Week beginning 14.7.20

‘Wonderful World’ Wednesday - Science Challenge

Oil and Water Painting

You will need:

Shallow baking dish

Water dyed with food colouring

Paper (the thicker the better)

Pipette or spoon

Method:

1. Put a small amount of coloured water in the bottom of a shallow baking dish
2. Pour a bit of oil into a smaller bowl
3. Use a pipette or spoon to add small droplets of oil to the coloured water (not too much otherwise the paper will only pick up oil)
4. Lay the sheet of paper on top of the water and oil then lift it out. Leave it to dry completely.
5. Once dry, you may wish to iron your painting between two pieces of paper to lift the oil.

Week beginning 7.7.20

‘Wonderful World’ Wednesday - Science Challenge

How are the Moon’s craters formed?

You will need:

Cake tin or box

Flour

Sieve

Hot chocolate powder

Rocks or pebbles

Method:

1. Fill a cake tin with about an inch of flour
2. Use a sieve to add a thin layer of hot chocolate powder
3. From a height, drop different size rocks and watch craters form.

What do you notice about the different sized rocks dropped from the same height?

What do you notice about the same size rock dropped from different heights?

What happens if you throw the rock at an angle?

Week beginning 29.6.20

‘Wonderful World’ Wednesday - Science Challenge

Rainbow in a Jar

You will need:

Skittles

Glass jar (or glass)

5 separate cups

Syringe (a calpol dobber or medicine dispenser should work)

Mug

Method:

1. Separate the skittles into the cups in these amounts: 2 red, 4 orange, 6 yellow, 8 green, and 10 purple.
2. Heat a mug of water in the microwave for around a minute or long enough so that the water is hot but not boiling.
3. Measure and pour two tablespoons of hot water into each cup on top of the skittles.
4. Stir each cup then leave to cool completely, stirring every so often.
5. Using your syringe, carefully add the colours to the jar (starting with the purple and working up). Slowly squirt the liquid down the side of the jar to add so the colours don’t mix.

Week beginning 22.6.20

‘Wonderful World’ Wednesday - Science Challenge

Water Xylophone

You will need:

Glass jars or bottles (glasses would probably do)

Water

Measuring jug

Metal or wooden spoon

Food colouring (optional)

Method:

1. Carefully measure different quantities of water and pour them into each jar or bottle. Make sure each one has slightly more than the last. Experiment with this as much as you like!
2. If you have it, at this point add food colouring.
3. Now use your spoon to experiment with your xylophone.

Can you play a tune? Does it matter how hard you tap the bottle or jar?

‘Wonderful World’ Wednesday - Science Challenge

How does a leaf breathe?

You will need:

Glass bowl

Fresh leaves, just removed from a tree (ask first!)

Water

Small stone

Magnifying glass (Optional)

Method:

1. Cut a fresh leaf off a plant or tree. You need a fresh leaf, not one fallen from a tree.
2. Add lukewarm water to your glass bowl
3. Put the leaf in the water and put a small stone on top so the leaf is fully submerged.
4. Put the bowl in the sun and wait for 2-3 hours
5. Watch as little air bubbles form on top of the leaves. Use a magnifying glass to view them if you have one.

Week beginning 8.6.20

‘Wonderful World’ Wednesday - Science Challenge

Flower petal Ink

You will need:

Colourful Flower petals

Boiling water

Pestle and Mortar (optional)

Jar or bowl

Method:

1. Collect different colours of flower petals (the ground in the park will be a good place for this)
2. Mash the flower petals in a jar or bowl with a pestle and mortar or anything else you can find to grind them with.
3. Pour just enough boiling water over the petals so they are covered
4. Leave in a sunny spot (preferably overnight) until the water changes colour
5. Now you’re ready to use your coloured ink to paint

Week beginning 1.6.20

Daily Challenge

‘Wonderful World’ Wednesday - Science Challenge

                        Ice Cream in a bag

                        The perfect experiment for this hot weather!

You will need:

2 small Ziploc bags

1 large Ziploc bag

1 cup of cream or whole milk

Flavouring – chocolate sauce, vanilla essence etc

Ice

Salt

Method:

1. Combine the ice cream ingredients and put them in a Ziploc bag
2. Squeeze out most of the air (you’ll still need some air to get into the ice cream for it to have the right consistency)
3. Fill the large Ziploc bag with ice. Add half a cup of salt, put the ice cream bag into the ice bag and seal.
4. Shake vigorously for 5-10 minutes then serve (you may need gloves as it gets very cold!)

Week beginning 18.5.20

‘Wonderful World’ Wednesday - Science Challenge

Walking Water

You will need:

2 Glasses

String

Water

Food colouring (optional)

Tape

Method:

1. Tape one end of the string inside the bottom of a glass
2. Fill the other glass with water (and food colouring if using) and put the free ens of the string in the water (not taped)
3. Lu
4. Lift the cup with water up above the other, but not directly over it. Hold it far enough that the string is taut. Be careful not to pull the string out of either cup.
5. Slowly pour the water out of the top cup and onto the string. Remember to keep it taut at all times and see what happens.
6. Now soak the entire string in water and try again. You should be able to pour the water straight from the top cup to the bottom through the string.

'Wonderful World Wednesday' Science Challenge  - Edible crystals

You will need: 

• 4 cups sugar
• 1 cup boiling water
• Food colouring (optional)
• 3 jars (or glasses)
• Thread, string or wool
• 3 skewers, straws or pencils

Method:

1. The day before starting your experiment, cut a piece of string longer than your jars. Tie one end of the string to the skewer (straw or pencil) and tie a knot in the other end. Wet the string, coat in your sugar and leave it to dry overnight.

2. The following day, add four cups of sugar to one cup of water and heat in a pan until boiling. Add the food colouring if you're using it. Stir until the sugar dissolves. 

3. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.

4. Pour the mixture into your jars, lower in the string and leave in a safe place. 

5. Let the sugar crystals form for at least one week. 

6. Once they have grown as big as you want them, leave to dry for several hours.

7. Now you can taste them! 

‘Wonderful World’ Wednesday - Science Challenge

                           Tea Bag Rocket

You will need:

A teabag (the folded type with string and a label)

Matches or a lighter

Plate

Scissors

Method:

1. Cut the top off your teabag and empty out the leaves
2. Unfold the teabag and hollow it out using your finger
3. Stand your teabag upright onto the plate and light at both sides (at the top) with the lighter/matches
4. Stand back and watch as the flame burns down your rocket and then takes off

Week beginning 27.04.20

Science Challenge

Paper Plate Sundial

You will need:

Paper Plate (but if you don’t have any just grab a piece of paper and a plate and draw around it)

Pencil or straw

Pens

A sunny day

Method:

1. Use a sharp pencil to push a hole through the centre of your paper plate or piece of round paper.
2. Write the number 12 at the top of your plate.
3. At 12 pm on a sunny day, take the plate outside. Push a pencil/straw through the hole in the centre so it stands up. Position it so the shadow you make falls on the 12.
4. Secure it to the ground using a stone or blue tack.
5. One hour later, at 1 pm, check the position of the shadow along the edge of the plate and write the number one on that spot. Continue each hour predicting the position and then checking and marking the actual position and time on the edge of the plate.
6. At the end of the day you will have your very own sun clock. On the next sunny afternoon you will be able to tell the time by watching where the shadow falls on your clock.