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7/29/2019 Six Science Snippets - Autumn 2013
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www.curiositots.co.uk / [email protected] 1
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1 www.curiositots.co.uk / [email protected]
WelcomeHi! Im Soozy - science teacher, mum of
two, and founder of CuriosiTots.
The aim of this booklet is to provide a
few ideas of activities to try with yourchildren during the autumn, and so are
concerned with autumnal themes such
as wind and fallen leaves. It will also
give you some ways to start them thinking scientifically about
what is happening.
Even someone with a good background in science can beflummoxed when trying to explain things to a young child,
since they are still lacking so much of the background
knowledge that we depend on. I hope that the questions I
have included with each activity will guide you to help your
child make observations and try to form conclusions about
what is happening. For the less scientifically literate parents,
I have also included a brief explanation of the science behindeach experiment.
The activities and associated questions are aimed at
ages 3-4 but can be enjoyed by older and younger
children too.
If you enjoy this booklet, why not think about joining a week-
ly CuriosiTots class. For further information you can look onthe website below, or email [email protected] to enquire
about a free taster session.
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www.curiositots.co.uk / [email protected] 2
ContentsPage 3 Collect some leaves
Page 4
Apple bobbing (and other things)
Page 5 Investigate how seeds are dispersed
Page 6 Milk fireworks
Page 7 Make a windmill
Page 9 Make some Gloop
Page 10 What is CuriosiTots?
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3 www.curiositots.co.uk / [email protected]
Collect some leaves1
You will need Pieces of paper
Some heavy books
The scienceThe purpose of leaves is to carry out photosynthesis and provide ener-
gy for the tree. In the winter months the sunlight is less strong, and itis harder for the tree to get enough water from the cold ground.
The plant recycles the chlorophyll (the green pigment that is needed
for photosynthesis) and fills its leaves with waste products. These pro-
duce the red and brown hues. When the leaves rot the nutrients in
them are returned to the soil.
What to doGo on a nature walk and collect some fallen leaves. Look for different
colours and different shapes and sizes. Flatten and dry the leaves be-
tween sheets of paper under a couple of heavy books. Sort the leaves
by colour, size or type of leaf.
What to askWhat different colours can you see? What different shapes?
How would you describe the leaf to someone who couldnt see it?
Why do you think the trees lose their leaves?
Also point out the veins on the leaf and compare them to our blood
vessels.
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www.curiositots.co.uk / [email protected] 4
2Apple Bobbing
(and other things)
You will need Washing up bowl full of water
A variety of things to try and float:apples, lemons (try with and without peel), stones, coins,lego, tins, glass jars, plastic punnets...
The scienceWhether something floats on another substance depends on their rela-
tive densities. Density is mass-per-unit-volume. In other words if you
took 1cm3 of lead and 1cm3 of aluminium then the lead would weigh
more as it is more dense.
A steel boat floats on water despite the fact that steel is more dense
than water. This is because most of the interior of the boat is full of
air, so the average density of the shape in the water is low
What to doPredict whether each object will sink or float, and then test it.
See if your child can come up with a way to record their results so they
can remember which sank and which floated.
What to askDoes it make a difference how you put things in?
Try pushing things that float under the water. Do they all float back to
the surface?
Why do you think that will float/sink?
Do the things that float have anything in common?
Did any of them surprise you? Why?
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5 www.curiositots.co.uk / [email protected]
Investigate how
seeds are dispersed3
You will need Thin card
Paper clip
Scissors
The sciencePlants want their seeds to germinate as far away as possible so they
dont have to compete with their offspring for water and nutrients. Syc-
amore seeds are dispersed by the wind so need to stay in the air as
long as possible. Another method is being eaten by animals or birds so
that the seed is deposited in a nice pile of poo some time later. Seeds
can also be dispersed by water, or attaching to animals coats. Look at
some other seeds and guess how they get away from their parent.
What to doCut along the thick lines and fold
along the dotted lines to give the
shape shown in the third diagram.
Drop from approx. 2m.
What to askWhat do you think will happen if we add extra paperclips?
How is this like the sycamore seed? How is it different?
Examples of seeds eg sycamore heli-copters, conkers, apples, nuts, sun-flower seeds, poppy shakers
Optional: fan, stopwatch
Use a stopwatch to time how long to hit the ground and compare with a
plain piece of card. Try with additional paperclips or blowing with a fan.
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www.curiositots.co.uk / [email protected] 6
4Milk fireworks
You will need Full fat milk
Large shallow dish
Food colourings
The scienceMilk is a suspension of fat and proteins in water. The washing up liquidis a strange moleculeone end of it likes water and the other end is
attracted to fat. This disrupts the bonds holding the fat and protein
suspended in the water, and causes all the molecules to move around
to find the best new arrangement. The food colouring molecules are
pushed around during this process.
What to doPour the milk into the dish add 3 or 4 small drops of food colouring.
Dip a cotton bud in washing up liquid and gently touch it to one of the
food colouring drops. You should see the colour exploding away from
where you touched.
What to askWhat do you think will happen?
What did you see?
How many times can we do it before we need new milk?
Washing up liquid
Cotton buds
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7 www.curiositots.co.uk / [email protected]
Make a windmill5
You will need 10cm square piece of paper
Two drinking straws (at leastone bendy one)
thin round piece of wood(cocktail stick or end of a
wooden skewer)
What to doFold the paper diagonally both ways to
make a cross. Use a 10p coin to draw a
circle in the middle.
Cut along the diagonal lines stopping at
the circle. Punch a hole in alternate cor-
ners and in the centre as shown in the dia-
gram.
If you want to colour it in then at this point
colour the other side.
Fold one corner so the hole lines up with
the centre hole, and stick down the corner
with a small bit of tape (dont cover the
hole!) Repeat with all 4 corners.
Put your thin round bit of wood through
the hole and fasten it to the front of the
windmill with a piece of blu tack.
Sellotape
Blu tack or plasticine
Hole punch
scissors
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www.curiositots.co.uk / [email protected] 8
The scienceThis windmill shows that the movement of air can be harnessed, and if
the wooden shaft were connected to something then that energy could
be used to do work. In traditional windmills, a series of gears meant
the turning of the sails directly turned a millstone to grind wheat. In
modern wind turbines, the shaft turns electromagnets inside coiled
wires. The magnetic field passing through the wires induces an electric
current within the wire and so the kinetic (movement) energy is trans-
formed into electrical energy.
What to askWhat happens if you blow gently / harder?
What is the best angle to blow it at?Why do you think it stops spinning again?
You could also experiment with bigger / smaller windmills, or using
card or newspaper instead of normal paper. How does it affect how
easy it is to make the windmill turn?
Look at some pictures (or go and visit) some real windmills or wind
turbines. How are they different from your windmill? How are they
similar?
Why is the wind a good source of energy? What problems are there
with using the wind to do things?
Cut a straight bit of straw approx. 1cm
shorter than the wood. Thread it over the
wood and put some more blu tack on the
back of the wood to stop it falling off.
Take the bendy straw and bend the top
over. Sellotape the cut piece of straw to
the top of the bendy straw so that it sticks
out as shown in the diagram.
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9 www.curiositots.co.uk / [email protected]
6 Make some Gloop
You will need Large bowl / deep tray
Cornflour
Water
The scienceGloop is a suspension of large cornflour particles in water. When
you stir it slowly, the particles can move around each other. But
when you try to move it quickly, the water particles move out of the
way and the cornflour particles bunch up together into a solid like
snow pilling up in front of a snowplough. When left, the water mole-
cules diffuse back in, turning it back into a fluid. It is known as a
shear-thickening fluid, or alternatively as a non-Newtonian liquid as
it doesnt follow the laws for liquids laid down by Newton.
Scientists are still working on devising equations to describe these
complex fluids.
What to doFill a cup with cornflour and add it to the bowl. Slowly add water,
mixing continually (with your hands is easiest if a bit messy!) until
you get a smooth goo.
Play with the goo. Try moving a stick or finger through it fast, and
then again slowly.
What to askCan you roll it into a ball?
Can you make it drip?
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www.curiositots.co.uk / [email protected]
What is CuriosiTots?
CuriosiTots is a weekly class which will engage your childs inquisitive
nature. Original stories, role-play and simple experiments are combined to
introduce preschool children to the fundamentals of science. We develop
basic skills such as questioning, observation, numeracy, finding patterns
and making comparisons. The activities are designed to also develop
listening and communication skills, confidence, and social skills such astaking turns.
Who is CuriosiTots for?
Most children will be ready to join a class between the age of 2 and 3. If
your child can sit and listen to a story for 5 minutes and can follow simple
instructions then they can enjoy and learn from CuriosiTots. If they are
constantly asking "WHY?" thenyouwill benefit too!
Isn't age 2 a bit young to be learning science?
CuriosiTots isn't about learning facts and figures. It's about equipping
children with skills that will help them make sense of the world. Babies
start to categorise things and gain an understanding of cause and effect
before they are 1. Between 1 and 2 they learn that making different
choices can affect the outcome, and start to experiment with those
choices to find underlying principles. They can be helped to find theserules about how the world works through structured activities and by
teaching vocabulary to help them express what they discover.
Where can I find out more?
Look on our website, or email us to book a free taster session.
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11 www.curiositots.co.uk / [email protected]
July 2013