[paul.fr]

what you need


3 pieces of white paper
Red crayon or felt tip
Blue crayon or felt tip


what you do


Draw a red shape on one piece of white paper and a blue shape on another. Stare hard at the red shape for a few minutes then stare at the blank paper.

What happens?

 
Repeat the experiment with the blue shape.
What happens?
 

[paul.fr]

What you need

 
A glass of water
Lemon juice
Castor sugar
Baking soda


What you do

 
Squeeze some lemon juice into the glass of water and stir in a teaspoon of castor sugar. Taste the drink.

add a teaspoon of baking soda.
What happens? What does it taste like?

[paul.fr]

what you need

 
Several sheets of newspaper
Several sheets of A4 paper
An inkpad
A pen
Soap and water
Paper towels


What you do


Spread the newspaper down first and have the soap, water and paper towels nearby. Write each person’s name at the top of the paper and have them put their prints onto their page one by one. Get them to wash their hands straight away!


When the prints are dry compare them and see if any of the prints are similar. Maybe some are Whorl patterns, maybe some are loops and some might be arch patterns.


Have them make another set of prints on paper without their name on top and see if you can match their new set with the named set.

If you have brothers or sister, try doing this with them. If you have a twin, what will your results be?

topic link

What causes "fingerprints", and why do we all have different ones? http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=6371.0

[paul.fr]

what you need


Jelly
a ladel, or large spoon
glass or clear plate


what you do


Make you jelly. Before letting it set, fill your ladel with the jelly and pop it in to your fridge. After about 3 - 4 hours it should be set.

remove the jelly from the ladel mould, if the jelly does not come out with ease, run hot water over the back of the ladel to free it.

Now, set your jelly mould in the centre of your glass plate. Place the plate on top of a newspaper or book.

what happens?

topic link

"magnifying Glass" http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=7776.0

[paul.fr]

what you need

Scissors
a balloon
an empty  2 litre drink bottle, with lid on


what you do

Use the scissors to cut the top off your drink bottle, cut about 2 inches below the lid. Poke a small hole in the bottle lid, then inflate your balloon.

with the neck of the balloon, tightly pinched. Stretch the mouth of the ballooon over the bottle lid, now let go of your grip on the balloon.

what happens?


oops, forgot to mention. do this on either a tabletop or non-carpeted floor.

topic link

"Eactly how does a hover craft work ?" http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=6951.msg73102#msg73102

[paul.fr]

what you need


A darkened room
A glass dish of water
A small mirror
A lamp
A large piece of black card with a slit cut in it to let the light through
A small piece of white card


What you do


Sit the small piece of mirror in the dish of water so that it sits at an angle facing towards the black cardboard. Shine the lamp through the slit in the black card (don’t get it too close) and keep moving the mirror until it reflects the light back onto the black card. Put the white card in front of the black card so that the light reflected from the mirror falls on it. Keep moving the mirror until you can see a rainbow on the white card

[paul.fr]

what you need


A window
Some cotton wool balls
a friend


what you do


Have your friend stand on the other side of the window. Explain what you’re going to do. Gently through a cotton wool ball at the window at the level of their eyes and see if they blink. They may try really hard not to blink but it’s a reflex action and they will probably blink every time.


topic link

eye lids http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=1646.0

[paul.fr]

what you need

a balloon
a straw
string, lots of
2 fixed points
selotape


what you do

Cut the straw in half, and thread your strong through it. tie both ends of the string to two fixed objects (two chairs, a washing line...)now blow up the balloon but do not tie it off.

carefully use the selotape to stck the straw to the balloon, now let go.



what happens

try repeating with longer and longer string and different shaped balloons.

topic link

[paul.fr]

what you need

A hair dryer
table tennis ball
Tissue paper


what you do


Blow a stream of air straight up. Carefully balance the ball above the airstream. Pull it slowly out of the flow, what do you notice?

Let go of the ball, now what happens?
With one hand, pull the ball partially out of the airstream. With the other hand, dangle a piece of tissue paper and search for the airstream above the ball, what happens?


Balance the ball in the airstream and then move the blower and the ball toward a wall (try the corner of a room). what happens?
 

[paul.fr]

what you need


A Lighter or Matches
small candle
Tall Round Container


what you do


Place the candle just behind the round container. Light the candle, blow against the round container from the front and at candlelight level.

what happens?

[paul.fr]

what you need


a uncooked potaot
a straw, or two


what you do


Place the potato on a table top. Hold the straw at the top (without covering the hole) and try to stab the straw into the potato.

what happens?

Now hold your thumb over the hole in the top of another straw and try to stab this straw into the potato.

whathappens now?

[paul.fr]

what you need


a Coin
Water
Plastic or other non-transparent bowl


what you do


Put the coin in the bowl and walk backwards until you cannot see the coin in the bowl any more. Have someone pour water slowly into the bowl carefully watch the bowl from where you are standing.

when the bowl is full of water, what do you see?

[paul.fr]

what you need

A candle
a carrier / plastic bag
two elastic bands
a long tube (empty kitchen roll type tube)
scissors


what you do


cut two circles from the plastic bag, and make a hole in the middle of one of the circles. Put one on each of the ends of your tube and pull then tightly (tight as a drum skin), seruce them in place with the elastic bands.

Light your candle. With your tube pointing at the candle, give the backend of the tube a sharp whack.

what happens?

[paul.fr]

what you need


Imagination! or
sand
2 tablespoons of baking soda
Half a cup of vinegar


what you do


Make a volcano shape in the sand and hollow out a well in the top of the volcano. Put in the baking soda and then pour in the vinegar.

What happens?

[paul.fr]

Well, it's the weekend. So why not let the kids make their own silly putty.

what you need


PVA glue (15ml, or 3 teaspoons),
talcum powder (5 ml, or 1 teaspoon),
food colouring (a few drops),
water (25 ml, or 5 teaspoons),
Borax solution (5 ml, or 1 teaspoon),
a glass tumbler,
a plastic bag,
some paper towels.


what you do


Measure the glue into the tumbler (it doesn't have to be too exact). About 15ml (three teaspoonfuls) is enough. The more glue you add the more silly putty you'll get.
Next add about 25ml (5 teaspoons) of water to the tumbler and sprinkle in one teaspoon of talc. Stir thoroughly with the spoon to mix the contents of the tumbler until you have a smooth grey paste. Break up any clumps of talc that form at the sides.
Now add drops of the food colouring until you get the colour you want, but be careful not to add too much.

You now have a tumbler full of colourful, watery glue. It's time for the magic ingredient: borax. Make a borax solution by stirring a heaped teaspoon of borax into a glass of water. Add a teaspoonful of this borax solution to your tumbler of silly putty and stir. Once the borax is mixed in thoroughly, take the spoon out and pull the putty off it.

Work the solid material with your hands for a few minutes. At first it will be quite slimy, but soon it will become smooth and dry. Have the paper towels ready so you can wipe any colour and goo off your hands. You should lay out your plastic bag to protect the work surface. And there you have it: silly putty.

Borax powder is readily available from pharmacies and hardware shops, but you must be careful with it, as it is harmful when swallowed. Always wash your hand after handling Borax



topic link

WHAT EXACTLY IS BORIC ACID< AND WHERE DOES IT COME FROM? http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=6814.0

the properties of silly putty http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=8140.new#new

[paul.fr]

what you need


A large iron nail (about 3 inches)
About 3 feet of THIN COATED copper wire
A fresh D size battery
Some paper clips


what you do


Leave about 8 inches of wire loose at one end and wrap most of the rest of the wire around the nail. Try not to overlap the wires.

Cut the wire (if needed) so that there is about another 8 inches loose at the other end too. 

remove about an inch of the plastic coating from both ends of the wire and attach the one wire to one end of a battery and the other wire to the other end of the battery. It is best to tape the wires to the battery - be careful though, the wire could get very hot!

Put the point of the nail near a few paper clips, what happens?


topic link


How fast does a magnet attract ?..and other magnet questions ! http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=6696.0

[Karen W.]

Well, it's the weekend. So why not let the kids make their own silly putty.

what you need


PVA glue (15ml, or 3 teaspoons),
talcum powder (5 ml, or 1 teaspoon),
food colouring (a few drops),
water (25 ml, or 5 teaspoons),
Borax solution (5 ml, or 1 teaspoon),
a glass tumbler,
a plastic bag,
some paper towels.


what you do


Measure the glue into the tumbler (it doesn't have to be too exact). About 15ml (three teaspoonfuls) is enough. The more glue you add the more silly putty you'll get.
Next add about 25ml (5 teaspoons) of water to the tumbler and sprinkle in one teaspoon of talc. Stir thoroughly with the spoon to mix the contents of the tumbler until you have a smooth grey paste. Break up any clumps of talc that form at the sides.
Now add drops of the food colouring until you get the colour you want, but be careful not to add too much.

You now have a tumbler full of colourful, watery glue. It's time for the magic ingredient: borax. Make a borax solution by stirring a heaped teaspoon of borax into a glass of water. Add a teaspoonful of this borax solution to your tumbler of silly putty and stir. Once the borax is mixed in thoroughly, take the spoon out and pull the putty off it.

Work the solid material with your hands for a few minutes. At first it will be quite slimy, but soon it will become smooth and dry. Have the paper towels ready so you can wipe any colour and goo off your hands. You should lay out your plastic bag to protect the work surface. And there you have it: silly putty.

Borax powder is readily available from pharmacies and hardware shops, but you must be careful with it, as it is harmful when swallowed. Always wash your hand after handling Borax



topic link

WHAT EXACTLY IS BORIC ACID< AND WHERE DOES IT COME FROM? http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=6814.0

the properties of silly putty http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=8140.new#new

This is way cool, But what is PVA Glue??? Plastic Vinyl adhesive??? LOL I am guessing am I close LOL

[paul.fr]

Karen, PVA glue is PVA glue Poly vinyl acetate. It is white and tends to come in tubes, i'm sure you use it at school.

[paul.fr]

what you need

two tabletennis balls (ping pong balls)
string
sellotape
a straw


what you do


cut two 30cm lengths of string, and sellotape one to each of the table tennis balls. Attach the free end of each string to the top of your door frame, there should be about 3/4 of an inch gap between the balls when they are hung.

Now, use the straw to blow air on to one of the balls. What happens to the gap between the balls?

steady the balls and repeat, this time blowing the air at the gap between the balls. What happens this time?

[paul.fr]

what you need

a tin can
can opener
cardboard
sellotape
match or lighter
wooden splint or paper


what you do


remove both ends of the tin can, tape a piece of cardboard over one end, and cut a 1" hole in the center of the cardboard. Tape a disk of thin card over the other end (or you could cut a balloon in half and stretch it over the opening.)

Light your splint or paper and put it in the can through the hole you cut out, leave it there until the can is full of smoke. remove and extinguish the flame.

Tap the bottome gently (the end with no hole in it) what happens?

This will work best in a darkened room while placing the can between you and a bright table lamp and aiming at the ball