Posts tagged 'science'
This experiment uses a yeast solution, liquid detergent such as Dawn, and hydrogen peroxide to produce an exciting reaction like no other! The result will send a stream of foam shooting up out of a bottle and, after a minute or so, begin turns into a moving stream that resembles toothpaste being squeezed from a tube.
Materials:
- 16 oz. empty plastic soda bottle
- Hydrogen peroxide (6% solution, purchased from a beauty supply store)
- Liquid detergent (Dawn®)
- Food coloring
- Package of powdered yeast
- Small Funnel
- Aluminum foil cake pan with 2-inch sides
- Safety glasses (Although the following activity is safe it is always good practices to have your child wear safety glasses whenever they conduct any type of activity that involves working with chemicals)
What to do:
- Have your child place the empty plastic soda bottle into the center of empty aluminum cake pan and then put the funnel into the bottle’s mouth.
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Next add 3-4 drops of food coloring to the peroxide and pour the peroxide through the funnel into the bottle.
- Add the Dawn liquid detergent to the peroxide in the bottle.
- Pour the yeast mixture into the bottle and quickly remove the funnel. Have your child touch the bottle to feel if any temperature changes are taking place.
After a minute or two foam will shoot up out of the bottle, run into the pan, and eventually begin to come out in a steady stream. Your child can play with the foam – it’s just soap and water with oxygen bubbles! The bottle will feel warm to the touch as this is an example of an exothermic (heat producing) reaction
July 22nd, 2008
You don’t have to be an egghead to know that science can be fun. Show your child a trick where the ordinary becomes extraordinary!
In this experiment, a hard-boiled egg will fit through an impossibly small opening with the help of only a few matches. Your child will be amazed, and you’ll be teaching her how seemly impossible acts are any but – with the help of a little science!
What you need:
- adult helper
- hard-boiled egg
- glass bottle with opening slightly smaller than egg (apple cider or juice bottles work well)
- matches
What you do:
- Hard-boil an egg. (You may want to hard-boil several eggs at a time to do the trick more than once.) Remove the pot from the stove and place the pot and egg under cold running water for a few minutes. Let the egg cool.
- Remove the egg from the water and have your child peel the shell.
- Have your child place the egg on the opening of the bottle let him see that the egg will not simply fall into the bottle. Tell him it’s possible to get this egg to go into the bottle in one piece.
- You should lit two matches and quickly drop them into the bottle. Have your child quickly place the egg on top of the bottle, wait a few seconds, and watch the egg drop into the bottle.
How it works:
When you drop matches into the bottle, the air heats up. As the heated air expands, some of it comes out of the bottle. When the match flames go out, the air inside the bottle cools and contracts. The egg on the bottle creates a seal. The pressure inside the bottle is now less than the pressure outside the bottle, and since nature prefers things to be equal, the egg is forced into the bottle. To get the egg out of the bottle, heat the bottle or blow into it. The increased air pressure will force the egg back out. After this activity your child will be furiously reading her science book to learn more great tricks!
July 20th, 2008
We had our second VBS decorating night! Thanks to all who came out to help! Atoms and molecules are exploding everywhere and DNA is strung as high as the eye can see! We have one more night to get the church ready, so we hope you’ll come out Thursday night from 6-9 to help us create a building that is exploding with fun!
To our wonderful volunteers~ you are making this year such a joyful experience! Thanks!
July 15th, 2008
Atoms are thesmallest particle of a chemical element that can take part in a chemical reaction without being permanently changed. They’re also made up of protons and neutrons in a central nucleus surrounded by electrons. Sound familiar?
Sometimes, a large number of atoms in an object will gain or lose electrons (negatively charged subatomic particles that are found at varying distances from an atom’s nucleus). When this happens, the entire object takes on an electric charge. The term static electricity describes situations where objects carry electric charge. And by using static electricity generated from their body, a child can cause a small fluorescent lamp bulb to light up!
Materials:
- Plastic comb
- Small fluorescent lamp
Step 1:
Tell your child to rub a comb through his or her hair. The friction between their hair and the comb will cause electrons to “jump” from their hair to the comb.
Step 2:
If your child then touches the comb to the end of a fluorescent light bulb, the charged comb will discharge into the light bulb causing the bulb to emit small pulses of light. This action will generate a great deal of excitement especially if conducted in a darkened room.
What Happened?
More then likely your child will want know why this happens. Tell them that static electricity occurs, for example, when they rub a balloon on shirt (you might wish to actually try this). The friction between the cloth and the balloon causes negatively charged particles (electrons) to transfer from their shirt to the balloon. The shirt then has an overall positive charge because it has more protons than electrons. The balloon takes on a negative charge because it has extra negative charges (electrons). The balloon will then stick to the shirt or to another surface, such as a wall.
Static electricity has many uses in homes, businesses, and industries. For example, the copying machines found in most offices are electrostatic copiers. They make duplicates of pictures or written documents by attracting negatively charged particles of toner (powdered ink) to positively charged paper.
July 13th, 2008
Chemistry isn’t just incredible … sometimes its edible! These crystal lollipops are a delicious introduction to some very lick-able chemistry concepts. Teach your child about saturation, evaporation, and crystallization with a simple kitchen concoction that will leave them hungry for more chemistry.
What You Need
- Adult helper
- Measuring cup
- Water
- Saucepan
- Stove
- Sugar
- Wooden spoon
- Small paper cups
- Craft sticks
- Plastic wrap
What You Do
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Pour ½ cup of water into the saucepan. Slowly sprinkle in 1 cup of sugar as you stir. Stop adding sugar when it stops dissolving.
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Place the saucepan on the stove and heat it on low heat for two to three minutes, or until the sugar starts dissolving again. Add the rest of the sugar and cook the solution until all of the sugar dissolves, stirring it occasionally.
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Turn up the heat to medium-high until the solution boils. Boil for one minute, until the solution is thick and clear.
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Turn off the heat and and carefully pour the solution into the cups. Stick one craft stick into each cup, and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
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Let your lollipops sit undisturbed overnight. The lollipops will fully crystallize and loosen from the sides of the cups. (If they aren’t ready, let them sit for another 24 hours.)
Now they’re ready to eat!
Why it Works
Heating the water forces more sugar to dissolve than ordinarily could, leading to supersaturation. When the mixtures cool, the water can no longer hang onto all that extra sugar. So, after you pour the lollipop solution in the cups, the water evaporates and sugar crystals remain.
This sweet treat reminds me of something the Bible says about God’s Words….”How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter then honey to my mouth.” Psalm 119-103
July 8th, 2008
It’s fun to make your own paper at home.This project letsyou explore what happens when water and paper interact, and it produces homemade paper perfect for interesting gift tags or stationary. This could be a really fun activity for a family night!
Materials:
toilet paper (use an inexpensive brand – the coarser the better)
empty plastic water bottle
kitchen strainer
large dry sponge
old newspapers
rolling pin
waxed paper
food coloring (optional)
Directions:
- First of all, do not attempt any experiments without permission and help from a parent.
- Make sure you have plenty of working space for this activity. Cover a table with newspaper to limit the mess.
- Place 10 squares of toilet paper in the water bottle. Fill the bottle half full with water and close securely. If desired, you can add a few drops of food coloring to the bottle to create colored paper.
- Count to 100while youshakes the bottle. This shaking will allow the toilet paper and water to make pulp.
- Once the mixture looks like “slush”, your pulp is ready. Pour the pulp into the strainer in a thin, flat layer. Squeeze as much excess water out of the pulp as you can.
- Prepare a working space with layers of newspaper to absorb the water. Without moving the layer of pulp with your hands, flip the strainer and let the pulp fall onto the layer of newspaper. Cover the pulp with a piece of waxed paper and use the rolling pin to squeeze out any excess water. Remove the waxed paper and place the sponge on the paper to absorb the excess water. You may have to repeat this process several times.
- Once you’ve removed all of the excess water, allow the paper to dry overnight. Voila! You have yourown piece of handmade paper.You can decorate the paper the next day, use it to write a note, or make a craft project, like a gift tag or pin. Be creative!
You can use this project as is orby using bits of recycled paper from junk mail. Keep in mind that when using paper with a coarse texture you will have to either use an electric blender, or shake the bottle a little more in order to break down the paper into pulp.
July 2nd, 2008
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