8 WEEKS OF SUMMER EXPERIMENTS

Have fun all summer long with these top 8 experiments!

EXPERIMENT #1

Magic Sand

How can something submerged in water stay dry?

How can something submerged in water stay dry? When ordinary sand gets wet, the result is a clumpy mess. However, “Magic Sand” begins as normal looking sand, until it’s coated with a substance that repels water. This special coating keeps the sand dry even after it has been dumped into a container of water. Build castles and other structures under the water, then simply pour the water off when you’re finished and the sand is still dry!

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EXPERIMENT #2

Insta-Snow – Erupting Snow Polymer

Just add water to the Insta-Snow powder and watch as the liquid magically changes into fluffy snow.

You won’t believe your eyes. Just add water to the Insta-Snow Powder and watch as the liquid magically changes into fluffy snow. This realistic looking snow is guaranteed to fool your friends. Just let the snow dry out and use it again. It’s a fun way to learn about the science of superabsorbent polymers.

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EXPERIMENT #3

Revealing UV with Color – Changing Beads

Dangerous ultraviolet (UV) light can be revealed using simple, white beads

Knowing you’ll spend some time in the sun, you carefully spread a sunscreen lotion labeled “SPF 50” on exposed skin. The next day, you look and feel like a steamed lobster. What happened?! Instead of using your skin as a UV detector, do a test with simple white beads to see if the sunscreen you are using is effective. These beads change color when exposed to UV light. Knowing the effectiveness of your sunscreen will make your sun time more of a fun time.

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EXPERIMENT #4

Windbag Wonders

Master Bernoulli’s principle and expand the bag with a single breath using air pressure.

Here’s the challenge … How many breaths would it take to blow up a 8-foot-long bag? Depending on the size of the person, it may take anywhere from ten to fifty breaths of air. At the end of the challenge, the person is totally out of breath, wondering why she said yes in the first place. Now imagine the look on her face when you are able to inflate the giant bag using only one breath of air. That’s right … one breath and you win! This is one of my all-time favorite science demonstrations, and it’s guaranteed to make it into your Top Ten list.

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EXPERIMENT #5

Mentos Geyser Science Project

How to Turn the Mentos Geyser into a Great Science Project

You might be thinking to yourself, “Can I use the Mentos Geyser for my upcoming science fair project in school?” The answer is YES, but you’ll need to learn how to turn a cool science activity into a real science experiment. The secret is to turn your attention away from the spraying soda and concentrate on setting up an experiment where you isolate a single variable and observe the results. Tests and trials will lead you to more and more questions, which will eventually lead to a discovery. The examples in this experiment are a good place to start, but you’ll stumble upon even more questions and ideas once you get rolling.

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EXPERIMENT #6

Cornstarch Science – Quicksand Goo

Mix up a batch of gooey material that behaves just like real quicksand.

Anyone who has ever watched a classic Western knows about the dangers of quicksand. You know, that gooey stuff that grabs a hold of its victim and swallows him alive? So, what is quicksand and how does it really work? In this experiment, you’ll use ordinary cornstarch to model the behavior of real quicksand.

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EXPERIMENT #7

Growing Bacteria in Petri Dishes

Take samples around you and see what bacteria will grow in an agar-filled Petri dish.

This activity will prove that Mom was right… “Wash your hands with soap and warm water!” A Petri dish prepared with nutrient agar (a seaweed derivative with beef nutrients added) is an ideal way to reveal the bacteria hiding all around you. You may not believe what you find hiding in all corners of your home or school!

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EXPERIMENT #8

Human Circuit – Conductors and Insulators

Holding hands in a circle has never been this electric!

The Energy Stick makes quite the “buzz” when you’re using it. To the untrained eye, it appears to be a plastic tube with a jumble of wires inside and two silver bands at each end. Well, those silver bands are actually electrodes. All the wires on the inside? They’re a solid state sensing circuit, tone generator, sound transducer, battery power supply, and LED lights. The perfect use for the Energy Stick is as a simple, yet fun, tool for learning about continuity and circuits. So… how do you turn it on?

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