29.3.12 - Balloon science experiment

The boys have been pestering me to do a baking soda vinegar balloon science experiment, which I have postponed for several days. They learnt it by watching a science show on CBeebies channel.

Items required:
1. Baking soda
2. Vinegar
3. Plastic bottle
4. Balloon
5. Funnel

All our measurements were estimations only.

Pour some vinegar into the bottle 

Pour 2 - 3 spoonfuls of baking soda into the balloon

Place the balloon onto the mouth of the bottle, and  hold up balloon so that the baking soda falls down into the vinegar below. This creates gas.  

The solution starts bubbling and creates gas which inflates the balloon.

We tried several times to inflate the balloon bigger. However, we couldn't get the balloon to inflate much. The above picture is the largest balloon that we inflated (which was rather small).

24.2.12 - Playgroup

The boys went attended a playgroup hosted by Aunty J at her house. She is good with the children and facilitated the session very well. 

Circle time

Story time

Science experiment to make mist (based on the story book). Put hot water in the jar and ice on a small filter at the top of the jar. Watch the mist form. 

Then the children had craft time. They made salt art. 

Bowl of salt and food colouring

Sticking starch onto his sugar paper.

Pour salt onto the starched area. 

Pour out excess salt. 

Dabbing food colouring onto the salt. See the colour spread. 

21.2.12 - FRIM waterfall

S loved the waterfall area and insisted that we head there after we had completed our leaf and bark rubbing. He didn't want to join the other kids at the lower part of the waterfall and preferred this sandy area. This is a wonderful place with sand and water and the boys have been here several times, since we found out about this place over a year ago.

The brought along their digging tools. 

Excavating sand

S did his own experiment to test which is heavier. Bucket on the left is filled with water, leaves & twigs. Bucket on the right is filled with sand and water. Verdict: Bucket on the right is heavier.

9.12.11 - Visit to Pusat Sains Negara

We went to Pusat Sains Negara in the morning to return our library books. There was a Science Festival on that week. We were also surprised to find that PSN has been "transformed". The walkway was made more attractive with props here and there. There was even these 7 wonders of the world exhibits. I later found out that it was in conjunction with Astro Carnival (Kampus Astro) which would be held the next day (Saturday and Sunday). They would also be filming live. I was pleasantly surprised to find less crowd than I had expected in PSN. Sometimes, it can be really crowded, especially during the school holidays or nearing the end-of-year holidays.

I can't believe that these structures were made from polystyrene. 

Nice decorations done by Astro

The boys did some robot craft from cardboard at the Kids Discovery Place on the ground floor

We went to the science lab, where they offered activities for the public. I was disappointed to see that we had done everything that they are offered, in our normal monthly lab session. Anyway, the boys insisted on doing everything again, such as the making a hoopster and parachute, fingerprint fun and testing for starch. This was just a revision for them. There weren't many people in the lab, and later on a group of 6 primary school children came in.

Testing for starch with iodin. I was informed that this science experiment is only taught in Form 2.

There was a CSI game on the first floor

I want to learn how to make these for the boys to play.

There were 3 buses at the side of the building. One had computer games and puzzles, and another with some science exhibits, and a third was a mobile meteorological 'office'.    

2.11.11 - PSN Lab activity - Cold fish & water quality

Our lab time at PSN again. This time the experiments were about:
1) Cold fish
2) Water quality

After learning that we were to do an experiment with fishes, I initially didn't want to participate, but the PSN facilitator said that it wouldn't hurt the fish, and proceeded to get 2 fishes in 2 containers for my boys. 

1) Cold fish

Purpose: To determine if temperature affects the movement of a fish's operculum and mouth

We were given this drawing of parts of a fish

We were asked to count how many times per minute the fish opens and closes its mouth and operculum at different temperatures. Having learnt Science in Bahasa Malaysia when I was in school, I hadn't heard of the term operculum before and now just learned that it meant "penutup insang".  The first count was the current temperature of the water in the fish tank. Then we had to repeat the counting for 2 more times and get an average.

The second was in icy water. Put a block of ice into the jar to get the water to make it colder. Then we had to count again, and repeat for 2 more times. After the first round of counting, I decided to abandon this project and returned our fishes to the facilitator. I thought it was too cruel to the fish. Repeating it 3 times per temperature was too long and too stressful for the fish, I thought. I was also horrified to see a little boy taking the thermometer and stirring his fish in the jar, just like stirring a bowl of soup.

The block of ice reduced the temperature to 18 celcius

Everyone was supposed to do a third round, and put in more ice until the temperature reads 10 celcius, but by then, the children were restless and the moms decided to stop, and return their fishes. We had learnt enough that when the fish is in warmer water, it opens and closes it's mouth and operculum more frequently, compared to being in cold, icy water. We learnt that animals conserve energy when in cold environment. Their body loses hear (and thus energy) when the temperature is colder, thus, their body movement slows down.

The facilitator calls this the 'ICU' by the facilitator. Fish in the icy water have to be left in their jar and the jar put inside the water in the large fish tank in order to acclimatise back to the normal tank water temperature. 

Finally, all the fishes recuperated and lived to see another day 

This rubber fish looks very real

2) Water quality

We also did another experiment to test the water quality of pond water versus tap water.

Using a pipette to drop water into a small test tube

We used a freshwater master test kit to test for pH, Ammonia and Nitrite in the pond water and tap water

Indicator cards

Dropping several drops of the solution into the tube of pond water and tap water. 

The solution changed colour and turned blue indicating the pH of the water. Compare the water colour against the colour and number on the card

Testing for ammonia - the water turned light yellow

17.10.11 - Does a banana float or sink?

A week earlier, S asked me, while we were walking past the lake at PPAS, "Does a banana float or sink?" I thought it would sink, but he thinks that it would float.

We had the opportunity to test that out.

It turns out that a banana floats. He was right.

A banana floats. So does the hotwheels colourshifters car. 

20.9.11 - Lab activity @ Pusat Sains Negara

For our lab activity at Pusat Sains Negara, we did the following activities / experiments.
1) Testing for Starch
2) Testing whether a substance is acidic, alkaline or neutral
3) From Flower to Star
4) Flower blossom

1) Testing for Starch

Scooping items into the micro well to test for starch - We tested sugar, wheat flour, corn flour,  biscuit and baking powder by putting one or two drops of iodine solution into the micro well.

Squeezing iodine drops

If starch is present, the substance will turn dark blue / black.

2) Testing whether a substance is acidic, alkaline or neutral

Substance for testing: vinegar, detergent, toothpaste, sugar, lime juice, salt, shampoo and baking powder

Various items for testing

Squeezing in liquid detergent into the micro well

Add in a few drops of water

Put in the red and blue litmus paper. If the red litmus paper turns blue,  the substance is alkaline.  If the blue litmus paper turns red, it is acid.

3) From flower to star - Learning about water absorption

Bend into two, 5 toothpicks (but don't break them). Arrange in a circular container in the pattern shown above. 

Squirt water in the middle of the 'flower'. Watch it slowly move and change into a star. 

According to the facilitator, the bamboo toothpicks absorb the water and expanded, thus pushing outwards until their outer tips touched one another, to become a star. (I had initially thought that the water pushed the toothpick outwards). 

A star

4) Paper Flower blossomming - Learning about water absorption

Fill the circular container with water until it is half full

Put in the piece of paper 'flower' that has been folded flat. Watch it open up. The paper flower opens up due to water absorbtion.