It's been very exciting having the chickens at the Lab and interacting with them. We've learned a lot! One question we get very often is 'what happens with the chickens in the winter?' Excellent question!

​Normally, when you think of where chickens live, you don't automatically picture them in a cold and snowy climate. Fact is, when it comes to chickens, you have over 500 pure breeds and an almost endless combination of mixed breeds. The type of chicken and its adaptations determine where it can live and thrive. The Kiddie Science Lab chickens, Sweet and Sour, are New England breeds, able to withstand cold, long winters. In addition to their adaptations, which we'll explore more in a bit, the hens have excellent accommodations. Shielded from the rain/snow and wind, the coop windows and doors can all be shut tight in bitterly cold nights. So far, on the coldest nights, we've closed all but one opening because it actually stays pretty warm in there.

To highlight the important role that science has in society, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed November 10th to be World Science Day for Peace and Development. In addition to recognizing the importance of science in our everyday lives, World Science Day aims to engage the public in scientific discussion and exploration.

This year, the World Science Day for Peace and Development will focus on the theme “Science, a Human Right”. This theme highlights that everyone has a right to participate in and benefit from science and reminds us #whyweneedscience.

This month at Kiddie Science, we highlight the simple and complex ways science benefits us.


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This Sunday we will be setting our clocks back by an hour, marking the end of Daylight Savings Time. The old saying, "spring forward, fall back" sums up what we do with our clocks. In the spring we move one hour ahead, in the fall we go back an hour.

But why?

Although there are exceptions to Daylight Savings Time (Hawaii, parts of Arizona, and US territories don't recognize the time change), most of us end up changing our clocks twice a year. The reason why has to do with science.

Due to the tilt in the Earth’s axis, summer days have more hours of sunlight than in winter. As the sun creeps up over the horizon earlier and earlier in the day, we end up with lots of sun in the very early morning hours when the majority of people are still asleep. The idea of Daylight Savings Time is to shift the clocks so that the extra daylight instead occurs at the end of the day, when people are actually awake. Usually on the second Sunday in March, we move the clocks ahead by one hour at the start of Daylight Savings Time. In other countries, this is called Summer Time.

When fall arrives, less hours of sunlight means the days become shorter. At this point, usually the first Sunday in November, clocks are returned to their Standard Time and we "fall back" by an hour. This change in time allows us to make the most out of the diminishing daylight hours.

You have tons of candy from trick-or-treating. 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