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Saturday, March 22, 2014

Science Activities Discussed at the Learn Today, Teach Tomorrow Conference, Central Michigan University, March 2014



Straws
·         Musical instruments: oboes & trombones
§  Slightly different instructions, but extension of paper bell to increase volume


·         Rockets (with balloons)
·         Hoops (airplanes)
·         Structures with flexible straws
·         Refraction-see “Water” and “Pencil in water experiment”—can use straws as easily as pencils
·         Straw Through a Potato


Balloons
·         chemical reaction/gas  “stinky science”
§  Vinegar and baking soda in bottle create gas which blows up balloon stretched over bottle opening
·         Rockets (with straw)
·         Rocket powered cars
·         Sound amplifier-great for a station
·         Static electricity-positively and negatively charged particles:
o   Evan-Moor Science Experiments, Volume 2 p. 48 “Springtime Science”
§  Optional addition to first experiment-tissue paper butterfly which the negatively charged balloon affects by making the wings of the positively charged paper flutter up and down as the balloon is brought toward and away from the butterfly
·         Air takes up space:
o   kindergayle.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/air-huff-and-puff-trick3.doc 
§  Balloon inside water bottle won’t be blown up
·         Warm air rises:
§  Balloon, bottle, ice water in bowl, hot water in bowl-air in bottle will warm, rise and fill balloon (after being in ice water first effect is dramatic)
·         Screaming Balloons



Food coloring and/or watercolor markers (see individual instructions for material)
·         Clouds and condensation:
·         Color mixing with milk-chemical bonds
·         Hot/cold water color mixing-molecule speed
·         Density and diffusion
§  ¾ jar water, ¼ jar oil and a couple drops of food coloring in baby food jar-kid experiment or have a few premade at a station—glue the lids on if at a station!
·         Absorption
·         Chromatography
·         Candy Chromatography


Paper and cardstock:
·         Air Pressure
§  Paper, ruler-air pressure holds paper to table when ruler is hit

·         Air Pressure
§  2 strips of paper to illustrate air moves from area of high pressure to area of low pressure
·         Weight affects spin speed of objects    Let’s do this one in the workshop!
o   Evan-Moor Science Experiments, Volume 2 p. 63 “Super Bunny”
§  Which of four objects makes Super Bunny spin the fastest?
·         Color Mixing Wheel
o    

Water:
·         Air pressure and water surface tension
o   http://gsi.sites.yale.edu/experiments-and-books  “gsi”-girls science investigations
·         Refraction
o   http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments/strawbending.html - Pencil in water experiment  
o   http://scientificteacher.com/2011/09/02/bent-out-of-shape-over-refraction/ -good tips on helping kids understand refraction
o   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD1544bM_c4 –Bill Nye video on bending light
·         Cohesion and Adhesion
§  With a toothpick, pull a drop of water along a wax paper covered maze
·         Surface tension
§  Pennies added to cup of water (could use bowl) to break surface tension as well as other experiments related to surface tension.  Great explanation of surface tension and surfactants, etc.

·         water density and temperature
o   Evan-Moor Science Experiments, Volume 2 p. 36“Plip, Plop, Drip, Drop”
§  Procedure: “Fill a glass bowl with warm water.  Fill a small bottle with cold water and add a little food coloring.  Hold the bottle sideways and lower it into the warm water.  Take away your thumb and watch what happens!”
§  Explanation: “The cold water will sink to the bottom because it is “heavier” (more dense) than the warm water.  The molecules in cold water are tightly compacted so it appears to be heavier.  Warm water molecules expand and therefore seem “lighter.”
·         Tornadoes in a Bottle
o   http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-tornado.htm  --tornado weather information provided by a meteorologist for kids and parents/teachers


Miscellaneous materials:
·         Inertia
§  Playing card, penny and cup-flick card, penny falls into cup
§  Bottle with cork, vinegar, baking soda-demonstrate Newton’s Third Law of Motion- for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction
·         Fire needs oxygen
o   Evan-Moor Science Experiments, Volume 1 p. 45  “Festival of Lights”
§  Pie plate, sand, votive, 3 different glass jars
·         2 substances can combine to form a new substance
§  Salt and vinegar = hydrochloric acid and will cause oxygen atoms from dull pennies to join the acid and leave copper pennies shiny.
·         Sound (vocal chords produce sound with air as the travel medium)
§  Closed mouth humming is stopped when nose is pinched (no air flow over vocal chords)
·         Air expands when heated and contracts when cooled-demonstration only
§  Peeled, hard boiled egg, bottle, lighted piece of paper-contracting air creates a vacuum and sucks the egg into the bottle
§  Reverse the egg in the bottle by adding air and increasing the air pressure, causing the egg to pop out of the upside down bottle
§  Also includes instructions for doing same experiment with a water balloon
·         Non-Newtonian fluid
o   http://www.scientiareview.org/pdfs/43.pdf  see p 58 of this document prepared to align with the MA Elementary Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Frameworks

·         Screaming Cups – can also be decorated to look like a bird
·         Polymers






Susan’s addons – my favorites

Spaghetti Structures – with contest rules or free form building
·          
               
Ice cream in a baggie


Egg Drop Activity

Mentos and Coke Geyser

Just for Laughs

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