Summer Science Club Experiments

This has been the greatest fun I have ever had in the summer.  Parents have asked me to continue the science program I have created for my kindergarten class.  I called a few parents of this years’ class and believe it or not, I ran into some others I have taught in past years and mentioned it to them. All were thrilled, and our once a week group has started.

                                           WEEK 1  Carbon Dioxide

Nothing is more exciting for kids than blowing things up, or shooting liquid into the air so we did carbon dioxide experiments. We talked about gas in the air that we need, which is oxygen, and how that is given off by plants and how they in turn they use the carbon dioxide we exhale. Then I said we are going to do experiments that create carbon dioxide that explodes.

1.      

A.We put vinegar and baking soda in a bowl to see what happens. Vinegar is an acid  and when combined with baking soda it begins to fizzle almost like an explosion. In class we use it to “blow up” the volcano’s we make when studying rocks and minerals. I also explained it makes carbon dioxide.

   

                                                                                                         

                                              

    B. The second thing we did was to put vinegar in a water bottle (about ¼ the way up) and about 2 teaspoons of baking soda in a balloon. Put the balloon over the bottle top and the baking soda will drop into the vinegar and create the gas (carbon dioxide) to blow up the balloon.

2.       Our next experiments were with dry ice.  Dry ice is carbon dioxide frozen.                                   

      A. First I showed how movies make the foggy air by putting water on dry ice. Kids love the foggy look but it sometimes frightens them when they watch a movie. After they see how it is made the scary part doesn’t bother  them                                                                                                 

          

  B. I put dish soap on the dry ice to make a bubble factory which always excites them.

                                                       

 

 

 

 

 After that I showed the reaction metal has when it touches dry ice—it sings, and different size utensils make different sounds.                                                                                                                                          

      C. For the culmination of our dry ice experiments we wanted to see if it would blow up a balloon bigger than the vinegar and baking soda one.  We did that two ways--1.one was putting dry ice into a bottle and putting the balloon over it. It did blow the balloon up. 2. The next question was what would happen if I put the  dry ice directly into the balloon.  The carbon dioxide would release so much gas until the balloon would get so big it would break with a loud pop—which was exciting to watch.

 

 

3.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Our next experiment was to use ½ cup hair peroxide (I used 40%) to 3 tablespoons dry yeast and a drop of food coloring. The effect was very pretty—The concoction blew up not into a gas but a soapy sculpture shape.

 

 

 

 

4.       Our most exciting experiment was diet coke and Mentos candy.  I made a tube out of paper that fit right over the top of the bottle to drop 4 Mentos in.  What a tall explosion! They thought this was the best experiment! It went at least 4 feet up.  We explained the chemical reaction to produce the gas again but continued on to see if other sodas react the same way—even diet coke by other companies (they don’t).

This first club day was so exciting no one wanted to miss the next one, even my  grandchildren  who gave up a day of camp to come to Gammy’s science day.

 

                                      SCIENCE CLUB WEEK 2 Polymers

 Mess was so much fun the first week I continued by making polymers. Thank goodness for being able to do all this outside.  We talked about atoms and molecules and what a polymer was. I visually show this by having the children hold hands and pretend we were molecules and have them move loosely around. I explain that polymers are molecules that make a plastic material that has movement.

1. Our first squishy experiment was making a polymer with corn starch and water in a big plastic container so they could step in it--I also used a plastic dish container from the dollar store. I let the kids put their hands in the containers to mix the water and starch together to form a slime which they thought was the greatest! Then I had them take off shoes and socks and step in it. To their big surprise it got hard and they could walk on it like a solid without the squishy feeling. Then they played with it again with their fingers and it was slimy again.  I explained how a polymer can get  and  be hard and soft just like plastic.

 

 

 

2. In a paper cup each child made crazy putty with 1 inch white glue, 3 tablespoons water, and 1 tablespoon borax (found in the soap isle of the grocery store). I use a Popsicle stick to mix.  This mixture was more dense and pliable than the corn starch. If you put more borax it can bounce.

 

 

3. For this crazy putty we used ¼ cup white glue to ¼ cup liquid starch and I added a little water to the glue.  This putty was even more stretchy, more like the flubber the kids buy in the dollar store.

 

 Before we ended we again discussed molecules and how to make polymers and named some plastics they used. At the end of the club I put all their putty in a plastic sandwich bag for them to take home.

 

 

Science With Miss Gail

EXPERIMENTS ARE FUN SCIENCE

Miss Gail’s Fun With Science is a program to introduce children with the joys of exploring science and to show teachers how easy it will be for them to provide science in their class.  All experiments will use objects and materials found at home or in the groceries or dollar store.  I have used all these experiments in my kindergarten class and in science programs for the PTO and in science camp.  In my class I utilize science and experiments as a differentiated method of teaching.  After each experiment I will have a discussion with the class and ask what I did, what they saw, and what they learned. I will also ask them to draw a picture of what we did and I will have my aid and I help them write one fact about the experiment.  We write it on a paper for them and have them copy it onto their paper that has the experiment picture they drew.  This project put the child's thoughts on paper in sentence form, and shows that words and sentences have a certain form, and teaches beginning writing. After a few times of writing their facts you would be amazed at how proficient the children become in remembering facts, learn how to write and think in cohesive sentences and thoughts.  You would also be surprised at how much they enjoy doing these papers. Parents also are impressed about how their child retains these facts about the science experiments, and sometimes the child knows more about the project than the parent.

Experiment 1

Magnets-What will they pick up-Ask the class what they can find in the class that   a magnet will pick up.  Give each child a magnet and let them explore in the classroom.  Have a discussion about their findings and let each child show the class what they tried. 

Explain to the class that magnets only work with iron and steel and will not work with other metals-then prove it by trying to pick up other metals. Also try to pick up plastic, paper, glass, material, etc.

Give each child a paper plate, iron filings, and a magnet to have fun moving the filings.

Have a discussion about what they have learned. Depending on their age have the children draw a picture or if they 5 and older a fact and a picture. Each child should share their findings with others.

Experiment 2

Blowing up a balloon using vinegar and baking soda to make carbon dioxide gas.

1.     Blow up a balloon with your mouth.  Ask why the balloon gets bigger. Someone should guess air.

2.     Put a balloon on a soda bottle-ask why it just sits there.
Put vinegar in that same bottle and put the balloon back on—why does it still sit there?

3.     Take the balloon and put baking soda into the balloon and put it back onto the bottle.  Gas should form as the baking soda falls onto the vinegar.

4.     After the class quiets down (they will be so excited about the balloon blowing up they will be squealing with joy) ask what happened.  Explain that vinegar and baking soda form a gas, carbon dioxide that blows the balloon up just like the carbon dioxide that we blow from our mouth.  You could also go further and explain we breathe in the gas oxygen from the air and breathe out carbon dioxide.

Experiment 3

Static electricity using balloons-

Blow up a few balloons.  Rub your hair and watch the balloon stick to your head or clothes or the wall and watch hair stand up.  Try other things to rub—which work and which do not- Explain about static electricity. The kids will have so much fun trying everything they see in the class.

Experiment 4

Color bursts-

Put milk into a saucer or pie pan-add a few drops of dish soap then a few drops of food coloring-watch the color disperse into moving patterns. Explain that milk is a mixture of fat and water called emulsion.  When you add dishwashing liquid the fat and water start to mix together because the soap breaks up the fat.  When you add food color it moves while the fat is breaking up forming great patterns. For more excitement and fun I let each child take paper and blot it on top of the moving colors to create a picture.

Experiment 5

Slime- for each child put some water into a cup, add cornstarch until slime begins to form and then a drop of food coloring—The screams will come as it forms slime—they will want to play with it so make sure they have smocks and cover the class tables.  Have them take the slime in their hands and squeeze it. It will become a solid, when put back into the cup it becomes liquid again.  If the kids are old enough explain that what they have made is a polymer just like plastic.

Experiment 6

Magic bag-Fill a plastic sandwich bag with water, take a very sharp pencil and stab it through the bag—from one side to another.  The water will not leak.  It can be stabbed over and over with more pencils and not leak.  Be sure to stab straight.  When you pull out the pencil the water leaks out. What happened is that plastic is a polymer and forms tightly around the pencil so it won’t leak.  This can be messy so do it  over a bowl.

 

Experiment 7

1. Slime or magic bounce –Put about ¼ cup water, 2 tablespoons white glue, in a small paper cup and sprinkle borax (found in the laundry isle of the grocery) on top. Give each child a plastic spoon or popsicle stick to mix it all -depending on the amount of borax you can either have slime or a plastic like substance that can pull or form into a bounce ball.  You can also add color to the mixture.  The mixture has caused a polymer like plastic. The kids will squeal when you do this.