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Heat Transfer
Tweet Another simple thermal energy investigation. An important aspect of thermal energy is Heat Transfer, and older primary school students can begin to understand the concept of insulation and heat transfer as it relates to thermal energy. You will need: A number of different materials, perhaps including… a metal pie plate a fleece-lined sweatshirt an [...]
Honeycomb Candy
Tweet This is an easy-to-make kitchen science confection that has an interesting texture caused by carbon dioxide bubbles getting trapped within the honeycomb. Ingredients 150 gms sugar 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons water 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda Greaseproof paper Oil, butter or non-stick cooking spray Instructions Coat a sheet of greaseproof paper using oil, butter, [...]
Cheshire Cat
Tweet Make a friend disappear, leaving only a smile behind. Under most circumstances, both of your eyes receive fairly similar views of the world around you. You fuse these views into a single three-dimensional picture. This experiment lets you explore what happens when your eyes receive different images. You will need: A handheld mirror, approximately [...]
Scientific Slushy!
Tweet Cool off and amaze your friends by making any soft drink or soda turn into a slushy on command. Here’s how to do this fun and refreshing supercooled science project. You will need: A soft drink A freezer Any soda or soft drink works for this. The slushy project works especially well with 16-oz [...]
Bird in the Cage
Tweet Following on nicely from the Thaumotrope Illusion… You will need: 4 white posterboards or pieces of paper bright red, green and blue coloured paper black marker pen scissors Adult help. Instructions: Cut the same simple shape, such a bird or a fish, from each of the three coloured papers. Glue each shape on [...]
DNA Detective
Tweet See your own DNA You Will Need Water A squirt of washing up liquid 1/2 a tsp of salt 1 tsp of ice cold ethanol methylated spirits or rubbing alcohol (isopropanol) Two cups A clear container with a lid Instructions Dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in half a cup of water. Add a [...]
Watch TV…upside down on a piece of paper!
Tweet You can make an image with your magnifying glass of almost anything: a window with the sun shining through it, a tree outside in the garden, or even the dog in your neighbour’s garden. However, these are rather boring things to look at, especially when your home or school contains something much more entertaining. [...]
Cool Hand Fluke?
Tweet …or How You Can Be Tricked By Your Own Nervous System You will need: 3 bowls the same size, big enough to fit your hand in with your hand spread out. hot water, but not scalding cold water (iced if ice is available) lukewarm water Instructions Fill the 3 bowls each a different [...]
Loopy Wet Buckets
Tweet It’s not magic that keeps people inside roller coaster cars that travel in looping, spiralling paths – it’s physics. Try this experiment to see how centripetal force and inertia keep people inside cars even when travelling upside down. You will need: •Small plastic bucket •Water •Sturdy string •Outdoor place that is OK to get [...]
Watery Wonders
Tweet A couple of exciting experiments where scientific principles lead to magical results. They are simple, fun, and teach your children all about the wonders of liquids. 1. Water Lasso You will need: a bowl water string washing up liquid a matchstick or dowel Instructions Fill a bowl with water. Knot a piece of [...]