Activities | Science Buddies Blog (Page 17)

Dancing Candy Hearts: Weekly Science Activity

February 12, 2015 1:30 PM

Hands-on candy science activity for Valentine's Day. What happens when you drop candy hearts in a glass of soda or seltzer water? In this week's spotlight: a fun chemistry activity for Valentine's Day. If you have conversation hearts candies on hand this Valentine's Day, put a few aside for a fun family science experiment. What happens when you drop one of the candies into a glass of soda? Why? This hands-on science activity makes a great science… Read more

Ocean Currents: Weekly Science Activity

February 6, 2015 8:59 AM

In this week's spotlight: an ocean sciences activity that helps families better visualize how ocean currents move. What does temperature have to do with the speed and direction of ocean currents? Make your own mini ocean model and find out! Ocean Currents: Modeling the 'Global Conveyor Belt' in Your Kitchen (full Science Buddies project idea) Seawater Science: Model Ocean Currents in Your Kitchen (science activity at Scientific American) Read more

Explore Nanotechnology with Paper: Weekly Science Activity

January 29, 2015 9:01 AM

In this week's spotlight: a materials science activity that gives families a hands-on look at nanotechnology. Materials coming out of nanotechnology research are often lighter and stronger than traditional materials. Nanotechnology scientists are working with matter at the nanoscale, which means they are working with individual atoms and molecules. By altering the structure and arrangement of particles, scientists are creating and discovering new materials that have exciting new… Read more

Soaking Up Sorbent Science: Weekly Science Activity

January 22, 2015 2:00 PM

In this week's spotlight: a environmental engineering activity that encourages families to learn more about sorbents. A sorbent is a material used to absorb a liquid. In the case of an oil spill, cleaning up effectively and quickly is very important. But cleaning up oil from a waterway (and off of wildlife that come into contact with the spill) can be difficult. In this family science activity (or science fair project), students experiment with different sorbents to see which ones are… Read more

Making Math with Dough: Weekly Science Activity

January 12, 2015 9:30 AM

In this week's spotlight: a math activity that turns playing with dough into an exploration of geometry. If you make a cube out of dough, you can measure the sides of the 3D object and multiple the length by width by height to find out the volume of the shape. If you gently and uniformly flatten (or squish) the object, you transform your original shape into a new shape with new dimensions. Does the volume change? In this family-friendly math activity, kids can have geometry fun with… Read more

Pastry Science: Weekly Science Activity

December 26, 2014 8:00 AM

In this week's spotlight: a food science activity that may fit right in with any baking you have planned for the season. Are pies on your family's list of favorites or traditions this time of year? How do you like your crust? Does your mouth water for a flaky crust on a homemade pie? In this kitchen science experiment, families can explore the role of fats—and the temperature of the fat—on the texture of a pie crust. When you get ready to mix up a crust, do you take the… Read more

Stroop Effect Science: Weekly Science Activity

December 11, 2014 8:45 AM

What color is that word? Explore the Stroop effect! In this week's spotlight: a human behavior-themed science activity that puts families to a fun brain-twister test. How quickly can you say the name of the color in which a word is printed? Does your speed (or accuracy) change if the color of the word and the word itself don't match? This science activity makes for an engaging exploration of the Stroop effect. After learning more about (and trying) the… Read more

Superbugs and Antibiotics: Explore with a Dice Game

December 8, 2014 9:00 AM

Stopping the course of an antibiotic early is one way that bacteria develop greater resistance to available medicines. A new classroom activity, sponsored by Cubist Pharmaceuticals, helps students see how populations of bacteria respond to antibiotics. Using a colorful dice game, students roll the dice to see how many bacteria respond to treatment each day. How much harder is it to kill off a superbug? At the end of the game, the students can tell by looking at the dice that… Read more

Singing Science: Weekly Science Activity

December 4, 2014 11:00 AM

Photo: Children's choir. In this week's spotlight: a music-themed science activity that guides families in an exploration of vocal ranges. What determines how high or how low you can sing? What does the length of your vocal chords have to do with your vocal range? Does age or gender have anything to do with the highest note you can hit? Put these questions to a singing test with a science experiment. Comparing Vocal Ranges: How High and Low Can You Go? (full Science Buddies… Read more

Globs of Gluten: Weekly Science Activity

December 1, 2014 8:30 AM

In this week's spotlight: a food-themed science activity that helps families explore the role of gluten in baking—and the different levels of gluten content in different types of flour. Many favorite holiday foods contain gluten, from stuffing and rolls to pies and pastries. But their different textures may have something to do with gluten. Extracting gluten from wheat flour can be sticky business, but in this science activity, families can get hands-on with their own gluten balls and… Read more

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