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Look at the catapult below. The student scientists in our Monday Mad Science Club determined that this is the best design for a homemade catapult. Can you make it?
Materials:
Seven popsicle sticks
Two rubberbands
One plastic spoon
A hot glue gun
Try putting this catapult together and test it to see how well it works. Use it to toss pompons, crumpled paper, Cheerios, dried beans or other small items. Be sure the coast is clear before you let them fly!
Check out these sites to learn more about static electriciy!
Static Electricity Experiment
Static Electricity Experiment
Lay an empty aluminum can on a flat surface.
Rub a balloon, plastic comb or plastic ruler with a wool, fleece or silk cloth to give it a static charge.
Place the balloon, comb or ruler near the can. Can you make it roll without touching it?
Does one type of material work better for moving the can than another? Try different variations to see which combination of materials can make the biggest static charge and move the can from the furthest away!
Sugar Crystals
Sugar Crystals
You may know Sugar Crystals by their other name, rock candy, or perhaps by their most common adjective, delicious! Please ask an adult for permission before using the stove!
Ingredients:
1 cup water
3 cups table sugar
Clean glass jar
Pencil or butter knife
String or yarn (do not use nylon string)
Pan for boiling water and making solution
Spoon for stirring
(Optional) food coloring
Directions:
Tie the string to your pencil or butter knife. The string should be able to hang into your jar without touching the bottom or sides.
In the pan start boiling the water.
Stir in the sugar one spoonful at a time. You want to make sure there is lots of the solute (in this case sugar) in the solution, but not so much that it doesn't all dissolve into the solution. If you have some undissolved sugar your Rock Crystals will start building onto those molecules rather than your string.
Add a few drops of food coloring if you want some color to your candy.
Carefully pour the solution from the pan into your clean glass jar. Make sure it's clean, otherwise crystals will build onto those molecules on the jar and not on your string.
Balance the pencil or butter knife (with the string tied to it) on the lip of the jar and let the string dangle into the solution. Again, don't let the string hit the sides or bottom of the jar.
Find a safe spot for your jar so it won't get knocked around or exposed to too much dust and debris.
Check on your Rock Crystals the next day and notice how they're started to take form on the string.
Whenever your Rock Crystals are the right size for your taste or when they stop growing go ahead and take them out of the jar and let them dry.
Enjoy their sugary goodness!
How Do Candy Canes Dissolve Best?
How Do Candy Canes Dissolve Best?
Set up an experiment to see how quickly a candy cane will dissolve in hot water, cold water, vinegar and cooking oil.
First, make a prediction and write it down. Then set up the experiment as shown on the left. Write down your observations. Then, share the results with the class!
Investigating Convection Currents
Try this fun activity to turn heat into motion! Be sure to ask a parent for permission before you begin.
Draw and cut out a paper spiral that looks like the one shown here. You can decorate it to look like a snake if you want.
Tape the tail end to a 10 cm piece of thread.
Tape the other end of the thread to the edge of a table or chair so it hangs down towards the floor.
Place a candle on the floor under the spiral. Make sure the wick is at least 10 cm from the bottom of the spiral.
Light the candle and observe. Can you make the heat from the flame move the spiral? This is called convection. It is one way heat moves through our universe!
To see a fully-illustrated description of this activity, click here.
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