Fun Science Activities

 We had our last week class after Diwali break, so kids were all in excitement to share how they celebrated their Diwali. Some had gone out of town whereas others spent valuable family time celebrating together bursting crackers . So, my question to them were 1. What crackers did you burst? 2. What is different about sparklers to crackers ? 3. Which ones produce colors & which ones make noise? 4. Why do certain crackers make louder noises than others? 5. What do the crackers have in them to produce colorful fireworks? 6. What are the colors  they have seen in the fireworks? Kids had a fair idea and were able to answer some of the questions.  To start off , we did the following activity to understand how sound vibrates in a cup and produces louder noise compared to the string alone. Then they could relate to why they hear loud noise when certain crackers burst.   Sound amplification  Materials 1. Paper cup -1. 2. string - 1  3. paper clip -1 Procedure 1. Tie one end of the  string t

 It was good to meet kids after a 10 days break.  We greeted each other and discussed the experiments that we had done before. Kids recollected that we had made crystal hangings , candy crystals and snacks for Christmas celebration.  The students shared that they were learning about plant reproduction in school. Since, we had done activities around how flower's help in reproduction in some plants, root  vegetables, how they reproduce, we focused on how microbes reproduce.  What are microbes? Microbes are microscopic organisms that are too small to be seen through naked eye. There are various forms of microbes with different characteristics , different life forms. Familiar ones are 1. bacteria - example E.coli, lactobacillus  2. Viruses  - cold, flu virus 3.Fungi - Mushroom, yeast  4. Protists - amoeba We talked about  1. How bread is made?.  2. What is the main ingredient for making bread?.  Kids  replied that  it was yeast and how it helps to raise the dough and which makes it eas

 With Children's day celebration in mind we had planned to do activities kids had been intending to try for a while. Yes, it was a Volcano model and  making elephant toothpaste . They were looking forward to the explosions that take place in these activities.  Before starting the experiment we discussed the chemical reaction that takes place in it, the role of each ingredient in it.   Materials 1.All purpose flour or Maida - 2 cups 2. water-1cup 3. small bottle - empty 4.food color- red 5.dish washing detergent - 6-8 drops 6. Bowl -1 7. vinegar - 1/2 cup 8. baking soda - 2 Tb spoon 9. Big tray -1 Procedure 1. Mix the flour and water in the bowl and make a stiff dough using 1/2 cup of water. 2. Keep the small bottle in the middle of the tray and using the dough make a cone like structure around the bottle.  3. Pour 1 /4 cup of water in a cup and mix the red food coloring in it.  4. Mix the dishwashing detergent  and baking soda in it. Detergent is added  to trap the bubbles produced