The Ice Fishing Experiment

Ice Fishing 

http://www.sciencefun.org/kidszone/experiments/ice-fishing/

Aim/Purpose:

To see how salt can affect ice or react with ice

Materials 

1. Small paper cups, bowl or an ice cube tray
2. .Glass of water
3. String (yarn or kite string works great)
4. Small stick
5. Salt
   

Steps/Method:

1. Fill the cup or tray up with water and place it in the freezer.  You can also use ice cubes from your freezer and skip this step.
   
2. When the water is frozen, remove the ice from the cup or tray.
   
3. Put the ice in the glass or bowl of water. The cube will bob up and down in the water and then float on the top.
   
4. Place one end of the string from the fishing pole on top of the ice cube and sprinkle salt on the ice where the string is touching. Watch as the water melts slightly and refreezes.
   
5. After about 10 seconds, carefully lift the ice cube out of the water with the fishing pole. You caught a fish (ice)!
   

My results:

Salt - The string stuck really well to the ice and pulled the ice cubes up out of the water

Sugar - The string didn’t stick to the ice cubes and none of them were pulled up out of the water.  Some people started to see the ice cubes stick - but it then failed after that.

Flour - THe ice didn’t stick to the string at all 

Pepper - The ice didn’t stick to the string at all 

More salt than normal - The ice still got picked up by the string

Changing the variables

Don’t wet the string before hand 

Use only a little salt

Using lots of salt 

Try to catch the ice using sugar instead of salt 

Try to catch the ice using pepper instead of salt

Try to catch the ice using flour instead of salt

Change the time period that you wait before trying to pick up the string.

Explanation - Why does it work?

Ordinary water freezes at 0% celsius. When you add salt to water it lowers the freezing temperature. The salt you sprinkle on the ice cube lowers its freezing temperature and, since the ice cube can’t get any colder than it already is, it starts to melt. A little pool of water flows over the ice and the string sinks into it. As the ice cube melts, It weakens the salt/water mixture in the little pool; the freezing point goes back up again. The ice refreezes and traps the string.  

Resources:

https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/ice-fishing-winter-science/

https://raisinglifelonglearners.com/fishing-for-ice-science-experiment/

https://sites.google.com/site/sciencekiddoexperiments/fishing-for-ice

https://www.sciencekiddo.com/salt-melts-ice-experiment/

https://www.adabofgluewilldo.com/ice-fishing-science-experiment/

https://www.rookieparenting.com/why-does-salt-melt-ice-freezing-point-experiment/

https://whatsubstancemeltsicefastest.weebly.com/about.htmla

Water Filter Experiment

 Water Filter Experiment 

Aim/ Purpose - 

To filter or clean water using a number of materials 

How to clean/filter water - making it clean

Materials -

Sand, 

gravel, 

activated charcoal, 

cotton wool, 

plastic bottles cut in half,

bucket of dirty water (can make the water dirty with soil or whatever from outside)

Predictions - What is going to work best?  What steps/process and in what order - why?

Cotton wool at the bottom - It will absorb the smaller dirt particles from the dirty water

2nd layer up - gravel - The gravel will grab onto the dirty parts and the clean water will drip off the gravel through the gaps.

Second Layer Up  - Charcoal - The second smallest material, can absorb the things not cleared by the bigger materials.

Third Layer Up - Sand - Turns hard when it’s wet - Take all the bigger dirt particles 

Top layer - Gravel - All the hugest dirt particles out first.  

Method/Steps:

Firstly we put 3 cotton balls in the top half of the cup. 

Then we put a sprinkle of charcoal on top of the cotton balls. 

After that, we put in  a few spoons of sand

Lastly, we put in some gravel

Explanation - How did it work?

The gravel takes all the large pieces out of the water

Then the sand to take and pieces that have passed the gravel and the sand hardens.

The charcoal absorbs tiny particles of dirt and other things

The cotton wool holds everything from falling through

Why is it important for cities/towns etc to purify and clean the water before it gets to peoples’ homes?

In New Zealand’s cities and towns, clean water is transported straight into our homes instead of going to other places before getting to other peoples houses. We have water systems in place to make sure it is safe for drinking, and to manage what happens. It helps stop the causes of illnesses and catches types of bacterias and algae.

https://science.lovetoknow.com/science-fair-projects/homemade-water-filter-science-project

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPP_Yn2w2Sk&t=157s

https://www.homesciencetools.com/article/water-filtration-science-project/

https://childsci.org/water-filtration/

https://raisinglifelonglearners.com/sand-filter-activity/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Df12osqZfQ0

Baking soda and vinegar experiment.

Inquiry experiment  

Aim/Purpose : 

To see what happens when baking soda and vinegar mix/combine 

To see the reaction that occurs when these two substances are mixed

Prediction - What do we think is going to happen:

We think it will explode/ It’s going to blow up

The ziplock bag will pop open and the liquid will spill out

It could fizz up 

The bag might fill up with air 

Fizz up like soda when shaken

The air pressure created inside the bag will cause the seal on the bag to pop open

Steps:     

1.  Open up a paper towel on a flat surface
2. Put 4 levelled teaspoons of baking soda in the centre of the paper towel
3. Wrap up the baking soda in the paper towel like a package - Keep the baking soda concentrated in the middle of the paper towel
4. Tape down your package of baking soda with a piece of masking tape so that everything stays in place
5. Open the vinegar and pour it into a cup - until the cup is half full
6. Then open a zip lock bag and pour the vinegar into it
7. Hold the package inside the zip lock bag, making sure it doesn’t yet make contact with the vinegar - then zip up the bag - making sure that it is completely closed
8. Let the package of baking soda drop into the vinegar and shake the bag up a little so that they start to mix
9. Observe what happens

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlmsiPxEuK0

Materials/equipment:

• Baking Soda  (4 x tablespoons) 
• Vinegar (half a cup)
• Ziplock sandwich bags 
• Plastic spoon
• Paper towel 
• Masking tape

Roles within the group:

1. Presenter - conducts the experiment 
2. Assistant - collects all the materials 
3. Videographer - takes a video of the experiment 
4. Recorder - Record the result

The Result - What did we see happen?

When we let go of the tissue paper containing the baking soda and shook the bag it fizzed up and popped

Variables - How could we change the variables?

Predict what might happen if we change the variables 

Experiment - Were our predictions accurate?

Put 5 or more teaspoons of baking soda into the package - Bigger explosion/more powerful 

It didn’t work as well as the normal recipe

Put more vinegar  - Bigger explosion/not pop  

Way less baking soda and wrapped in more paper towels - nothing - it would take a longer time to see a reaction 

Baking soda - With no package surrounding it - The reaction would happen instantly and uncontrollably 

The Science - Why did it happen?  Here are some websites to look at…. You may be able to find other websites too!

When baking soda and vinegar are mixed, it causes a chemical reaction that then makes it fizz up. The zip lock back is not able to hold the air pressure so it pops open and the fizzed up result of the baking soda and vinegar is released out of the bag.

https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/balloon-baking-soda-vinegar-experiment-kids/

https://www.science-sparks.com/amazing-baking-soda-experiments/

https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-happens-when-you-mix-vinegar-and-baking-soda

https://carrotsareorange.com/baking-soda-vinegar-reaction-experiment/

This is the colouring of cabbage leaves and celery sticks experiment

Materials

Glass jars x 4 

Celery

Cabbage leaves 

4 different colours of food colouring 

Water 

Scissors/knife/chopping board to cut the celery

Method-

Fill up 4 glass jars up to around half way 

Put approximately 10 drops of different coloured food colouring into each jar

Place a celery stick or a cabbage leaf into each jar

Aim-

To colour celery or cabbage leaves

 Explanation- pt 1- why do plants need water pt 2 - how plants absorb water

 Plants absorb water to maintain their shape, collect dissolved nutrients from the soil, move small molecules throughout the plant,and cool off leaves in hot weather through evaporation. Because they need so much water, plants have an efficient way to collect it.

Plants obtain water from the soil. The roots are the transportation system to get the water from the soil to the parts of the plant where it is needed the most. Then the roots branch off into smaller and smaller and the tiniest roots are called root hairs. These root hairs consume the water into the system, which then carries the water to the rest of the plant.  Once a water molecule escapes out into the atmosphere. It pulls the next molecule below it to take its place. Then it pulls the one under it to take its place that continues on forever and ever. This job of attracting molecules to the others place is called cohesion. Due to this cohesion, water molecules stick to each other forming a continuous chain.

Day in the life of a Kereru By Tanisha

Tanisha

Paragraph 1- Introduction( introducing Ava ( the main character/main bird, its family, and waking up) Paragraph 2- Morning routine. Going hunting for breakfast as a family. Paragraph 3- Joining mum in taking care of chick siblings and lunch. Paragraph 4- siblings new normal routine Paragraph 5- Dinner and bedtime

Tanisha-

Paragraph 1- 

Hi, my name is  Ava and I'm a kereru. Let me introduce myself a little bit more. I am sixteen years old. My species can be found all over New Zealand, mainly in places like forests, parks, reserves, and gardens. I live with my parents and three annoying chick siblings called, holly, Polly and Molly aged 3. WE live in a soft, snug, sheltered,  nest in an Auckland park that I think is called Cornwall park. I almost forgot to mention my twin named Evie, we do everything together. Now let me tell you what I usually get up to on a normal day. 

Paragraph2-

I wake up at dawn and fluff up my colourful feathers. I know it’s time to wake when I feel the sun shining on my petite, vivid red eyes. It’s my turn to find today’s meals with Evie.  We take off from the nest and go around the park and nearby trees and plants to find food. We find fresh fruits, berries, and some buds and shoots from nearby flowers. After collecting the food, we head back to the nest. Mum and Dad were really happy with us, they said it’s the best food we’ve had this year since we only get good food in spring and summer. Those are our favourite seasons of the Year.

Paragraph 3-

After breakfast mum makes me and Evie get some really soft plants to make a small area in the nest to lay her egg.  Oh, whoopsies, I forgot to tell you, my mum is going to lay another egg. I wonder how many chicks she is going to have.  I hope the next baby mum is going to have is a boy, and he or she is the last chick in our family. After going to the boring meeting area, we go back home to have lunch and me and Evie go sit in the leafy branches and relax beside our lazy dad.  No offense to our dad but he is pretty lazy for a bird. I’ve seen you lazy humans through your windows sitting on a couch being really lazy and watch something called a TV. I sometimes wish I had a TV and lived in a luxurious house. It’s finally lunch, I’M starving. For Lunch, we’re pretty much having exactly what we had for breakfast.  

Paragraph 4-

I am at the moment, extremely unhappy since my mum put me and Evie in charge of feeding the siblings, taking them to the pond to clean them, and putting the triplets to bed. The main reason we put our younger siblings to bed is so that they won’t start whining when you humans come to Cornwall park and start making a whole lot of unwanted noise. And the horrible news for me and Evie is that we are in charge of the afternoon routine from now on since my mum is pregnant and it’s getting hard for her to take care of all of us and the nest. Finally, we reach the pond. 

Oh no, oh no, this is bad, there is a cat standing right there and us 5 have no protection. I yelled out HHHHHHEEELLLLLLLLLLLPPPP!!! Thank goodness my dad wasn’t so lazy for once and came to the rescue. He asked for one of us to help him defend the cat off and one of us to take care of our siblings. Since I am the strongest child in the family, I helped my dad and Evie looked after the chicks. Finally, with all our might, we managed to shoo away our greatest enemy. Mum was so happy that we had got the girls home before you humans got to Cornwall. You’re probably wondering why I said in the afternoon even though some people also come in the day time but mainly people come in the afternoon when the weather is just right.

Paragraph 5-

It’s time for dinner. YYYYYYYYYEEEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!! I was starving from all of the trouble and hard work. We’re having the same, fresh fruits, berries, some flower buds and shoots. After dinner, evie and I go out to sit on the trees and feel the afternoon breeze. It's not that cold, that's because we kereru have thick feathers to keep us warm. I’m getting hungry so i go pick a few berries with my mighty crimson coloured beak. Then I see something heading towards us. For a minute I thought it was some kind of dangerous bird, but no, it turned out to be our fellow kereru friend, Mike.  it turned out that he also came to get some dessert and we said that he could join us for dessert and a quick fly before bed. We get back to the nest and go straight to bed. YAWN!!! I’m soooo tired from my extremely tiring but fun and crazy day. Bye and good night, see ya tomorrow dear humans!