Category: Try This At Home

TRY THIS AT HOME: WATER BOTTLE REFRACTION

2/23/2020

That clear water bottle you have lying around in your recycling bin can come in handy for some refraction science! Refraction occurs because light bends when it passes through substances, such as water and plastic. With this knowledge, we can conduct a fun and simple exploration which shows us what happens when the light bends as is passes through.

What you'll need:
Clear water bottle (with all paper removed), sticky note, marker, water

What you do:
On the sticky note, draw two arrows, pointing in opposite directions. Make sure you use a dark color marker and that your arrows are big and clear. Stick this onto a wall. Fill the clear water bottle with water, all the way to the top, and screw the cap back on. Gradually move the water-filled bottle in front of the sticky note. As the bottle moves in front of the sticky note, something amazing happens with the arrows! They appear to change direction!

THIS THIS AT HOME: EDIBLE DENSITY SCIENCE

2/18/2020

Density can be a tricky concept to understand, but what we're basically talking about is the "weight" of liquids. We've put "weight"in quotations because it's the simplest way to define density, but not quite exactly. Every liquid has density. When solid objects are introduced, they may sink or float depending on the density of the liquid it is placed in. When we're talking about only liquids, this means you can do some pretty cool science exploration by stacking them in a density column.

The simple, non-edible version of this exploration involves oil and water. When placed together in a tall cup, you can see that not only do these liquids not mix, the water is always at the bottom and the oil is always at the top. The water is more dense (has more density) than the oil.

You can explore density using edible ingredients too! Just like water, juice has density. The amount of sugar or fruit in the juice determines how dense it is. The more sugar or fruit, the more dense the juice is.

What you'll need:
A tall glass or cylinder, turkey baster, fruit juice (not canned or powdered since those are mostly water)

What you do:
Before starting, let's make a hypothesis!

Take a look at the juice samples you have, paying close attention to the sugar content in each. Make a guess as to which juice is more or less dense. For our exploration at the Lab, we used Nature’s Promise White Grape (from Stop & Shop), Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice, and Tropicana Pomegranate-Blueberry.

When adding the juice, slowly drip it onto the inside of the glass using the turkey baster so that it runs down the side of the glass. Watch the juice to see if it goes below or above the juice already inside the glass. If it simply mixes with the juice and does not go above or below, it has the same density as the juice and you will need to move on to your next juice.

What to do with Candy?

10/29/2018

You have candy. Now what? Save some for science exploration!

CANDY CHROMATOGRAPHY
Chromatography is the process of separating something using a liquid (water). For this experiment, we will separate different candies into their original colors to explore the dyes they're made from. Candies with shine and color are perfect for this exploration.

CANDY ACID TEST
A simple experiment to test whether or not candy is acidic. All you need is candies, water, and baking soda. If the candy is acidic, the mixture will bubble and fizz when the baking soda is added.

SINK OR FLOAT
All you need is a container of water, assorted candies, and the Scientific Method! Guess which candy will sink and which will float. Test this hypothesis and see the results.

CANDY CLADOGRAM
In science, a cladogram is like a family tree of living things. It groups living things into similar categories and shows you how they are related to each other. Try this with candy. How many categories or groups can you make? From these groups, can you make smaller groups?

CANDY ENGINEERING
What can you build with your candy? The possibilities are endless! Buildings, bridges, cars, and more!

Did you do any of these experiments?
Share your results with us! KiddieScience@gmail.com

Try This At Home: Ice Exploration

12/11/2016

Baby it's cold outside! The freezing temperatures are a perfect time for science.

When water is in solid form, it becomes ice.
Ice is formed when water gets cold enough, 32 degrees or below. Any temperature above 32 degrees, and water will remain in its liquid form.

BASIC MATERIALS:
Water, assorted cups or bowls, salt, sugar, paper towels, spoon, ice cubes

EXPERIMENT #1: HOW WATER FREEZES
Once the temperature dips below 32 degrees, you can conduct an experiment to observe and compare how water becomes a solid. Using three cups or containers (not glass), fill halfway with water. Add two spoonfuls of salt to one container of water and mix. In another container of water, place two spoonfuls of sugar and mix. Do not add any ingredients to the last container of water. Place the three containers outside where you can observe them (you may want to label your containers if they look similar). Check in on the containers every ten minutes. What do you observe? How long did the water take to freeze? Which container took longest to freeze?

EXPERIMENT #2: HOW ICE MELTS
Using three small cups or containers, place one ice cube in each. Sprinkle two tablespoons of salt on top of one ice cube, and two tablespoons of sugar in another. Leave the last ice cubes with nothing on top. What do you think will happen? Check in on the ice every five minutes. What do you observe? Which ice cube melted first? which ice cube melted last?

Did you try this experiment at home? Tell us about it and show us your results!

TRY THIS AT HOME: Baking Soda vs Baking Powder

12/10/2016

Today's experiment involves yummy baking! Before we begin, let's explore the difference between baking soda and baking powder.

Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. Its great for cooking, cleaning, and doing science. Baking powder is a combination of ingredients. Their differences don't stop there!

BASIC MATERIALS:
cups, vinegar, baking soda, baking powder, paper towels, spoons, cream of tartar, baking soda, cornstarch, measuring spoons.

EXPERIMENT #1: BAKING SODA VERSUS BAKING POWDER
Fill two cups with a little bit of vinegar. Scoop one spoonful of baking powder into the vinegar. Observe what happens. In the other cup of vinegar, scoop one spoonful of baking soda. Observe what happens. What was the same/different between the two reactions?

EXPERIMENT #2: HOME MADE BAKING POWDER
Baking powder is a basic combination of ingredients. You can make some yourself the next time you're in a pinch while cooking. Mix 2 teaspoons cream of tartar with 1 teaspoon baking soda in a small bowl. To store, whisk 1 teaspoon cornstarch into the mixture and keep in an air-tight container.

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TRY THIS AT HOME: WATER BOTTLE REFRACTION

THIS THIS AT HOME: EDIBLE DENSITY SCIENCE

What to do with Candy?

Try This At Home: Ice Exploration

TRY THIS AT HOME: Baking Soda vs Baking Powder

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