It is always great discovering new things.
Try these simple experiments and let your child amaze his friends with his newly learned knowledge.
Learning new things and how they work amazes young minds. Here are some easy projects you and your child can do together, and have loads of fun figuring out how they work.
Cut ice cubes magically in half
What you will need:
- An ice cube
- A piece of fishing line with a weight tied to each end
- A container
- A tray to keep things from getting wet
Instructions:
- Turn the container upside down and put it on the tray.
- Place the ice cube on top of the container.
- Place the fishing line over the ice cubes so that the weights are left dangling over the side of the container.
- See what happens in about five minutes’ time.
What is happening?
The pressure from the two weights pulls the string through the ice cube by melting the ice under the fishing line. This is similar to ice-skating where the blades melt the ice directly, allowing the skater to move smoothly.
Blow-Up Balloons
What you will need:
- Balloons
- About 40ml water
- A soft-drink bottle
- Juice from a lemon
- A drinking straw
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
Instructions:
- Make sure that you stretch out the balloon to make it easier to inflate.
- Pour the water into the soft-drink bottle.
- Add the teaspoon of baking soda and stir it around with the straw until it has dissolved.
- Pour the lemon juice in and quickly put the stretched balloon over the top of the bottle.
What is happening?
If all goes according to plan, the balloon should inflate. Adding the lemon juice to the baking soda creates a chemical reaction – the baking soda is a base, while the lemon juice is an acid. When the two combine, they create carbon dioxide (C02). The gas rises and escapes through the bottle. It doesn’t, however, escape the balloon, but pushes it outwards and blows it up. If you don’t have any lemons, use vinegar instead.
Moving Water
What you will need:
- A glass of water
- An empty glass
- Paper towels
Instructions:
- Twist a few pieces of the paper towel together until they form something that looks like a piece of rope. (This will be the ‘wick’ that will absorb and transfer the water.)
- Place one end of the paper towel onto the glass filled with water and the other onto the empty glass.
- Be patient and then watch what happens.
What is happening?
The paper-towel rope (wick) starts getting wet and after a few minutes you will notice that the empty glass is starting to fill with water. It keeps filling until there is an even amount of water in each glass.
The process is called ‘capillary action’ – the water uses this process to move along the small gaps in the fibre of the paper towels. It occurs due to the adhesive force between the water and the paper towel being stronger than the cohesive forces in the water itself. This also happens in plants where moisture travels from the roots to the rest of the plant.
Make Invisible Ink
What you will need:
- Half a lemon
- A spoon
- A bowl
- Cotton bud
- White paper
- A lamp
Instructions:
- Squeeze the lemon juice into the bowl and add a few drops of water.
- Mix the water and lemon juice.
- Dip the cotton bud into the mixture and write or draw anything on the paper.
- Wait for the juice to dry so it becomes invisible.
- When you are ready to read the message, heat the paper by holding it close to the lamp.
What is happening?
Lemon juice is an organic substance that oxidises and turns brown when it is heated. Diluting lemon juice in water makes it difficult to notice when you apply it to the paper. No one will be aware of its presence until it is heated! Other substances that work in the same way are milk, vinegar, orange juice, onion juice and wine.
Have fun experimenting and learning together! www.sciencekids.co.nz
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