Embedded Files
Kids are naturally curious and tend to love talking about different phenomena in our world. You can have great conversations with your child about science and this can help improve their conversation skills in general which eventually translate into writing and reading at higher levels. It helps to have interesting things to talk about. On this page, you will find engaging conversation starters with suggested questions for you and your child to talk about at home.
------------#8-----------
------------#8-----------
acids and bases at home
acids and bases at home
Where to start the activity:
- Ask you child to categorize the following items as acids or bases
- orange juice, lemon juice, coffee, shampoo, laundry detergent, tomato sauce, brocolli, kale, soda
- Make your own acid/base indicator using cabbage juice and test each item from the list as well as any other item your child is curious about.
Activities for further exploration:
- Make Green Eggs and Ham with your new acid base knowledge
- Create a natural food preservative...never have your apples go brown again!
- Make your own Fizzy Bath Bombs using acid and base chemistry
Resources to help explain what your child is noticing with each experiment:
Remember the idea is for your child to figure out that the color changes are because something new is being made every time you mix the substances together. It's not magic, it's science!!
------------#7-----------
------------#7-----------
What kind of Fingerprints do you have?
What kind of Fingerprints do you have?
Where to start the activity:
- Ask your child to look very closely at their fingers. You may use a magnifying glass if available or take a picture of your finger with your phone and then zoom in!
- What do you notice?
- What do you wonder?
- What does this remind you of?
- Try to look at other peoples' fingerprints in the same way to compare.
- Are all of your prints from each finger the exact same?
- What patterns do you notice?
- What are the differences and similarities in different peoples' fingerprints?
Activities for further exploration:
- Use a balloon to get a magnified look at your fingerprint: https://www.msichicago.org/experiment/hands-on-science/fingerprints/
- Use tape and a hand trace to organize your prints AND learn how to "lift" a fingerprint from a surface here: https://www.scholastic.com/parents/school-success/learning-toolkit-blog/be-fingerprint-detective.html
- Conduct an experiment to see if fingerprints are inherited. Get the procedures here.
- How about some FINGERPRINT ART? Check out some amazing projects here
Resources to help explain what your child is noticing with each experiment:
Remember the idea is for your child to figure out that fingerprints are unique and that you can find patterns in your own and between family members. This is a great opportunity to make detailed observations and to find ways to organize the data they collect from various people. Once they get it, challenge their thinking by asking them to gather information about how fingerprints are helpful in crime investigations.
------------#6-----------
------------#6-----------
food fight! which animal is the true king of the jungle?
food fight! which animal is the true king of the jungle?
Questions to ask your child:
- Click here to start the game with your child.
- Figure out the rules as you go, paying attention to the results of your decisions.
- After you've played a few games, ask your child what advice they would give to someone who has never played the game before.
- Use their answers to inform you of their knowledge so far. Ask questions to further their thinking on how species are connected in the food web.
Questions to ask during the game or between games:
- What advantages/disadvantages do predators have in the game?
- What advantages/disadvantages do herbivores have in the game?
- What advantages/disadvantages do omnivores have in the game?
- How can you harm a species' population if they don't have a predator?
- What would happen if the number of predators in an ecosystem was greater than the numbers of herbivores?
- Who is hurt the most when plants die, predators or herbivores? What did you notice in the game when there were not enough plants?
- Which species is the best to choose as a player and why?
- Is it better to add your own animal into the game early or later?
- Suggestions for creating ah-ha moments
- Try a game with a small herbivore such as the termite or driver ant vs a large carnivore like the leopard or lion.
- Try a game with a predator and prey such as the aardvark vs termite or lion vs gazelle.
- Try a game between a large herbivore without predators (rhino or elephant) vs a large carnivore such as the lion or cheetah.
Resources to help explain what your child is noticing with each experiment
- Once you have played a few games, check out some of this information to help explain what you have been seeing in your food webs.
Remember the idea is for your child to figure out that food webs are built on producers (plants) and that adding or removing species at all levels of the food chain can have many effects. They will also discover that animals who have a large variety of foods in their diet have a distinct advantage over those who can only eat one or two species. Keep playing the game with different players and scenarios until they get it. Try not to just tell them the answer right away. Once they get it, challenge their thinking by asking them to make predictions with future games and why the best choice as a player may be the driver ant, baboon, or rhino and not the lion, leopard, or cheetah.
------------#5-----------
------------#5-----------
Why does a peeled orange sink if it weighs less?
Why does a peeled orange sink if it weighs less?
Questions to ask your child:
- Show your child this photograph and ask, "What do you notice?" "What do you wonder?"
- Your next questions will depend on their answers to the first questions but some potential follow-up questions might be:
- Do you think this would happen with other fruits such as lemons or limes?
- What else could we try?
- Do you think it would have the same effect with other liquids such as oil?
- How can we test some of our predictions?
Activities for further exploration:
- Test other fruits with and without their peels. Make a prediction before you place each object in the water.
- 1- Fill the glass 2/3 full of water.
- 2- Place the lemon inside gently.
- 3- Observe whether it sinks or floats.
- 4- Peel the lemon and gently place inside the peeled fruit inside the water.
- 5- Repeat steps 1-4 with the lime.
- Diet Coke vs Regular Coke
- 1- Fill a large container or bucket with water
- 2- gently place the coke cans inside the bucket and observe whether they sink or float.
- Exploring the why...
- Weigh the fruits before and after they are peeled with a kitchen scale.
- Determine the volume through water displacement using a clear kitchen measuring cup.
- Look up the ingredients of the objects...pay special attention to the amount of water each object has and what is different about the insides of the objects.
- Notice the differences in the thickness of the different fruit peels as well as how easy they are to peel away from the fruit itself. How could that contribute to the results?
- Make a Density Column
Resources to help explain what your child is noticing with each experiment
- Once you have conducted some of the experiments, check out some of this information to help explain what you have been seeing with each investigation.
Remember the idea is for your child to figure out that objects have different densities and that even different parts of objects have different densities. The ability of the object to trap air makes a difference. Keep experimenting until they get it. Try not to just tell them the answer right away. Once they get it, challenge their thinking by asking them to make predictions with future investigations and why objects can lose mass but go from floating to sinking.
------------#4-----------
------------#4-----------
which direction are the arrows pointing?
which direction are the arrows pointing?
Questions to ask your child:
- Show your child this video and ask, "What do you notice?" "What do you wonder?"
- Your next questions will depend on their answers to the first questions but some potential follow-up questions might be:
- Do you think this would happen with other shapes or letters?
- What else could we try?
- Do you think it would have the same effect with other liquids such as oil?
- How can we test some of our predictions?
Activities for further exploration:
- Pencil in a glass of water
- 1- Fill the glass 2/3 full of water.
- 2- Place the pencil in the glass holding it straight up and down (i.e. not at an angle). Notice that the pencil still appears straight when viewed through the side of the glass.
- 3- Now take the pencil and let it lean against the side of the glass. Look through the glass at the pencil. Notice that it appears bent.
- 4- Ask your child, "What do you notice, what do you wonder?" "How do you think this relates to the arrow experiment?"
- Disappearing Money!
- 1- Set a coin on a flat surface like a table or counter.
- 2- Place the base of a clear drinking glass over the coin.
- 3- Cover the mouth of the glass with a small saucer. Looking in through the side of the glass, you can still see the coin.
- 4- Now, tilt the saucer back and fill the glass with water.
- 5- Once you’ve filled the glass, replace the saucer. Can you still see the coin through the side of the glass? It’s disappeared!
- 6- Take the saucer off of the mouth of the glass. Peer straight to the bottom of the glass through the water. There’s that tricky coin!
- Rising Money
- Place a penny at the bottom of a bowl (use a little sticky tape to keep it in place), then backing away, it appears that the coin disappears. If you then have a partner pour water into the bowl, the coin 'magically' seems to rise up so you can see it...however the coin never moves!
- Disappearing glass trick
- Pour some vegetable oil into a glass.
- Immerse a glass object (marble, test tube, other small glass object) in the oil. Notice that the object becomes more difficult to see. Only a ghostly image of the object remains.
- Experiment with a variety of glass objects, such as clear marbles, lenses, and odd glassware. Some will disappear in the oil more completely than others.
- You can make an eyedropper vanish before your eyes by immersing it and then sucking oil up into the dropper.
- If you have a magnifying glass, immerse it in the oil. Notice that it does not magnify images when it is submerged.
Resources to help explain what your child is noticing with each experiment
- Once you have conducted some of the experiments, check out some of this information to help explain what you have been seeing with each investigation.
Remember the idea is for your child to figure out that light bends in different mediums (water, air, oil, etc). Keep experimenting until they get it. Try not to just tell them the answer right away. Once they get it, challenge their thinking by asking them to make predictions with future investigations and why objects seem to appear distorted or disappear completely.
------------#3------------
------------#3------------
Check out this video! If you try this at home, you should definitely wear safety goggles!!
Check out this video for a close up view of the glass right before breaking.
How can glass be broken with your voice?
How can glass be broken with your voice?
Questions to ask your child:
- Show your child this video and ask, "What do you notice?" "What do you wonder?"
- Your next questions will depend on their answers to the first questions but some potential follow-up questions might be:
- What do you think is causing the glass to break?
- Do you think other sounds could break the glass?
- How do you think the glass is moving?
- Do you think sound can break other objects or make other objects move?
- How could we test our ideas?
Activities for further exploration:
- Sound makes things move and when things move, they make sound. You can help your child realize this relationship on his/her own by trying the following investigations at home:
- Dancing Rice: tightly place a piece of plastic wrap over a bowl and sprinkle some dried rice on top. Place a speaker next to the bowl and turn it on high. Play music with a strong bass. To see a clip, click here
- Secret Bells: Take a wire hanger or a large paper clip and tie two pieces of string to the ends. Wind the free end of one string around your index finger a few times. Wind the other string around the index finger on your other hand. Allow your assembly to swing freely from your two fingers. Place your index fingers (with hanger assembly attached) gently on the small flap of skin just in front of your ears, closing off the ear canal without putting your fingers into your ears. Swing the hanger so that it bangs lightly against something hard, like the edge of a desk or a door frame, and then let the hanger hang free. As the hanger vibrates, you should hear the resulting sound ring through the strings like chimes. To go further, try using different materials and see how well they work. For more information, click here
- Pipes of Pan: Cut paper tubes or plastic straws to different lengths, attach them together or to a piece of wood and blow through them. Different lengths will create different sounds. Why do you think that is? Large Pipes of Pan Instructions, Mini Pipes of Pan Instructions.
- Water Bottle Membranophone: Here, a water bottle and a paper tube make amembranophone—an instrument that produces sound from a vibrating stretched membrane. Kazoos and drums are both examples of membranophones. This one sounds a bit like a cross between a saxophone and a clarinet. Instructions click here
- Make your own record player: Build a paper-pencil-pin phonograph. In this classic activity, make a record player out of simple materials and listen to your favorite vinyl LP—no outlet required. Instructions click here
- Bee Hummer: Make a stick, rubber band, and index card sound like a swarm of bees. When you spin it around, this toy sounds like a swarm of buzzing bees. What material do you think is causing the sound in the first place? Instructions click here
- Encourage your child to experiment:
- After they have done these three investigations with you, ask them what they want to try next. Maybe they want to repeat the bee hummer experiment but try changing the shape of the paper, the size of the rubber band or the size of the sticks to see if the sound changes or perhaps try to make their own instrument based off of the investigations.
- Ask them to make connections between all of the investigations. What do they notice that is similar and different between them. How might these investigations relate to the glass breaking?
Resources:
- Below are some videos to check out for even more ideas on experimenting with sound. Try these with your child too! Remember the idea is for your child to figure out the relationship between sound and vibrations. Keep experimenting until they get it. Try not to just tell them the answer right away. Once they get it, challenge their thinking by asking them to make predictions with future investigations and why some sounds are louder/softer, or have a lower/higher pitch.
Steve Spangler experiments with sound
Sound can move fire!
Sound moves water!
------------#2------------
------------#2------------
how does this bug walk on water?
how does this bug walk on water?
Questions to ask your child:
- Show your child this photo and ask, "What do you notice?" "What do you wonder?"
- Your next questions will depend on their answers to the first questions but some potential follow-up questions might be:
- What do you think is causing the bug to stay on top of the water?
- Do you think other animals/objects could stand on water?
- How could we test our ideas?
Activities for further exploration:
- The main reason this bug is able to stand on the water has to do with water's high surface tension. You can help your child figure this out on his/her own by exploring this property of water along with them.
- Drops on a penny: Get a dry penny and a dropper. Count how many drops of water can fit on the penny before it spills over. Have them predict the amount of drops before starting. You may need to repeat it a couple times to endure your child notices that each time the water forms a dome on top of the penny before it finally spills over.
- Pennies in a cup: Fill a small glass or cup up to the brim with water until it almost spills over (do this part in a sink or on a plate). Add pennies until the water drips out. You should see a similar dome shape form over the cup before the water spills out. Predict how many pennies you think you'll need before the cup overflows.
- Spread the pepper: Fill a bowl half way with water and sprinkle pepper on top. Dip a cotton swab in dish soap and then dip the swab in the middle of the bowl of water and pepper.
- Encourage your child to experiment:
- After they have done these three investigations with you, ask them what they want to try next. Maybe they want to repeat the penny or the cup experiment with soapy water or perhaps try to repeat the pepper experiment several times in a row.
- Ask them to make connections between all of the investigations. What do they notice that is similar and different between them. How might these investigations relate to the water bug?
Resources:
- Below are some videos to check out for even more ideas on experimenting with surface tension. Try these at home too!
Try different liquids on the penny and compare results
After you make the objects float, touch a soapy cotton swab to the surface and watch what happens!
The amazing upside down water trick!
Other animals that walk on water
Explanation:
Save this for the end so that you and your child can explore the phenomenon together. Remember, science aims to teach children how to figure things out and not just learn about.
How do the Water Strider and other animals manage to walk on water?
They take advantage of water's extremely high level of surface tension! The water molecules hold on tightly to each other. They don’t want to separate. They especially cling to each other at the surface because there is no water molecule on the other side of them to grab on to. The water molecules on the surface holds on to each other so tightly that a “skin” seems to form on the surface. When experimenting with the penny and the cups, the water droplets keep building on top of each other until a small dome of water forms on the top of the penny or the cup. Soap breaks up the water molecules and forces them to separate, thus decreasing the surface tension and causing the object to sink or the dome to flatten. For more detailed information on water striders, check out this site. For more detailed information on surface tension, check out this site.
------------#1------------
------------#1------------
Why can we see the moon during the day sometimes?
Why can we see the moon during the day sometimes?
Questions to ask your child:
- During a day when you notice the moon ask your child about it or show him/her the picture and ask, "What do you notice?" "What do you wonder?"
- Your next questions will depend on their answers to the first questions but some potential follow-up questions might be:
- How are we able to see the moon at night? (many students think the moon emits its own light but it is reflected from the sun)
- What patterns do you notice in the way the moon looks each night?
- How could we collect data together to explore this phenomenon?
Activities for further exploration:
- Start a moon journal with your child where they draw what the moon looks like each night and have them look at the patterns over 1 month.
- If you have access to a camera (phone works great), take a picture of the moon from the same location at the same time every night to track the changing shape and location of the moon. You will see an interesting change in shape and location over time.
Click on the picture to the left to see the explanation of this phenomenon. Save this for the end so that you and your child can explore the phenomenon together. Remember, science aims to teach children how to figure things out and not just learn about.
Google Sites
Report abuse