WEIRD SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS Fireproof Balloon Materials: • Balloons • Water • Matches or lighter • Candle • Safety glasses Experiment: 1. Fill the balloon to the top with water – it probably holds a few ounces (60 mL for the scientists) – and then blow it up with air. If you accidentally let go of the balloon before you tie it off, you'll spray yourself and your friends will love it. Just tie off the balloon and get ready for the next step. 2. Slowly lower the water-filled balloon over the candle and watch as people start to run. Everyone knows that it's going to pop... but for some strange reason it doesn't. If you're very brave, you can actually allow the flame to touch the bottom of the balloon and it still doesn't pop. 3. Remove the balloon from the heat and carefully examine the soot on the bottom. Yes... there's soot and the balloon didn't pop. Before reading the explanation, try to figure out why the layer of water kept the balloon from popping. HOW DOES IT WORK? Water is a great for soaking up heat. The thin balloon lets the heat to pass through very quickly and warm the water. As the water closest to the flame heats up, it begins to rise and cooler water replaces it at the bottom of the balloon. This cooler water then soaks up more heat and the process repeats itself. In fact, the exchange of water happens so often that it keeps the balloon from ever popping! The soot on the bottom of the balloon is actually carbon. The carbon was deposited on the balloon by the flame, and the balloon remains undamaged.
Transcript
WEIRD SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS
Fireproof Balloon
Materials:
• Balloons
• Water
• Matches or lighter
• Candle
• Safety glasses
Experiment:
1. Fill the balloon to the top with water – it probably holds a few ounces (60 mL for the
scientists) – and then blow it up with air. If you accidentally let go of the balloon before you tie
it off, you'll spray yourself and your friends will love it. Just tie off the balloon and get ready for
the next step.
2. Slowly lower the water-filled balloon over the candle and watch as people start to run.
Everyone knows that it's going to pop... but for some strange reason it doesn't. If you're very
brave, you can actually allow the flame to touch the bottom of the balloon and it still doesn't
pop.
3. Remove the balloon from the heat and carefully examine the soot on the bottom. Yes...
there's soot and the balloon didn't pop. Before reading the explanation, try to figure out why the
layer of water kept the balloon from popping.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Water is a great for soaking up heat. The thin balloon lets the heat to pass through very quickly
and warm the water. As the water closest to the flame heats up, it begins to rise and cooler
water replaces it at the bottom of the balloon. This cooler water then soaks up more heat and the
process repeats itself. In fact, the exchange of water happens so often that it keeps the balloon
from ever popping! The soot on the bottom of the balloon is actually carbon. The carbon was
deposited on the balloon by the flame, and the balloon remains undamaged.
Screaming Balloon
Here's an easy-to-do experiment using only a balloon and a hex nut from the hardware store.
This is the perfect science of sound activity because kids will love it and parents will be left
shouting, "STOP!"
Materials
1. Clear latex balloons (9" to 11" balloons from a party store work great)
2. Some 1/4" hex nuts from the hardware store
What To Do:
1. Squeeze the hex nut through the mouth of the balloon. Make sure that the hex nut goes all the
way into the balloon so that there is no danger of it being sucked out while blowing up the
balloon.
2. Blow up the balloon, but be careful not to overinflate the balloon, as it will easily burst. Tie off
the balloon and you’re ready to go.
3. Grip the balloon at the stem end as you would a bowling ball. The neck of the balloon will be in
your palm and your fingers and thumb will extend down the sides of the balloon.
4. While holding the balloon, palm down, swirl it in a circular motion. The hex nut may bounce
around at first, but it will soon begin to roll around the inside of the balloon. What is that
sound? Could the balloon be screaming? The sound every parent loves...
5. Once the hex nut begins to spin, use your other hand to stabilize the balloon. Your hex nut
should continue to spin for 10 seconds or more.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
This is actually a 2 for 1 experiment - you’re learning about the science of motion and sound.
The hex nut circles inside the balloon due to centripetal force. Centripetal force is the inward
force on a body that causes it to move in a circular path. It is a "center-seeking" force. A hex nut
has 6 sides, and these flat edges cause the hex nut to bounce or vibrate inside the balloon. The
screaming sound is made by the sides of the hex nut vibrating against the inside wall of the
balloon. The faster you spin the nut the more heat is generated and will eventually pop the
balloon.
Many of our awesome ideas come from:
Steve Spangler’s books – Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes and
Fire Bubble and Exploding Toothpaste
As well as his website: www.stevespanglerscience.com
This rubber egg experiment is a classic science activity! Make a naked egg or bouncy egg. Can it bounce? What happens to the shell? Does light pass through it? So many questions and one simple experiment using everyday supplies
R U B B E R E G G E X P E R I M E N T Y O U W I L L N E E D : • Raw Eggs • Household Vinegar • Jar/Vase
S E T U P :
STEP 1: Place an egg in the jar and cover with vinegar. You can color the vinegar for rainbow-colored rubber eggs too!
Notice the bubbles on the eggshell! This is the acid in the vinegar reacting with the calcium carbonate in the shell. This reaction is producing a gas called carbon dioxide!
STEP 3: After 48 hours, remove the egg and rinse it off. Ours had a layer of brown scum that was easily washed away! The hard outer shell is gone and the egg white and yolk are surrounded by a thin membrane
What does the egg feel like? What color is it? Is it hard or soft? Does it feel squishy?
All of these questions encourage exploration and hands-on learning. Have kids use their senses to observe! What does it smell like? What does it look like? There are so many ways to explore. Grab the magnifying glass too!
CAN AN EGG BOUNCE?
Yes!! How high can an egg bounce?
STEP 2: Wait and watch!
Notice the bubbles on the eggshell! This is the acid in the vinegar reacting with the
calcium carbonate in the shell. This reaction is producing a gas called carbon dioxide!
TEST IT: How high can your egg bounce before it breaks? Watch out! This might get messy!
E G G I N V I N E G AR R E S U L T S
Now for the fun part, exploring the naked egg with your child! We gathered a few supplies such as a magnifying glass and a large flashlight. However, first, we talked about what our naked egg felt and looked like. We had made a cool rubbery feeling egg!
For younger kids, this basic version is perfect! It includes the right amount of play and learning. For
older kids, you might want to add some extra variables or experiments!
• How about the egg? Are there differences in eggshells between brown and white eggs? How
about organic eggs versus regular eggs?
• What happens when you put the rubber egg back in vinegar or another liquid? How about corn syrup? Test different liquids and explore osmosis once the shell is dissolved!
Oobleck is a fun mixture to play with, which is made from cornstarch and water. It’s a bit messy too!
It is a great example of a mixture! A mixture is a material made up of two or more substances combined together to form a new material and that can be separated again.
Do you think the oobleck mixture could be separated into cornflour and water again? How?
Try leaving a tray of oobleck out for a few days. What happens to the oobleck? Where do you think the water has gone?
O O B L E C K I S A N O N - N E W T O N I AN F L U I D
This oobleck activity is also a great way to explore the properties of liquids and solids, know as the states of matter. Here we are combining a liquid and a solid, but the mixture doesn’t become one or the other. A solid has its own shape whereas a liquid will take the shape of the container it is put into. Oobleck is a bit of both!
That’s why oobleck is called a non-Newtonian fluid. This means it is neither a liquid nor a solid but has properties of both! You can pick up a clump of the substance like a solid and then watch it ooze back into the bowl like a liquid. Touch the surface lightly and it will feel firm and solid. If you apply more pressure, your fingers will sink into it like a liquid.
I S O O B L E C K A S O L I D ? O R I S O O B L E C K A L I Q U I D ?
Did you know that cornstarch is a polymer? Polymers have long chains that make them up (like the glue used in slime). When these chains get all tangled up with one another, they create more of a solid!
P U M P K I N O O B L E C K
Here’s how to make this super simple 3 ingredient hands-on science play with real pumpkins! I love checking out my kitchen pantry for supplies for science experiments.
Y O U W I L L N E E D : • cornstarch • water • pumpkin (we used half of a 3-pound sugar pumpkin from the grocery store) • bowl and plate or cookie sheet and spoons
H O W T O M A K E P U M P K I N O O B L E C K
As I said above, we only used half a pumpkin which was perfect for our needs. If you have a few kids or a class, use the whole thing!
This mixture is for 1/2 a pumpkin. You might want to mix the oobleck a half at a time of you are using the whole pumpkin. It’s definitely a recipe you need to tweak to your liking and sensory needs.
STEP 1. Cut the pumpkin in half and loosen the guts and seeds (awesome time to discuss pumpkin parts too!) Set aside a few seeds to top the pumpkin afterward.
STEP 2. Measure 1 cup of cornstarch and pour into the pumpkin.
STEP 3. Add about a half cup of water to the pumpkin.
STEP 4. Mix well with hands! If the mixture feels too runny add a bit mmore cornstarch. Too dry? Add a bit more water. Just make sure to add very small amounts at a time!
STEP 5. Place the pumpkin on a cookie sheet or in a shallow tub for easy play.
Mixing Note: If the mixture is too runny, add more cornstarch and vice versa. You should be able to pick it up like a solid and have it begin to ooze as a liquid. That’s oobleck in a nutshell! Also note, you may need to adjust for the number of pumpkin guts in your pumpkin and the size of the pumpkin!
Sensory Note: This definitely can get oozy and gooey and provide quite a sensory punch. It’s not for everyone. My sone enjoys using spoons but doesn’t necessarily care to get it all over his hands, so I don’t push it. He does enjoy oobleck because if you poke it with your finger it feels firm and smooth with little residue.
C O N D U C T AN O O B L E C K E X P E R I M E N T
Want to experiment with viscosity? Easy, change the ratio of water to cornstarch! Viscosity is the physical property of fluids and how thick or thin they are, including how they flow.
• What happens when you add more cornstarch? Does the oobleck become thicker or thinner?
• What happens when you add more water? Does it flow faster or slower?
C A N Y O U M A K E O O B L E C K W I T H O U T C O R N S T A R C H ?
You could try making oobleck with flour, powder, or baking soda and compare the similarities and differences. Then try adding different other materials like pplesauce and cinnamon, different food colorings, glue instead of water. What happens?
M AK E P U M P K I N S L I M E F O R S C I E N C E !
What’s the science behind the slime? The borate ions in the slime activators (sodium borate, borax powder, or boric acid) mix with the PVA (polyvinyl-acetate) glue and form this cool stretchy substance. This is called cross-linking!
The glue is a polymer and is made up of long, repeating, and identical strands or molecules. These molecules flow past one another keeping the glue in a liquid state. Until…
When you add the borate ions to the mixture, it starts to connect these long strands together. They begin to tangle and mix until the substance is less like the liquid you started with and thicker and rubberier like slime! Slime is a polymer.
Picture the difference between wet spaghetti and leftover spaghetti the next day. As the slime forms, the tangled molecule strands are much like the clump of spaghetti!
Is slime a liquid or solid? We call it a Non-newtonian fluid because it’s a little bit of both!
As is, this is a great Halloween activity for kids. However, for even more fun, carve a face in the
pumpkin!
YOU WILL NEED:
Small baking Pumpkin
1/4 Cup Liquid Starch {laundry detergent aisle}
1/2 Cup Clear PVA Washable School Glue
1/2 Cup Water
Measuring cup, spoon, and knife {adults only!}
HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN SLIME
Step 1: Cut the top off the pumpkin.
Step 2: Make room in the pumpkin by loosing up all the seeds and guts. I did take some out to make
room but the whole idea is to incorporate the parts of the pumpkin into the slime.
Step 3: Mix 1/2 cup room temp water with 1/2 cup of clear Elmer’s Washable School Glue in a
separate bowl. {Other brands of glue do not work as well. You can use white but you won’t see as
much of the pumpkin}. Stir to fully incorporate.
Step 4: Measure a 1/4 cup of liquid starch and pour directly into the pumpkin.
Step 5: Pour the glue and water mixture into pumpkin.
Step 6: Get your hands in there and mix. The image below shows all the ingredients in the pumpkin.
SLIME MAKING TIP: We always recommend kneading your slime well after mixing. Kneading the slime really helps to improve it’s consistency. The trick with liquid starch slime is to put a few drops of the liquid starch onto your hands before picking up the slime.
You can knead the slime in the bowl before you pick it up as well. This slime is stretchy but can be stickier. However, keep in mind that although adding more liquid starch reduces the stickiness, it will eventually create a stiffer slime.
Below is the immediate reaction of the glue and starch! It doesn’t take long to make slime!
• Carve your pumpkin {adults only!}. I did not completely clean ours out, but you can and make a cool pumpkin squish bag too (see directions included)
• Pour vinegar into a bowl and have a baster or scoop ready. • Add a few scoops of baking soda into pumpkin • Next, add glitter and food coloring if desired • Then add a few drops of dish soap if desired • Finally, add vinegar and get ready to say WOW! • Repeat the process until you run out of baking soda or vinegar.
W H AT ’ S T H E S C I E N C E ?
• This ghost pumpkin science eruption is called a chemical reaction. When the baking soda {base} and vinegar {acid} mix, they react. The reaction is a gas called carbon dioxide. Therefore, you can see the bubbling fizzing action the gas produces.
• The addition of dish soap creates suds that make for a more dramatic appearance. Try it both ways. Without the dish soap, you can observe the chemical reaction more closely. You can hear, see, and feel the bubbling, fizzing action.
If you wish, draw a face on your zip lock bag to start your pumpkin sensory bag. Add
your pumpkin goop! This is a great time to talk about parts of a pumpkin if you haven’t
already! There is so much opportunity for hands-on learning when you are simply talking
with your child while preparing an activity. Seal the top and you have a pumpkin sensory
bag.
SUPPLIES
Pumpkin Insides
Zip Lock Gallon Bag
Tape {optional if you want to reinforce the top}
Sharpie {optional if you want to draw a face}, and packaging tape {optional if you want to seal top}
If you have a child who is a bit squeamish about slimy feeling materials, this pumpkin sensory bag is a perfect way to explore the pumpkin comfortably! Sensory bags are terrific sensory play ideas.
Call them vanishing, disappearing, or invisible... just know that Ghost Eggs are spooky because you can't
see them in water!
It looks like an ordinary glass of water… crystal clear water. But hiding just below the surface of the
water is an amazing collection of large, jelly-like marbles that become invisible when submerged in
water. The Jelly Marbles become invisible due to an identical index of refraction with the liquid. In
other words, they vanish like ghosts! As you’ll see, there’s more to this experiment than meets the
eye.
Wow! Those tiny, pebble-like balls filled up on water and transformed into tons of gooey, slimy, shimmery Jelly Marbles!
1. If you let your marbles soak overnight, when you come back to them in the morning most of the water should be absorbed. If there is any extra water hanging around, pour it off.
2. Stick your hand in the cup of Jelly Marbles and grab three. Lay them out on the table on a piece of paper towel. Remember, they’re safe to touch!
3. Tell your young scientists that the marbles are now hydrated. This means they have absorbed as much water as they possibly can. The little marbles can grow up to 11X their original size when hydrated!
4. Using the ruler, measure the size of the Jelly Marble after it absorbs all that water. Then, have your assistants draw a picture of a marble before and after it takes the plunge.
The Ghost Marble
1. Have your young scientists take a look at the single Jelly Marble they left floating in the clear cup. Hey, where’d it go?
2. Hold the cup up to the light and look at the water very carefully. Can you see something that faintly looks like a Jelly Marble?
3. Slowly pour off the water until the Jelly Marble mysteriously appears.
4. The marble takes on a ghostly appearance because it’s 99% water. You can barely see the outline because the light passing through it is refracted (bent) by the edges of the marble. The more you touch the marble, the more visible it becomes because of the oil and dirt on your fingers.
How Does It Work? Ghost Eggs are more commonly known as Jelly Marbles. Jelly Marbles start out as hard crystals, but they are actually made from a superabsorbent polymer that absorbs 300 times its weight in water. These hydrophilic spheres are approximately 99% water. If you look closely, you can barely see the outline of the sphere in the bowl of water. That’s because light passing through the sphere is only refracted (or bent) by the edge of the sphere. Without this refraction along the edges, the Jelly Marbles would seem to vanish altogether. In other words, the water-filled Jelly Marbles become invisible due to an identical index of refraction with the water in the bowl. The secret is to keep the Jelly Marbles clean and free of oil from your skin. The more you touch the spheres, the less invisible they become because dirt and oil on your fingers are transferred to the surface of the sphere, which also reflects the light to reveal the sphere.
A Special Coloring Agent That Fluoresces Under Black Light
When the energy from the black light “excites” the fluorescent dye, you end up with a brightly glowing, very exciting, ooey, gooey experiment! (For the full glowing effect, you will need to purchase a large black light.)
How Does It Work?
When you make Atomic String Slime, you’re actually learning about the science of polymers. The creative scientists at Steve Spangler Science coined the name “String Slime Goo” but the real name of this liquid is sodium alginate.
Explore the Science of Building Polymers by Cross-linking Long Chains of Molecules
The process of making String Slime is faster and easier than the classic slime recipe and it happens the very second the two liquids mix. Truly amazing!
What you need:
Atomic String Slime goo solution
String Slime activator
Small squirt bottle
1tsp. measuring spoon
Black light
Instructions:
Fill bowl with water – I used 18oz
Add 1 teaspoon of String Slime Activator for every 6oz of water and stir until dissolved
Squeeze a steady stream of Atomic Goo into the Activator water. Move your hand in a circular motion as you squeeze It’s like squeezing honey onto a biscuit. Reach in and fish around to pull out the Atomic string slime!
Squeeze more to play with it. It has elastic qualities like rubber but will break if you tug on it too hard When you break it you will notice it is still gooey inside. You can stick the two broken ends back in the Activator water and it will seal the two ends together!
HOW DOES IT WORK
Before you get started, you must understand the difference between the Zinc Sulfide Glow Powder and Atomic Glow Concentrate, or the terms fluorescence and phosphorescence.
It’s also important to note that not all zinc sulfide glows, but luminous zinc sulfide does glow!
Fluorescence This type of luminescence occurs when some form of radiation, such as light, causes an object to glow. For example, fluorescent papers and poster boards glow in the daylight. They glow even
brighter under black light (ultraviolet light). Ultraviolet light is a component in sunlight. Ultraviolet wavelengths are very long with a very high frequency and can be used to detect fluorescent material that would remain invisible under normal conditions. When you shine ultraviolet light on fluorescent material, it lights up with a beautiful bluish-green luminescence.
In either case, as soon as the light is removed, the glow stops. Fluorescent things do not glow in the dark all by themselves – they require some other form of energy such as ultraviolet light to “excite” them.
Under normal light, Atomic Glow will turn water a cool greenish-yellow color. Under a black light, the goo actually glows an eerie green color. Atomic Glow is fluorescent and needs a black light to make it glow.
Parents – also note that Atomic Glow will stain.
Phosphorescence Phosphorescence is just like fluorescence, except that the glow continues even after the light used to excite it is removed. “Glow in the dark” toys phosphoresce brightly in total darkness after being “charged” or excited by ordinary white or ultraviolet light. Glow Powder works by absorbing surrounding light energy and then releases that energy when the lights go out. It’s called a phosphorescent.
So, how does zinc sulfide work? Imagine that an atom looks something like our solar system. The sun would be the nucleus consisting of positive charges called protons and neutral charges called neutrons. The planets spinning around the sun would be similar to the electrons of an atom in orbits around the nucleus.
When the electrons in the atoms of special molecules like zinc sulfide become excited, they move farther away from the nucleus — into higher or more distant orbits. In order to become excited, the electrons must take on energy. In this case, light provided the required energy to cause the electrons to move to a higher energy level. It’s as if Earth were to move farther away from the sun into the orbit of Mars or Jupiter.
The electrons will remain in the excited state as long as they receive light to energize them. But, when the light used as an exciter is removed, the electrons will slowly return to their original lower orbits. As they do so, they give up the energy that excited them in the form of light.
• Pumpkins • Adhesive Glue Spray • Glow in the Dark Powder (I bought mine from Steve Spangler)
(The little glow powder goes a long way!) • OR Glow in the Dark Paint • Paint Brush • Contact Paper • Scissors • Glow in the Dark Modge Podge (optional)
I began by printing off a free jack-o-lantern pattern that I got online. I then traced in onto my contact paper. If you are a good artist, you can skip this step entirely, however my drawing skills are not so amazing.
Once I had my design cut from the contact paper I simply peeled and then applied it. Make sure the edges are smooth. I traced over a couple times with my fingers to really press the design firmly in place. I did a couple different designs as well as leaving a couple of the pumpkins without any contact paper so they could glow all over!
Now you are ready to apply the spray adhesive or there is actually glow in the dark modge podge. So, you could paint the pumpkin with glow in the dark modge podge if you wanted to add extra glow! Your last option is to use plain or clear Elmers glue. While this is not quite as easy (because it takes awhile to dry) you could use it if you are in a bind.
