Sunday, November 2, 2008

A couple of simple science gigs

Here are a couple of my favorite science experiments for the kids to do on their own while I am busy or need to sneak in a nap:

1. Fireworks in a glass

Fill a clear glass cup or jar with water. Mix about 1/4 cup of vegetable oil with 5-10 drops of several food colors (a couple of quick stirs with a fork is enough). Pour oil mixture on top of water in glass. The oil and food color don't mix, but as soon as a drop of the food color reaches the water, it burst into a streak of color, creating the fireworks effect. Here is a picture of our fireworks once they had been going for a little while:


2. Surface tension of water

Lay out various coins for your child, as well as a cup of water and a dropper (you can use one from a medicine kit, an old supplement bottle, ask for one at your local pharmacy, or buy one in the science section of any school store). Tell your child to guess how many drops of water will fit on each coin, and have them write down their guesses. Then have them try and count, writing down their results, which are VERY surprising! They can then try to see if clean coins fit more drops than dirtier coins, or if one side works better than another, etc. Be sure to provide (paper) towels. You can use this activity as an introduction to a lesson about the surface tension of water and maybe even get a couple of library books on the subject.

3 comments:

  1. Hi there, I've been meaning to comment for awhile but have been busy. Not that I am complaining to a woman who takes 5 kids out for the day by herself. Big pat on the back there, I admire what you can do. I have two and sometimes I can't cope with that!
    I just wanted to say that you could extend that water tension lesson by graphing the results. A simple bar graph would work. That way you could easily see which type of coin was able to hold the most drops of water. To really extend you could even do a bar graph where they graphed their predictions next to their actual results. I hope that makes sense LOL.
    And, I am really interested in why women should not be allowed to vote. I am also keen to understand the concept of 'dishonouring' your husband
    When you have the time of course!

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  2. Alice,

    good tips on the graphing, thanks!

    As to the voting thing: I do not think that women should be in authority, because the Bible says so. (1Ti 2:12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.) While that verse is speaking about women in church, it is a principle found in the Bible that men are supposed to be the leaders. When this country was started, not only were only men allowed to vote, but they had to own land in order to vote!

    I guess a modern-day comparison would be if you tried to vote in a business meeting of a company that you do not own any stock in. You can't do that, because only those who actually own the company will vote in the best interest of it. By allowing every welfare-recipient to vote, they will of course vote for someone like Obama who wants to take money from hard working people and give handouts to the lazy. But I digress.

    It's not that women weren't allowed to vote because they are less smart or inferior. The idea was more that the vote went to the head of the household.

    Even so, men are better leaders, because women are naturally designed as followers.

    The majority of men oppose abortion, yet it is legal because women can vote.

    My husband preached a sermon that also deals with this subject, and if you are so inclined you may want to listen to it. I think it's called "womens role in society".

    As far as dishonoring her husband, I think it makes him look bad when she dresses so casually. Kind of like I don't let our kids wear dirty clothes in public because it would make me look bad. Besides, I don't think she should wear pants any more than he should wear a skirt.

    Sorry, this all sounds so scatter-brained, I guess I should go to bed.

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  3. wow, that was fast. Thanks :D
    I hope you don't take this the wrong way but do you believe that everything in the Bible is literally true? And that we should follow all the rules even if they seem out of place in today's society? Your analogy of not being able to vote in a company that you don't have shares in is a poor one. Granted, it is hard to come up with analogies at the best of times, let alone being a sleep deprived mother of five. But, it I believe strongly in voting. In Australia we have to vote, it is law and we get fined if we do not. I would vote even if it was not required of me because I think it is so important to have a say in the running of the country.
    I agree on the outfit. It is a very poor choice. Horizontal stripes are alway really dangerous on a woman who is not stick thin and I think that by trying to go for a casual look is a terrible one
    I must admit that I am hoping that Obama wins, I think he has head screwed on right on a lot of things that effect the rest of the world. McCain and that awful Palin woman really frighten me.
    Oh, and looking forward to seeing some more pics of the gorgeous kids. I loved the one of your husband holding Rebecca and eating dinner. It reminded me of what my husband looked like when our babes were so tiny. He had that exhausted but contented and happy look. It's precious, that look

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