Balloon Rockets August 10, 2012 Kids love balloons. Balloons are fun and frugal entertainment. There is certainly no denying that. I always keep a stash of balloons around to pull out on days when my boys are in need of some unexpected fun. They love to play the classic “don’t let the balloon touch the floor” game. Balloons can also be a great science tool. We used balloons to make ourMarshmallow Shooters and for our Balloon Blow Up activity. Recently, we’ve experimented with building our own model rockets and we’ve launched water rockets at our local science museum. Rockets are fascinating and a great way to teach the concept of action and reaction. Fortunately, they can also be as simple or as complicated as you’d like. Today, simplicity was the route we took. By using a few items we had around the house, we made balloon rockets. What you need: Piece of yarn (cut to about 6 feet) Balloon
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Transcript
Balloon RocketsAugust 10, 2012
Kids love balloons. Balloons are fun and frugal entertainment. There is certainly no denying that.
I always keep a stash of balloons around to pull out on days when my boys are in need of some unexpected fun. They love to play the classic “don’t let the balloon touch the floor” game.
Balloons can also be a great science tool. We used balloons to make ourMarshmallow Shooters and for our Balloon Blow Up activity.
Recently, we’ve experimented with building our own model rockets and we’ve launched water rockets at our local science museum. Rockets are fascinating and a great way to teach the concept of action and reaction.
Fortunately, they can also be as simple or as complicated as you’d like. Today, simplicity was the route we took. By using a few items we had around the house, we made balloon rockets.
Pull the balloon to one end of the string (so that the opening of the balloon is touching one of the chairs), and let go…
Observe what happens.
The balloon should start to move as soon as you let go of it.
Action and reaction is a fairly simple concept – To make an object move one way, a force has to work in the opposite direction.
In this case, the balloon is full of air. When you let go of the balloon, causing the air to rush out of the opening, it creates a pushing force in the opposite direction. This makes the balloon move.
Real rockets work in a similar way. A rocket engine works by exploding fuel inside a chamber that is open at the bottom. The force of the explosion creates an opposite force that pushes the rocket up and into space.
Make Your Own Marshmallow ShooterJanuary 18, 2012
Need a fun gross motor activity for the kids that incorporates science, and can be done either inside or out ? Here it is !
Making a marshmallow shooter is so easy, and will provide the kids with a hands-on lesson in movement, force, and friction.
Here is what you need:
Disposable cups (medium-sized work best)
Balloons
Marshmallows (pom-poms work too, although not as well)
Tape (we used duct tape)- Start by cutting the bottom off of the cup.
- Next, cut the tip off of a balloon, and stretch it over the bottom portion of the cup. Tie a knot in the other end of the balloon.
- To make your marshmallow shooter more durable, put tape around the edges of the balloon that is stretched over the cup. This will prevent the balloon from snapping off while the children are experimenting with the shooter.
That’s it ! Grab some marshmallows (or pom-poms) and start shooting !
I didn’t demonstrate how the marshmallow shooter works. Instead, I just handed it over to see if they could figure it out. It didn’t take long…
Finally, an activity that even big brother (age 12) wanted to participate in…
Tobias (age 3) set up a barricade, and was “taking cover” so his big brothers couldn’t team up on him…
We had so much fun with this project. We experimented with different forces – pulling the balloon back just a little bit creates a small amount of force, but pulling the balloon back a lot, creates a bigger force, which results in the marshmallows going much further and faster.
We learned about measurement and estimation. The boys tried to guess how far they could shoot, and then measured the distance. They compared their results, and discussed the differences and similarities.
We learned that weight has a major impact on how far an object will travel. When we used the shooters with pom-poms, we discovered that because they are so light, they don’t travel very far. The marshmallows, on the other hand, were heavier and traveled much further (and faster).
I think it’s safe to say that most people, at one time or another, have experimented with baking soda and vinegar.
It’s a classic combination that I remember exploring with when I was in school, and my boys have played around with on several occasions. The reaction caused by these two simple household items never fails to amaze.
We’ve explored this fun reaction with Mini Volcanoes and Science Lab Exploration For Kids. Recently, when one of the older boys was home sick from school, we decided to take our baking soda and vinegar fun to a whole new level.
What you need:
Baking soda
Vinegar
Balloon
Funnel (or make your own from a piece of paper )
Spoon
Empty bottle (preferably clear)Gather your supplies…
Such a great experiment, and a fun way to explore with everyday materials in a new way…
Catapult Paper AirplanesJanuary 26, 2012
I have an ongoing mental list of easy, simple, non-messy activities and projects that I can “whip out” whenever I need to. You know, for those days when the kids are in need of a structured task, but mom just doesn’t have the time or energy to come up with anything creative.
My boys have always enjoyed making (and flying) paper airplanes, and over the years we have tried several different styles. Recently, we decided to get a little more creative than the traditional paper airplane, and came up with this.
I dare you to find a little boy (or girl, for that matter) who doesn’t think this is the coolest paper airplane ever.
What you need:
Paper (we used a sheet of 8×11 construction paper, but any kind
should work)
Rubber band
Hole punch (I couldn’t find our hole punch, so I used a pencil to
poke the hole instead)
Markers, crayons, colored pencils (optional)Make a paper airplane (any style or design will work).
Decorate if desired. Then, using the hole punch (or pencil, like I did), make a hole in the bottom of the airplane (near the nose of the plane, but not too close to the edge, or it will rip easily).
Thread a rubber band through the hole, and loop it until secure…
Older kids should be able to do this on their own. The younger ones will probably need some assistance…
That’s it. Now, slip the rubber band around your thumb on one hand, and pull back the paper airplane with the other hand. Let go…and be amazed !
We were shocked at how far and fast these catapult airplanes traveled. Not only is this a great activity for improving eye-hand coordination, but it’s also a great science lesson – gravity, force, kinetic energy, and resistance are just some of the concepts being introduced here.
Mini VolcanoesJanuary 30, 2012
Volcanoes have been a topic of interest in our household for as long as I can remember.
I’m not sure if it’s because I have boys (who tend to enjoy things that blow up), or because we live in an area with a famous volcano (Mt. St. Helens) that we see on a daily basis.
Either way, all the volcano talk led to this experiment, which was a fun variation of the traditional baking soda and vinegar science “trick.”
Towards the end of our exploration, the bottle of vinegar was empty, but the boys wanted to continue experimenting.
I looked through the cupboards in search of another bottle. I didn’t find any white vinegar, but I did find a bottle of red wine vinegar.
We decided to see if it would create the same reaction.
The result: White vinegar mixed with baking soda made more fizzing sounds as it erupted. Red wine vinegar mixed with baking soda created more bubbles, and gave it a cool red tint. This, of course, became “lava” from the “volcano.”
When they were done experimenting, we discussed why the baking soda and vinegar react the way that they do.
We learned that acetic acid (in vinegar) reacts with sodium bicarbonate (in baking soda) to form carbonic acid.
Carbonic acid is unstable, and immediately falls apart into carbon dioxide and water. The bubbles that occur, come from the carbon dioxide escaping the solution.
Carbon dioxide is heavier than air, so it flows almost like water (or in our case, “lava”) when it spills over the container.
Dancing RaisinsFebruary 16, 2012
What’s that? You want to make raisins dance? No problem.
What you need:
Clear soda (Sprite, 7Up, Sierra Mist)
Raisins
Clear glass (or bowl)Pour soda into a glass. Notice the bubbles? That’s carbon dioxide gas being
released from the liquid.
Drop some raisins into the glass, and observe what happens…
The raisins are denser than the liquid in the soda, so initially they sink to the bottom of the glass.
As the soda releases carbon dioxide bubbles, they stick to the bumpy surface of the raisins, which are then lifted because of the increased buoyancy.
Watch as the raisins reach the top of the glass. What happens?
When the raisins reach the surface, the bubbles pop, and the carbon dioxide gas escapes into the air. This causes the raisins to lose buoyancy and sink again.
The raisins will continue to rise and sink (or dance, as we like to call it) until most of the carbon dioxide has escaped and the soda becomes flat.
(At that point, the raisins are generally soggy from absorbing the liquid, and are too heavy to float anyway).
A fun way to expand on this, would be to find other objects around the house to experiment with. Many other items will “dance” as well, they just need to have a density that is slightly greater than water, and a rough surface for the gas bubbles to attach to.
As you experiment, introduce science terms (such as theory, hypothesis, conclusion, etc). This is a great opportunity to increase vocabulary and comprehension for children.
Remember to discover, explore, and learn together with your kids. You will not only be teaching them important science concepts, you’ll also be creating great memories.
Magnets are fascinating for children. We’ve explored with magnets on many occasions. We even made a fun math game using magnets – Fun With Fishing.
Magnets are almost magical for kids. The fact that they can be used to move and attract objects mesmerizes children, and leads to excellent scientific discussions.
Today, when the boys and I were searching through our art cupboard for inspiration, one of our Magnetic Wands caught their attention.
They immediately grabbed the wand and started exploring with random items (coins, paper clips, etc.) for a bit before putting it away and grabbing some paint instead.
Seeing the magnet exploration and paint reminded me of a fun art project I used to do in the classroom with preschoolers. I decided to introduce my boys to the magic of magnet painting.
What you need :
Magnetic Wand (or other strong magnet)
Paper plate
Metal paper clip
PaintPlace several different colors of paint onto a paper plate. Add a metal paper
How does the paint disrupt the magnetic force? What objects, other than a paper clip, could be used for this project?
Engage the children in dialogue as they are experimenting. Introduce them to some new scientific terms that they might be unfamiliar with, such as force, magnetism, and reaction.
WHAT IS MOON SAND?
Simply put, Moon Sand is… 4 Ingredients.
Flour
Cornstarch
Oil
Sand
As you will read from my co-hosts, there are variations and differing opinions as to