Science Experiment Photos

Going to give it another try..

Getting ready – putting the equipment together

Marking the cup we think will have the greatest reaction/explosion

Fizzing

More fizzing (this was when we gave up on the eyedroppers and poured the vinegar in)

Now onto painting with vinegar

More

I am looking forward to doing this with different colours – I bought some more vinegar today.

Here it is the sludgy mess – or relief map.

Alexander is tipping out the cups of bi-carb from the first experiment into the tray.

Bonus – nice clean pan now.

Another thing I have been wanting to try is now that it gets dark early glow sticks in the bath. Emily wasn’t feeling too well and I knew this meant she wouldn’t want a bath but I thought a nice warm bath would be just the soothing thing so I added glow sticks and it looked and worked great!

It also meant this morning I explained that inside the sticks was a reaction just like the one we created with the vinegar and bicarb and that is why the colours were fading as the reaction wasn’t as strong anymore. They both want to try this again tonight.

Science Experiments

This week at pre school they have been undertaking science experiments.  One of the mums (whose daughter Emily happily plays with at play group and preschool) went in to preschool and began the week off with a few experiments.  They then took the idea and continued it throughout the week, which was good as Alexander and Emily got to see some of the fun.  Alexander requested that we do some at home.  I have seen some on blogs that I have been wanting to do so it was a good spur to get going.  Today I bought some bi-carb and some eye droppers (unfortunately I didn’t buy any vinegar but oh well we had enough at home).

The first experiment I found the idea on No Time for Flash Cards where they investigated what made the best explosion here.

I found some plastic cups in the cupboard and labelled them 1, 2 and 3. One set for Emily and the other for Alexander.  I then labelled three cups A B and C.  In the numbered cups I put bi-carb in one, Self Raising Flour and Baking Soda in the other.  In the other cups I put lemon cordial, water and vinegar.  I knew lemon is acidic but wasn’t sure how the cordial would go but I had no lemon juice.

I can’t seem to add photos at the moment.  I made a list of what number was what powder and what liquid was which and then I added the children.  They predicted which one would fizz the most and then we gave it a go.  I was interested to see that SR Flour did fizz a little from the added soda.  The lemon juice did made the baking powder and soda fizz and of course the vinegar did to.  The kids emptied the liquid in. As we started I thought making a chart would be a good idea and I quickly drew one up and then forgot to give it to Alexander to fill it out.

Then it was time for painting by vinegar which I was inspired to do from here.

I covered a baking tray with bicarb and then filled a couple of cups with liquid.  Unfortunately I had more brown vinegar than white so we only managed to make one colour – a dark muddy green because Alexander dripped in lots of blue and Emily only a little yellow. I found red wine vinegar and brown vinegar and the lemon cordial again and the kids had fun creating with that.

They decided the green was the water and the muddled brown colour the land.

I’ll have to add photos another time.  Tomorrow’s activity which Alexander did at pre school but Emily didn’t is the magic milk paint where the colours swirl around.