can you make a homemade bouncy ball?
Materials: 2 cups, measuring spoons, warm water, Borax washing detergent (in laundry section of your grocery store), white school glue, cornstarch, food coloring and a plastic bag or tupperware (to store your ball).
MAKE A PREDICTION
Directions:
Pour 1/2 Cup warm water and 1 T. Borax into the first cup. Stir the mixture until it is dissolved.
Pour 2 T. glue, 1 T. cornstarch, food coloring and mix together.
Pour into the Borax solution.
Squish into the Borax solution until the glue is no longer sticky.
Once the mixture becomes difficult to stir, scoop it out of the cup and roll it into a ball. It will be sticky, but will solidify with repeated handling and pressure to air.
Try to bounce it on a hard counter surface or floor. Measure how high it bounces and record your results.
Store in a tupperware or plastic baggie.
What's Happening? It's science! Bouncy balls rebound in response to the amount of force used when they contact hard surfaces. That means that a bouncy ball will bounce back at you with about 80% of the energy used when you threw it and bounced it off something rigid.
DON'T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR RESULTS! :)
EXPERIMENT 18 ~ SUPER BUBBLES!
Question? Can you create a homemade solution to create super bubbles?
Materials: 1 cup distilled water, 2 Tablespoons Dawn Dish soap, 1 Tablespoon Glycerin (found in your local pharmacy), Wands (Make a homemade wand out of a hanger, a bug catcher, pipe cleaners bent in a circle, funnels, drinking straws, water bottles with bottom cut off, etc)
MAKE A PREDICTION
Directions:
Make up a batch of the bubble solution with the above ingredients. Make the solution 24 hours in advance and let it "age" undisturbed to allow the bonds in the solution to strengthen. Using a bubble wand, blow a bubble about the size of a baseball. Now try to bounce the bubble off of your shirt or other soft fabrics or surfaces.
What's Happening? It's science! Glycerin is the secret additive that gives a bubble it's extra strength. Regular bubbles burst when they come in contact with anything. A bubble's worst enemies are oil and dirt. A super bubble will bounce off of a surface if it's free from oil and dirt particles that would normally break down the soap film.
*Large Bubble Recipe : 12 cups water, 1 cup dish soap (Dawn works best!), 1 cup cornstarch, 2 Tablespoons baking powder.
*Always do this with an adult and make sure not to inhale the bubble solution!
DON'T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR RESULTS! :)
EXPERIMENT 19 ~ THE NAKED EGG
Question? What kind of reaction with occur with an egg and vinegar?
Materials: 1 raw egg, 1 large glass or non-metallic container and vinegar.
SAFETY: Make sure to wash your hands after handling the egg and DO NOT EAT THIS EGG!!
MAKE A PREDICTION
Directions:
Submerge one raw egg in a container full of vinegar. You should see mini bubbles forming around the shell. This is the chemical reaction already taking place.
Leave the egg in the container for 24 hours. You will notice a white film on the top of the vinegar as the shell breaks down. This is normal.
On the second day, throw away the vinegar in the cup and replace it with fresh vinegar. Use a strainer or your hand to handle the egg. Put the cup and egg aside for another full day and don't disturb the egg.
On the third day, pour off the vinegar and carefully rinse the egg under water. Be gentle with the egg. The shell should be completely gone now and you should be able to see the membrane that surrounds the white and yolk.
Examine the way the egg moves now. Shine a flashlight through the egg. What size is the egg now? What is different?
What's Happening? It's science! Eggshells are made of calcium carbonate and vinegar contains acetic acid. The acid reacts with the calcium carbonate and makes calcium acetate plus water and carbon dioxide (these are the bubbles that you saw). The reaction eats through the shell leaving behind a naked egg.
DON'T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR RESULTS! :)
EXPERIMENT 20~ BUILD A KALEIDOSCOPE
Question? Can you build a working kaleidoscope out of simple materials?
Materials: sheet of construction paper or card stock paper, aluminum foil, tape, 1 small clear plastic bag, glitter or beads or tissue paper, scissors and a glue stick.
MAKE A PREDICTION
Directions:
Take your sheet of paper and fold it in half long ways (hot dog style). Cut on the line you just folded.
Cut your aluminum foil to match one of the pieces of paper you have now. Glue the aluminum foil onto one of your pieces of paper with the shiny side out.
Fold your "mirror" (paper with the foil on it) in half so the two short edges are touching each other. Make sure to crease the fold really well.
Open your mirror and then fold both ends to the center crease you just made. Make sure to crease the new folds you are making.
Slide one edge over the other to make a triangular prism. Use a piece of tape to hold it in place.
Using your other piece of paper, make a cylinder around your triangular prism. Use a piece of tape to hold the cylinder together.
Place the glitter or other small items into your small plastic bag. Make sure the bag is closed and then tape it to the cylinder. Place your cylinder around your triangular prism. Hold up to a light source and turn the cylinder to make the shapes inside your kaleidoscope move.
What's Happening? It's science! A kaleidoscope is an optical instrument with two or more reflecting surfaces tilted toward each other at an angle. This makes the objects on the ends of the mirrors appear as a regular symmetrical pattern due to repeated reflections.
DON'T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR RESULTS! :)
EXPERIMENT 21 ~ RAINBOW BOWL
Question? Can you create a rainbow in a bowl using water and clear nail polish? How many colors of the rainbow can you produce?
Materials: bowl of water, clear nail polish, black construction paper cut into rectangles (to fit in the bowl), towels.
MAKE A PREDICTION
Directions:
Fill the bowl with water.
Drip one or two drops of clear nail polish into the bowl and observe as it spreads out on the surface of the water.
Wait a few seconds and then dip the piece of black paper into the water.
Pull the paper out of the water and place on a towel to dry.
You can also submerge the paper in the water bowl first and then add a drop or two of the nail polish on top.
What's Happening? The rainbows on the paper are a result of "thin-film interference". The paper gets coated with a thin layer of nail polish causing light waves to be reflected resulting in a rainbow effect. The colors on the paper will vary depending on the thickness of the polish on the paper.
DON'T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR RESULTS! :)
EXPERIMENT 22~ ICE CUBE FISHING
Question? Can you lift an ice cube with a piece of string?
Materials: Ice cubes, piece of yarn, salt
MAKE A PREDICTION
Directions:
Place a few ice cubes in a small glass of water.
Try to fish the cube out of the water with some string. Can you do it?
Try sprinkling some salt onto the ice cube.
Lay the string across the top of the ice cubes, and let it sit there for about a minute.
Now try and lift the cubes.
What's Happening? It's science! The freezing point of the ice is changed when you sprinkle the salt on it. This causes the ice to melt a little and then quickly refreeze around the string. This lets you lift the cubes out easily!
DON'T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR RESULTS! :)
EXPERIMENT 23 ~ WATERY STRIPES
Question? Can you make colored stripes in a bowl of water?
Materials: 1 starlight mint (round striped peppermint candy found at CVS or dollar store), small clear or white bowl of water.
MAKE A PREDICTION
Directions:
Drop the peppermint into the bowl of water. Do not stir.
Watch the colors dissolve into stripes on the bottom of the bowl.
What's Happening? It's science! As the candy dissolves, it forms sugar water. The sugar water is denser than regular water, so it sinks. At the bottom of the bowl, the sugar water spreads outward, but it doesn't mix right away. That's why you can still see the stripes. Since water molecules are constantly moving, eventually the colors will mix together, and the stripes will fade.
EXPERIMENT 24 ~ BUBBLING LAVA LAMP
Question? Can you make a homemade lava lamp?
Materials: Clean plastic water bottle or jar, vegetable oil, food coloring, Alka-seltzer or fizzy tablets, water.
MAKE A PREDICTION
Directions:
Fill the bottle 1/2 full with vegetable oil.
Fill the rest of the bottle with water.
Add 10 drops of food coloring.
Break your Alka-seltzer tablet into small pieces.
Drop one of the pieces into the oil and water mixture.
Observe the mixture.
What's Happening? It's science! Oil and water do NOT mix! The molecules of water do not like to mix with the molecules of oil. Even if you try to shake the bottle, the oil breaks into small drops, but the oil doesn't mix with the water. Also, food coloring only mixes with the water. It doesn't color the oil. When you pour the water into the bottle with the oil, the water sinks to the bottom and the oil floats to the top. Oil floats on the surface because water is heavier than oil. The Alka-seltzer tablet reacts with the water to make tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide gas. These bubbles attach themselves to the blobs of colored water and cause them to float to the surface. When the bubbles pop, the color sinks back down to the bottom of the bottle.
DON'T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR RESULTS! :)