Family Science | Science Buddies Blog (Page 25)

M&M Math: Weekly Science Project Idea/Home Science Activity Spotlight

June 6, 2013 9:21 AM

In this week's spotlight: a pair of projects that put statistics in the palm of your hands. In these hands-on math projects and activities, students investigate to find out how often each color of M&M appears in a bag or group of bags. Have a guess as to which color appears most often? Put your guess to the test! What is the likelihood of pulling a yellow M&M from a brand new bag? After this activity, your student will be able to give you the odds—with some statistics to back them up!… Read more

Mummification Science: Weekly Science Project Idea/Home Science Activity Spotlight

May 30, 2013 4:27 AM

In this week's spotlight: a pair of projects that bring the science behind Egyptian mummification into the kitchen or classroom. In these hands-on human biology projects and activities, students (and families!) simulate the process of mummification with a hot dog and baking soda. What does a mummified hot dog look like after seven days? After fourteen? Better yet, how does it smell! Experiment to find out what's really going on when something is mummified. Minding your Mummies: The… Read more

Science History: Mary Anning

May 23, 2013 1:00 PM

Born on May 21, 1799: Mary Anning, fossil collector who found her first complete skeleton, an ichthyosaur, as a young girl in Lyme Regis. What "type" of fossils did Mary Anning find—and why? In the new "Fantastic Fossilization! Discover the Conditions For Creating the Best Cast Fossils" geology Project Idea, students learn about four types of fossils and get hands-on making cast fossils in different kinds of soil. Fossils and the possibility of finding something prehistoric encased… Read more

Girls at After-school Program Science Event Explore Paper Airplanes

May 21, 2013 11:00 AM

Hands-on engineering doesn't always require high-tech materials. Armed with a stack of paper and the steps to folding a basic dart airplane, a volunteer leads a paper airplane station at a local science exposition and realizes, with surprise, that folding planes isn't something all kids know how to do! With guidance, paper airplane folding can lead to some far-flying—and fun—aerodynamics exploration. Above top: Mary Raven demonstrates folding a basic dart paper airplane at a… Read more

Family Math: Making a Geodesic Dome from Straws

May 16, 2013 7:00 AM

The above photos were taken during the creation of a geodesic dome as a family math and science activity over spring break. The dome resembles the dome created in the "Dome Sweet Dome" math Project Idea, but we used straws instead of newspaper, a different assembly process, and threw in some duct tape customization for visual effect. A model dome like this can be made in any size (as long as you figure out the relative lengths of the struts). This one is pretty… Read more

Exploring Engineering with Hands-on Building Systems

May 15, 2013 8:56 AM

Born on May 15, 1863: Frank Hornby, an inventor whose "toys" included Meccano, an engineering construction set of nuts, bolts, and strips of sheet metal. Hornby first devised the system for his children. When he moved on to mass produce Meccano, he marketed the product as "Mechanics Made Easy." Meccano sets, introduced for sale in 1902, resemble Erector sets, and today Meccano owns the Erector brand. Whether beams and bolts or brick-based, toy building systems give kids (and tinkerers of… Read more

Flower Pigment Science: Weekly Science Project Idea/Home Science Activity Spotlight

May 9, 2013 11:00 AM

Use paper chromatography to explore the colors that make up flowers! In this week's spotlight: a pair of flower power projects, perfect for spring and Mother's Day! Paper chromatography is used to help separate a solution into its components. In these hands-on science activities, paper chromatography lets students see what makes up the "colors" of flowers. Are all red flowers the same in terms of pigment? Pluck a few petals and find out! … Read more

Colorful Carnations: Hands-on with Capillary Function

May 6, 2013 10:00 AM

What color flowers do you want this week? Nature produces a wide array of wonderful colors, but plant biology opens the way for a whimsical "choose your own color" flower experiment, perfect for home or the classroom. April showers, May flowers, and Mother's Day... flowers may be out in abundance at your grocery or corner market, but not all flowers bundled and labeled for sale are straight from the garden. This science mom's daughter was excited by… Read more

Crystal Chemistry: Weekly Science Project Idea/Home Science Activity Spotlight

May 2, 2013 8:30 AM

In this week's spotlight: a pair of projects that extend a classic chemistry exploration—growing crystals. Growing crystals makes for excellent and engaging hands-on, kitchen science that can be enjoyed by all ages, but what determines the size of the crystals? Explore the relationship between temperature and crystal formation in these science project and activity procedures: Crazy Crystal Creations: How to Grow the Best and the Largest Crystals (full Science Buddies Project… Read more

Girls Explore Engineering with Marble Run Challenge

April 19, 2013 11:46 AM

Getting girls inspired about engineering can be as simple as giving them the tools and a fun hands-on challenge to solve. Thanks to community support from Northrop Grumman, a group of Maryland middle school girls tested their marble run mettle —and had a great time doing it! Whether using foam tubing or an assortment of found and recycled materials (as in the photo above), creating a marble run or marble roller coaster is great hands-on engineering for students of all ages! Throw in… Read more

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