Activities | Science Buddies Blog (Page 22)

Family Robotics: Toothbrush Bots that Follow the Light

December 12, 2013 10:00 AM

Building light-tracking robots as a family activity lets you and your kids take next steps in electronics and circuitry! My kids and I had a great time over the summer whetting our teeth on basic robotics and electronics by transforming toothbrushes into cute little Bristlebot robots that look and work very much like commercially-available nano or hex bugs. The basic Bristlebots robotics engineering project is a fun hands-on activity and one that works for a wide range of ages. You can… Read more

Taste Bud Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

December 6, 2013 1:00 PM

In this week's spotlight: a human biology and health science project and family activity that encourages you and your family to investigate the science of taste! Do your taste buds differ from those of your friends, siblings, or other family members? Probably! In this project, you conduct a scientific experiment to explore your taste threshold for things that are salty, sweet, or sour. Once you've analyzed your own taste buds, see how other family members and friends… Read more

Sauce Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

December 2, 2013 8:00 AM

In this week's spotlight: a food science project and family activity perfect for the holiday kitchen! Are cranberries a part of your holiday menu? Does your family like a wiggly, solid cranberry roll, or do you make a looser cranberry sauce. What causes the difference in consistency? In these hands-on science projects, you and your family can experiment to see how cooking time affects the natural pectin in cranberries. From Sauce to Solid: The Science of Cranberry Condiments (full… Read more

Salty Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

November 21, 2013 9:00 AM

In this week's spotlight: a food science project or family activity that adds a dash of salt to questions about health and nutrition. The salt in your family's table shaker may be iodized because iodine is an important micronutrient that not everyone gets naturally in the foods they eat. To help prevent iodine deficiency, many salts contain added iodine (in the form of iodide). Not all salts are iodized, however. In this pair of projects, families experiment to see which salts contain… Read more

Stride Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

November 15, 2013 9:00 AM

How fast do you walk a certain distance? How is your height related? In this week's spotlight: a sports science project that invites students and families to examine the relationship between walking pace and height. Do you have to walk faster or slower to keep up with a friend or family member? How is that related to how tall each of you is, and why? Can you estimate how tall someone is by how many steps they take to cover a certain distance? Put… Read more

Camouflage Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

November 7, 2013 10:00 AM

In this week's spotlight: a pair of zoology science projects that let students and families explore how some animals use camouflage so they can better blend in with their surroundings. Does camouflage really make a difference when it comes to the relationship between predators and their prey? Give it a try in fun hands-on science activity using M&M® and Skittles® candies. If you are a hungry predator trying to grab a specific color of M&M, how hard will it be to find your… Read more

Spilling Candy: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

October 31, 2013 9:00 AM

In this week's spotlight: a pair of physics science projects that invite students and families to explore the granularity of materials. Can you pour candy in a way that is similar to pouring water? What determines whether or not a material can "flow" in this way? Which variables affect how smoothly the material flows? With your Halloween candy bag at hand, you can put it to the test with your own "candy waterfall" in these hands-on science project and family science… Read more

Afterimages Eye Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

October 24, 2013 10:10 AM

In this week's spotlight: a trio of human biology and health science projects that invite teachers, families, and students to explore the way the human eye works. What happens when you stare at something for a period of time and then look away? You might continue to see the image, what is called an afterimage. We have versions of this exploration for an independent student project, a family activity, or a classroom activity! Afterimages: The Colorful Tricks Eyes Play… Read more

Compost Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

October 17, 2013 8:00 AM

How does the rate of decomposition compare for different items and materials? Set up an indoor composter to find out! In this week's spotlight: a pair of environmental science projects that help guide families in an investigation of different biodegradable and compostable items. Do all environmentally-friendly items decompose at the same rate or as completely? With a homemade indoor composter, you and your students can run your own experiment and see… Read more

Falling Objects: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

October 10, 2013 9:40 AM

In this week's spotlight: a pair of physics science projects that encourage families and students to put a classic question to a hands-on test. Does a heavier object fall faster than a lighter one if both are about the same size? What role do gravity and inertia have in explaining what happens when two objects of differing weights are dropped at the same time from the same height? Put it to the test! What Goes Up, Must Come Down: Conduct Galileo's Famous Falling Objects Experiment… Read more

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