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Weekly At-Home Science Lesson #4

April 9, 2020 by Club SciKidz Dallas

EGGS-CELLENT EGGS-PERIMENT!

It’s that time of year….break out those hard boiled eggs and the food coloring!  What’s more fun than enjoying a vibrant egg to brighten up a meal or a snack? I don’t know about you, but eating a neon egg is slightly more fun than a plain white one. Either way, they’re delicious!

Have you ever stopped to think about the chemistry behind the process of dyeing eggs?  Probably not, but this year can be the year you impress your kids with a quick science lesson while waiting on the dye to take!

Never dyed eggs before?  This article has a great tutorial.  Once your eggs are in the dye, set the timer, and dive into your quick science discussion.  

For Younger Kids (4-10ish)

You can start by asking “did you know that you’re watching a chemical reaction right now?!?”  This might garner some shocked or confused expressions (depending if they’re familiar with the idea of “chemistry” yet!). If not, you could always use the term “science experiment,” or even just explain that chemistry is a type of science.  

If you have a magnifying glass, bust that thing out and have your child examine the egg in the dye.  They should start seeing tiny bubbles forming on the surface of the shell. Now is your chance to wow them!  Say something like “those bubbles are full of something called carbon dioxide, have you ever heard of that before?”  They may know that the air they exhale contains carbon dioxide. See where the conversation goes! Ask them if they know why the bubbles are ‘magically’ appearing on the egg’s shell.  This is where you explain that the vinegar you mixed with the water is an acid and it is reacting with the egg’s shell to break it down a little bit.  This allows the dye molecules to “stick” to the shell a little better. Pretty cool, right?

For Older Children (preteens/teens)

Challenge them with this question: do you think dyeing this egg physically changes the egg, or chemically changes the egg?”  The popular answer choice is likely “physical” because a color change can often seem superficial.  Kids often associate any change in an object’s color with being a physical change (like coloring on a piece of paper).  They don’t often stop and ask themselves if a new, different product has been created; or if the color change is a byproduct of a chemical reaction.  Unless they look really close on the egg, they may not see the signs of a chemical reaction. Surprisingly though, dyeing an egg is a chemical process!  You can point out those tiny bubbles on the eggshell and explain the reaction that’s underway. For a more in-depth look at the chemistry, you can check out THIS article. 

Another fun twist for older kiddos is that you can challenge them to invent their own natural dyes.  Have them look around your pantry, spice cabinet, fridge, or freezer to see if any items could be used (with your guidance) to naturally color an egg.  If they’re really stumped, let them search “natural food dyes” online, or just direct them to your fruits & veggies! 

The best kind of eggs….amiright?!?

No matter how deep you go with your chemistry lesson, we hope your eggs turn out beautifully and taste great.  We hope your family has a restful and joyous Easter weekend!

Filed Under: Science Blog, Experiments Tagged With: #clubscikidzdallas, #clubsci, clubsci2020

Weekly At-Home Science Lesson #3

April 1, 2020 by Club SciKidz Dallas

FUN with BALLOONS! (and some science too!)

We hope you are all doing well now that we’re on our second (third? eighty-fifth?!) week of doing school at home.  If you’re lucky, maybe your family has settled into a new rhythm together. It’s okay if you’re still taking it day by day.  Since Gov. Abbott has just announced that all schools are closed until at least May 4th, there’s only 34 days to go (but who’s counting??).  Can you tell we’re trying to stay REALLY optimistic over here?  Summer can’t get here soon enough!

This week, we thought it would be fun to play and learn with balloons.  What’s easier, cheaper, and more cheerful than blowing up balloons and watching your kids enjoy some time playing with them?  When you do your next grocery pickup/delivery order, add a pack of balloons to your cart (Walmart has them 30/$1). Fingers crossed that they’ll still be in stock by the time they pick your order!

FLOATING BALLOONS

Without using any helium, a super easy way to teach the concept of gravity to small children is by doing a quick demonstration.  Take a balloon and blow it up, with your children watching. This is important so they know that “regular” air from your lungs is filling up the balloon, and not helium or something else.  Then, simply hold your balloon out in front of you and ask “What is going to happen when I let go?” Listen to their thoughts, guiding them to the idea that “something” is pulling it down. Ask them if they’ve ever heard of the word gravity.  Based on their ages, introduce/discuss the idea that gravity is a force that tries to pull two objects toward each other.  Earth’s gravity is what keeps you on the ground, what causes objects to fall, and is why the objects fall down rather than up!

Next, grab a bendy straw (the kind that is used in kids’ meals), and put the long end in your mouth, with the short side pointing up.  Blow hard and try to keep the balloon in the air as long as possible. Give balloons & straws to your kids and let them participate. Some good followup questions to ask are:

  • What happens to the balloon when you blow air through the straw?
  • Why does the balloon keep coming down no matter how many times you blow through the straw?
  • Intermediate challenge: Can you think of a gravity defying experiment? Describe your methods and develop a hypothesis.

Let them play with this as long as they want…it’s not like we’re on a time crunch or anything!

NEWTON’S 3rd LAW

Balloons are also a super easy way to demonstrate Newton’s 3rd law of motion. When air inside the balloon escapes out, it pushes the balloon forward. This demonstrates Newton’s Third Law of Motion, which states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In this case, the “action” is the air escaping from the balloon and the“equal and opposite reaction”is the balloon propelling forward.  

Challenge your kids to come up with other real-life examples of Newton’s 3rd law of motion!  (answer: jet engines, rockets, octopus swimming, a book sitting on a table etc). Then blow those balloons up and let ‘er rip!  We’ve never met a kid that doesn’t giggle when a balloon is released into the air to do its crazy thing. If you think your kids will really be into this, it may be wise to buy a hand pump to save your face & lungs from the inevitable fatigue. courtesy of Scientific American

Another fun twist on this is to attach your balloons to toy cars you have lying around the house, and have races!  

SELF-INFLATING BALLOONS

Grab a clear, empty bottle (roughly 16oz), a balloon, baking soda, and vinegar.  This is the classic reaction used to fuel the science fair volcanoes of our youth, except now we’re going to capture that gas and use it to inflate the balloon!  It’s a quick way to help kids visualize what a gas is, since that is hard for abstract thinkers to conceptualize. You can also use vocabulary like ‘reactant’, ‘product’, ‘limiting agent’ etc for your older children.  

Lastly, what can you do with all of those balloons when you’re done?  Make a cheerful balloon garland for your front door! It’s a fun way to dress up the outside of your home, and will bring a smile to your neighbors as they walk past your home.  It’s a quick project that kids can help with, if you have a roll of fishing line or a low temperature hot-glue gun at your house.  Don’t want it outside?  Try it on a mantel, in a kid’s room, spice up the playroom or somewhere else that needs a pop of color. 

No matter how you use them, kids love balloons and are sure to have a blast!  

Just don’t be like this kid.

Filed Under: Science Blog, Experiments Tagged With: #clubscikidz, #summercamp, #clubscikidzdallas, #clubscidallas, covid-19, clubsci2020

Weekly At-Home Science Lesson #2

March 22, 2020 by Club SciKidz Dallas

RUBE GOLDBERG MACHINES!

You may be familiar with the awesomeness of Rube Goldberg machines, but have you ever thought about how perfect they are for teaching STEM concepts??  If you’re not exactly sure what we’re talking about, check out these videos HERE or HERE.  The great news for us new-to-homeschooling parents is that you can build a Rube Goldberg machine with whatever objects you have lying around your house!

First, a little background information about Rube Goldberg machines.  Where did that name come from? Was Rube Goldberg a real person? Yes, Reuben “Rube” Goldberg lived from 1883-1970 and is one of America’s best known cartoonists.  He liked to poke fun at how well-meaning humans often overcomplicate very simple tasks. In his lifetime, he produced almost 50,000 satirical cartoons that always got a laugh from the newspaper audience.  His legacy lives on today in the very famous annual Rube Goldberg Machine Contest.  

So how can you use this at home this week?  It depends on the age of your kids and what concepts you want to focus on.  Regardless, the very first thing to do is brainstorm what “task” their machine will complete!  Some basic ideas are building a machine that turns on a light, cracks open an egg, slices a piece of fruit, or waters a plant. The official Rube Goldberg site has a list of tasks for your reference.   

So where do you begin?  Here are some ideas:

  • Physics (simple machines)- check out this quick refresher on the types of simple machines.  You can start by challenging your child to find an example of each machine somewhere in your home.  Then, as they build a Rube Goldberg machine, you can set some kind of goal (ie “your machine must include at least 3 different simple machines”).  
  • Technology- the cool thing about Rube Goldberg machines is that they can be high tech or low tech.  You can challenge your child to incorporate some kind of technology, which is trickier than it sounds.  Perhaps a remote turns on a battery powered item which knocks down the next item. Or maybe a computer can be integrated to somehow print something, and the sheet of paper coming out of the printer can trigger the next step!
  • Engineering- a gigantic component of Rube Goldberg machines is the design and planning steps, which is critical in most engineering projects.  As your child is working, they’ll be doing extensive critical thinking, problem solving, planning, guess-and-checking, and interpersonal communication as they design and build their machine.    
  • Art- you can take the artistic angle on this and have your child sketch out their plan prior to building, even color-coding specific simple machines or components.  This will help your child visualize how the sequencing of steps needs to flow and can make the building stage a LOT quicker!
  • Math- even the youngest child building a basic Rube Goldberg will need to count objects as they’re lined up, or possibly use a ruler/tape measure to calculate distance between objects.  Older kiddos will be doing the same tasks, but you can also incorporate concepts like angles, timing, or weight distribution. 

No matter what you focus on during your Rube Goldberg experience, it’s bound to be tons of FUN!  Kids of all ages truly love the excitement of building, testing, and successfully completing a Rube Goldberg machine!

Now, for a little friendly competition: The Club SciKidz Dallas Rube Goldberg Challenge!  Make a video of your child showing off their original Rube Goldberg creation and share & tag us (@clubscikidzdallas on FB) or email us a link by April 1st.  We’ll pick our favorite video and publish the winner, and we’ll mail your child a prize! (who doesn’t love a fun package in the mail?!  We promise it’ll be something fun to DO since your child has lots of time on their hands) HAPPY BUILDING!!

Filed Under: Science Blog, Experiments

Weekly At-Home Science Lesson

March 18, 2020 by Club SciKidz Dallas

Hi Club SciKidz Parents!

Just a week or two ago, who would’ve thought that we’d all be homeschool parents?!  This coronavirus outbreak is certainly an unprecedented situation that has us all adjusting our daily norms for the time being and reevaluating priorities.  Here at Club SciKidz Dallas, we are still hopeful that this pandemic will be (somewhat) behind us by mid-June and summer camp operations can commence as normal.  If anything should change, we will of course notify our registered families ASAP.

Until then, we know there is an abundance of helpful articles and posts with titles like “101 Elementary Science Lessons!” or “500 Easy Ways to do STEM at Home!” etc.  While these are great if you are brainstorming or looking for a specific topic, they can also be pretty overwhelming.  Personally, those lists might cause some anxiety as they can trigger thoughts like “SHOOT, is my kid supposed to know ALL of this content?!”.  We are going to keep it simple and post one basic science lesson every week, using items you can print or likely have around the house, and cover a variety of topics.  No pressure, just enjoy them if you’re looking for something extra to eat up some time during these next 4-10ish weeks of homeschooling!

This Week’s Topic: FROGS

It seems pretty appropriate, given ALL the rain this month, to learn about these water-loving creatures!  In an effort to get your kiddos (and you) out of the house, find a nearby park/creek/trail and go on a nature walk.  Maybe wearing rain boots can help reduce the crazy amount of muddy laundry afterwards.  Try and find a water source and let your kids explore the habitat.  If you’re lucky, they’ll spot a frog!  Depending on the age of your children, you can discuss a wide range of topics:

 

Who needs toys?!? The author’s preschoolers enjoy muddy walks and searching for bugs.

 

  • Life cycle of a frog, including its metamorphosis from tadpole to adult (good resource HERE)
  • Make a frog habitat- take a clean empty container (a broken clay pot? an old fish bowl?), lay it on its side, and use resources from your backyard to “decorate” it and make it look realistic.  Read more HERE!
  • Have your kids pick their favorite frog call (listen HERE), and then research that particular species of frog (where does it live? does it have any unique characteristics? how many exist?).  You can also turn this into a music lesson, if so inclined.  Give those kids some instruments and let them make their own frog calls!
  • Look up the longest frog jump on record- then have your own frog jumping competition (indoors or outdoors!)
  • Discuss the unique tongue anatomy of frogs (you’ll never believe these 9 fun facts!) and have your kids make a frog face mask.  If you have one of those slightly obnoxious party blowers lying around (or a dollar store nearby), they make super fun frog tongues! 
  • Take the art angle on this topic and print some frog coloring sheets- this site has a variety of options for all ages/skill levels.  You can chat about the frog’s skin, anatomy, and unique skills while they color.  They’ll probably have plenty of questions.  Don’t be afraid to Google it if you don’t have the answer ready.  We all do it!

Frogs really are fascinating creatures, and so useful in teaching a ton of different topics.  This list is just the tip of the iceberg.  Hopefully you can find a break in the rain to go exploring for frogs!

Filed Under: Science Blog, Experiments Tagged With: #clubscikidz, frogs, coronavirus, covid-19, sciencelesson, homeschool, clubsci2020

Little Scientist Activities

February 7, 2018 by Club SciKidz Dallas

For parents, one of the most enjoyable things in life is seeing their child’s eyes light up upon seeing something they totally didn’t expect.

Wouldn’t it be great if such occurrences happened more often?

Well…they can – with a little help from science!

In this article, we describe three safe and fun experiments you can conduct with your child right in your own home…or, at least, in your backyard.

Let’s dive right in! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Science Blog, Experiments, Summer Camp Tagged With: Dallas Summer Camp, summer camp dallas, #clubsci2018, club scikidz

Fun Chemistry Projects

January 26, 2018 by Club SciKidz Dallas

Fun Chemistry for KidsAll children are natural scientists.

Whenever you catch your kid jumping in puddles, banging on pots and pans, or watching their ice cream cone drip slowly onto your brand new couch…just try to keep in mind that they’re simply experimenting with the world around them, and trying to learn something in the process.

Of course, it can benefit your child’s education (and your sanity) to bring some structure into the scientific process at times, as well. While you might think “chemistry” is a subject reserved for high school and college-age students, the truth is chemistry is all around us – and should be explored as early as possible.

With that in mind, here are three fun experiments you can do with your young one to introduce them to a variety of chemistry-related concepts and ideas. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Science Blog, Experiments, Summer Camp Tagged With: summer camp, Dallas Summer Camp, #clubsci2018, club scikidz

Crime Solving Games

December 22, 2017 by Club SciKidz Dallas

Crime Solving Games for KidsDoes your child enjoy looking for clues and solving mysteries? If so, playing crime solving games is a fun and engaging activity!

While playing these games, your child will be working on key academic and soft skills. But, since they’ll be playing at the same time, they won’t even realize they’re learning. They’ll just think it’s lots of fun!

If you’re looking for some crime solving games for kids, here are three for you to consider. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Science Blog, Experiments, Summer Camp Tagged With: crime solving, junior detective, CSI, Crime Scene Investigation

How to Learn Biology in a Fun Way

December 19, 2017 by Club SciKidz Dallas

How to Learn Biology in a Fun WayBiology, the study of living things, shouldn’t be boring! From creepy crawlies to magnificent mammals, there is an area that can capture the attention of almost every student.

If you want to set young students up with a sturdy foundation for future biology studies, the way you teach matters. Here are five suggestions for helping them stay excited about biology. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Science Blog, Experiments, Summer Camp Tagged With: summer camp, #clubscikidz, Dallas Summer Camp, biology

Tips For Parents Sending Kids To Science Camp

December 11, 2017 by Club SciKidz Dallas

Science for Kids

Most parents understand how important it is for their child to always be growing in some way or another.

Which is why, come summertime, many of us worry that our little ones won’t be getting the intellectual stimulation they need to succeed in the coming school year – and long thereafter.

Luckily, your kiddo has become downright enthralled with the idea of attending science camp this summer! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Science Blog, Experiments, Summer Camp Tagged With: #clubscikidz, Dallas Summer Camp, #summercamp, summer camp dallas

Experiment: Shiny Pennies

January 6, 2013 by Club SciKidz Dallas

blogPenny

You will need to assemble the following:

  • A few old pennies that are not shiny any more
  • 1/4 cup of white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • A glass or plastic bowl (not metal)
  • Some paper towels

Here’s what to do:

  • Pour vinegar into your bowl and stir in the salt
  • Then put some pennies into the bowl
  • Count to ten slowly
  • Remove the pennies and rinse in water
  • Look at how they shine!

How does it work?
Well, vinegar is an acid, and it reacts with the salt to remove what chemists call copper oxide (the stuff that makes your pennies dull).

But there’s more you can do!  
Add more pennies to your bowl and count slowly to ten again.  When you remove them, don’t rinse them off.  Just put them on paper towels to dry.  Shortly, the pennies will turn blue/green as something called malachite forms on the pennies.

There’s even more!
Put a few nuts and bolts in the vinegar and watch them carefully; they may turn copper in color.  The vinegar will remove copper from the pennies and if there’s enough of it in the vinegar — the copper will become attracted  to the metal in the nuts and bolts!

Filed Under: Experiment of the Month, Experiments

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Recent Posts from the Science Blog

  • Weekly At-Home Science Lesson #4 April 9, 2020
  • Fresh List of Activity Ideas! April 6, 2020
  • Weekly At-Home Science Lesson #3 April 1, 2020
  • Weekly At-Home Science Lesson #2 March 22, 2020
  • Weekly At-Home Science Lesson March 18, 2020

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