In this lesson, we learned about density – the relative “heaviness” of the same amounts of liquid. We used different colors of water with different amounts of salt in them. Half of the students had water with different amounts of salt in them, and half of the students used plain water. The water with equal amounts of salt mixed together, and the water with different concentrations of salt stayed separate, because of the different densities!
31 Oct
Freddy the Fish (Pollution)
When people litter or dump things into our waterways, what happens to the creatures that live there? We explored this question with our friend Freddy the Fish (made out of sponge). Our mentors told a story about what happens to water: people drop their litter, business dump their chemicals, wastewater plants dump waste. A simulation involving all of these pollutants made Freddy’s water too gross to touch, let alone live in! We brainstormed ways that we can keep our water cleaner.
31 Oct
Volcanoes!
This week, we did a classic science experiment – making a volcano! We skipped the process of building a lifelike volcano and went straight for the explosion using baking soda and lemon juice. We learned from this experiment about how acids and bases react with each other.
31 Oct
Strawberry DNA
When we asked what students knew about DNA, we got a lot of different answers! Some students said “it’s in your blood”, and some even knew about the double helix structure! No one knew, however, that we’d be able to see it with the naked eye! All it took was a few mashed strawberries, coffee filters, and a bit of rubbing alcohol (to break the cells open), and we could pick up the DNA (and other genetic material) in a long, slimy, strand!
Lots of DNA!
31 Oct
Making Water Safe to Drink
We tend to take the water that comes out of our faucets for granted. In reality, our water goes through a long process in order to be safe for us to drink! We started with some dirty river water, and set up a homemade filtration system using two-liter bottles that made the water safe to drink in the end!
1 Apr
The Shape and Structure of DNA
This week, we learned about the shape, structure, and purpose of DNA in our bodies. We started from scratch, by asking the kids to draw or write anything they knew about DNA. We got some varied answers – some of the kids said “it’s your blood”, while others knew the exact structure of the double helix. After finding out what they knew, we taught the kids more about DNA and the double helix, as well as the nucleotides that are paired on a strand of DNA. The kids put together their own nucleotide pairings using the four colors of Sour Patch Kids to represent the four nucleotides, then attached their creations to some Twizzlers and made their own double helices! Watch the slideshow to see the kids showing off their creations!
1 Apr
Polyurethane Shakes and Slime!
This lesson provided a very hands-on experience with chemical properties! The kids got to make their own polyurethane foam “milkshake”, and then they created some slime to take home!
The polyurethane foam we used was the same as the mixture that is used for insulation in homes. We added different colors of food coloring to make it more exciting, let the kids mix the two solutions (which come together to eventually form a hard polystyrene), put our straws in, and then we all just sat back and watched! The foam expanded and grew out of the cups before the kids’ eyes. After about 10 minutes, the foam was completely hard and no longer dangerous to the touch, and the kids could take their “milkshakes” home to their parents!
Next, we created a special slime mixture using polyvinyl alcohol and borax. After adding the two solutions together (along with some fun colors), the kids stirred for about 30 seconds; they were amazed to see that the two liquids had formed a slimy blob! Another fun chemistry experiment that they could take home with them!
