Inexpensive Science Projects
Science projects don't have to be complicated or require a lab full of expensive equipment. With a few inexpensive or free items that are easy to find, science projects are a great source of family fun, and (don't tell the kids) education. Children are naturally curious about the world around them, so leverage that curiosity into family time away from the TV and electronic games. Choose age-appropriate projects and involve your children in the preparation.
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Egg Inside a Bottle
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How do you get an egg inside a bottle? This project might be fun for Easter morning since you'll have a ready supply of hard-boiled eggs. You will need undamaged, cooled and peeled hard-boiled eggs, a glass bottle with an opening slightly smaller than the egg, a match or lighter and a 1-inch by 3-inch piece of paper. The egg's surface must not have any nicks. This project involves fire and requires adult supervision.
Light one end of the paper and drop it into the bottle. Immediately place the egg on the bottle's opening. If you watch carefully, you will observe the egg shake a bit before dropping into the bottle. Here's what happened: The burning paper heated and expanded the air inside the bottle. The hot air pushed upward through the neck of the bottle, shaking the egg as it went by. The air in the bottle cooled as the fire expired, decreasing the air pressure inside the bottle. The egg prevented air from entering the bottle to balance the air pressure. The higher air pressure outside the bottle pushed the egg down into the bottle. To remove the egg, turn the bottle upside down. Blow hard into it to raise the air pressure inside the bottle. Pull your mouth away from the bottle and the egg will drop out. With a quick rinse, your egg is ready to eat.
Melting the Polar Ice Caps
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If the ice caps melted, would the world flood? If the temperature of the world rises high enough to melt the ice caps, will the world flood? To answer this question, you need a glass bowl, water and ice cubes.
Place three ice cubes in the bowl and put them in the freezer overnight to freeze together. The following day, fill the bowl to the top with water. A large part of the ice will rise above the surface of the water. Do not bump the bowl. When the ice completely melts, see if any water flowed outside the bowl. As water freezes, it expands. It occupies more space, but it weighs the same as before it froze. The ice under the water occupies the same amount of space as the water that formed it. As the ice melts, the water will occupy that same amount of space again, and will not cause the bowl to overflow. The North polar ice cap would not raise the water level if it melted, because it is all ice. The South polar ice cap would raise the water level if it melted, because it consists of ice on top of land (Antarctica).
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Secret Message
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Write invisible secret messages. You can write a secret message on the bathroom mirror using liquid dish soap and a cotton swab.
Dip the cotton swab in the dish soap and write a message on the mirror. Make certain your writing is narrow so it does not show up. The next person to take a hot shower will magically make the message appear on the mirror. The mirror does not fog up with steam where the message is written because the dish soap changes the water's surface tension.
Spy Ink
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Create a spy adventure. You can create your own spy adventure with invisible ink, or consider using an invisible ink message to start a treasure hunt. You need a lemon, a small bowl, a fine-tip paintbrush, white paper and access to an oven.
Squeeze the lemon's juice into the bowl. Write your message on the paper using the lemon juice as ink. Allow the message to completely dry. To read the message, bake the paper in a preheated 325 degree oven for three to five minutes until the writing appears. The heat burns the lemon juice and makes it visible on the paper.
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References
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