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A scientist is an explorer who goes on expeditions with his mind
and knowledge and in those adventures experiments play the most crucial part !
let us dive deep in three experiments where you unleash your inner scientist as
you log the growth of plants, understand density and create colourful
fireworks. let’s get started !
In any environment across the
face of earth we see plants growing. Whether it’s the cacti of deserts or the
fir trees at the poles, plants are integral to the survival of life on our
planet and thus they are omnipresent . But are all kinds of plants able to grow
in a given area ? every plant requires a set of conditions to grow optimally ..
let us perform an activity to observe this in real time !
What you need :
Three plastic Glasses , Cocopeat
Soil / mud , Salt ,Sand , Seeds ,Tissue and a Spoon
How to do it :
1.
Take 3 glasses and put coco
peat soil in the first and second glass and sand in the third . fill each glass
halfway with the designated soil type .
2.
In glass number 2, add salt
and mix well.
3.
Now in all three glasses
add water
4.
Plant seeds (just like how
we plant trees.) and cover it with some soil. Sprinkle water and keep all three
glasses in one place.
5.
Observe the plants everyday
and see how much they have grown.
6.
You can make a log sheet
where you measure the growth of your plants , how much water and time in the
sun they need !
What happened there :
Plants need proper conditions to
grow which include soil, water, sunlight and air. We often ignore the
importance of the right soil for plants.
Soil plays an important role in :
NUTRIENT UPTAKE: The nutrients
need to be held in soil for the plant to pick
WATER HOLDING: The soil needs to
hold adequate moisture to help seeds to grow and also not a lot of moisture
because excess water leads to fungal growth.
MICROBIAL GROWTH: A soil needs to
have the proper amount in your science
project kits for kids that can allow required microbial growth which will
further breakdown fertilizers for our plants to take up and grow better easily.
Now we used three different soil
compositions:
Sand- has least water holding and
nutrient holding capacity
Soil- absolutely good water and
nutrient holding
Soil with salt- The salt will
hold water and make it unavailable for plants to absorb. Also, excess salt will
take water from the plant and make it shrink.
Fireworks in the sky are always
beautiful to gaze at but have you ever seen fireworks underwater. Let us use
density to create some colourful fireworks underwater !
What you need :
Water ,Oil , Food Coloring (Any
color of your choosing) , two transparent glasses , A Stirring stick
How to do it :
1.
Fill the transparent
glass almost to the top with room-temperature water.
2.
Pour 2 tablespoons of oil
into a bowl.
3.
Add 2 drops of food
coloring to the oil.
4.
Stir the oil into the food
coloring using a fork. Stop once you break the food coloring into smaller drops.
5.
Pour the oil and coloring
mixture into the tall glass.
6.
Now watch! The food
coloring will slowly sink in the glass, with each droplet expanding outwards as
it falls. Looks like fireworks! Right!!
What just happened :
Food coloring dissolves in water,
but not in oil. So when you pour the oil and colour mixture into the water the
oil floats whereas the colour begins to sink and dissolve in water. Because the
colour is broken into small colour droplets the effect of its dissolution looks
like tiny fireworks exploding in water !
Towers can be super fun to build
, but not just with legos or blocks we can make a tower with different liquids
! but won’t they mix ? Let us use the property of density to make a long tower
of fun !
What you need :
Long Clear container ,
Three to four tablespoons of each of the following liquids : Honey ,Water,Food
coloring ,Vegetable oil , Corn syrup / Maple syrup , Dish soap , Milk (whole
milk is preferred) , Rubbing alcohol. Other liquids can also be taken.
Objects of varying densities such
as: Ping pong ball , Dice , Pony beads , Coins , Metal nuts or bolts , Popcorn
kernels , Cherry tomato , Grape etc,
How to do it :
1.
First add the honey to the
bottom of the clear container, being careful not to get it stuck on the sides
as it is poured.
2.
Then slowly pour the corn
syrup on top of the honey, again being careful not to get it stuck on the side
of the container.
3.
Then slowly pour the maple
syrup on top of the corn syrup, also being careful not to get any stuck on the
side of the container.
4.
Next, add the milk.
5.
Next is the dish soap
layer.
6.
The next layer is colored
water. Add a few drops of food coloring to your water and mix it together
before adding this layer to the density tower. Next, is the vegetable oil.
7.
Last is the rubbing
alcohol. Mix in a few drops of a different food coloring to differentiate it
from the other layers.
8.
Now gather your objects of
varying densities
9.
Slowly drop your objects
into the density tower. Which items sink to the bottom? Which items stay on the
top?
How it works
Objects will sink or float
depending on their density as it relates to the layers in the tower.
A metal bolt has more density
than any of the liquids, so it sinks all the way to the bottom. A ping pong
ball has less density than even the rubbing alcohol, so it stays afloat right
on top. The other items will settle in at various layers according to their
density. The cherry tomato usually lands in the dish soap, and the popcorn
kernels usually end up in the maple or corn syrup.
Items may vary depending on their
density, and on the density of the liquid you used (if you used skim milk
instead of whole milk, for example, your layers may end up in a slightly
different order.)
Density of objects allows them to
float or sink in more or less dense media ! That’s why we see the different
layers of liquids due to their decreasing density and the different
objects floating or sinking for the same reason
We hope
you enjoyed performing these three scientifically charged activities !
Visit
here for more information: https://wonderlab.co.in/