Try these fun and Quirky Experiments!

Roll a can with static electricity

Items you need: empty soda can, blown up balloon, head of hair

1. Place the can on its side on a flat smooth surface like a table or a smooth floor. 2. Rub the blown up balloon back and forth through your hair really fast.3. Now the fun part - Hold the balloon close to the can without actually touching the can. The can will start to roll towards the balloon without you even touching it!

Follow Up Experiments:
1. Does the size of the balloon change the power of the pull?
2. How much water can you put in the can until the balloon can't pull it anymore?
Source: Science Bob, http://www.sciencebob.com/

Make a bone bend

Items you need : large jar to fit a chicken bone, chicken bone (drumstick), vinegar

1. Have a nice chicken dinner and save a bone. Leg bones work best.
2. Rinse off the bone in running water to remove any meat from the bone.
3. Notice how hard the bone is - gently try bending it. Like our bones, chicken bones have a mineral called calcium in them to make them hard.4.Put the bone into the jar and cover the bone with vinegar. It might be a good idea to put the lid on the jar or cover it - let it sit for 3 days5. After 3 days remove the bone. It should feel different. Now can rinse it off and try bending it again. Is it really a rubber bone?

Follow Up Experiments:
1. Does the length of time the bone is in vinegar affect how much the bone bends?
2. Do smaller size bones become "bendy" sooner?

Science Fair is coming up soon: April 6 2012! If you would like to help us please contact Anca Stepan (ancastepan@gmail.com) or Amy Oliver (amyroliver@gmail.com). Thank you for being a volunteer!!!

More fun and quirky science!

Looking for fun things to do while the weather is wet? Check some of these things out!

Visit Funology.com for some fun experiments http://www.funology.com/laboratory/ or ScienceBob http://www.sciencebob.com/index.php

Try your hand at some basic programming, visit MIT's page for Scratch, (using Scratch requires a download. You should check with adult before you download any programs)
http://scratch.mit.edu/

Visit Toys from Trash for experiments with things from around the house http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/toys.html




Other fun websites:

Disney's Family Fun http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/crafts-by-type/educational-craft-activities/science-projects/weird-science-701815/

New Zealand's Science for Kids http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/weird.html

Boy's Life http://boyslife.org/hobbies-projects/funstuff/2184/weird-science/

Weird Science Kids http://www.weirdsciencekids.com/



Visit your local library and check this out:

KCLS offers free museum passes -visit their website for more info http://www.kcls.org/programs/museumpasses.cfm

KCLS science page http://www.kcls.org/homework_help/science.cfm

Sno-Isle Libraries Science Page: http://www.sno-isle.org/index.cfm?ID=1246&cid=12




Books:
Weird science / by Mary Packard Call Number: J 502 PACKARD

Weird science : 40 strange-acting, bizarre-looking, and barely believable activities for kids/

Jim Wiese Call Number: J 507.8 WIESE

Black holes and other bizarre space objects / David Jefferis Call Number: J 523.8875 JEFFERI

Weird but true! : 300 outrageous facts Call Number: J 001.9 WEIRD B

Janice VanCleave's 201 awesome, magical, bizarre & incredible experiments J 507.8 VANCLEA

Mi primer libro de teatro / Mick Manning & Brita Granström INTL-SPA J 530.078 MANNING

Smart science tricks / Martin Gardner J 793.8 GARDNER

Ke xue you xi = Play sciences / Chen Zhongzhao zhu Call Number INTL-CHI J 793.8 CHEN

Making things change / Gary Gibson J 507.8 GIBSON

101 nollaun kwahak sirhŏm / Nil Adŭlli chiŭm INTL-KOR J 507.8 ARDLEY

Attend these events:

Mad Science at the Library:
Event Type: School-Age ProgramAge Group(s): Children and Families, All AgesDate: 12/29/2011Start Time: 2:00 PMDescription:Celebrate winter break with Mad Science. From foggy dry ice storms and gravity-defying beach balls to a Mad Science burp-flavored potion, audiences will be amazed by what they see, hear, and ugh … taste! Funded by the Sno-Isle Libraries Foundation. Library: Arlington Library

Pacific Science Center:

Design Zone through Jan. 2nd

Camp-In @ the Science Center (stay overnight for fun activities and sleeping amongst the exhibits) Fri, Feb 24 – Sat, Feb 25

Polar Sciences Weekend March 1-4, 2012

Burke Museum:

Artifact ID day Sat., Jan. 7, 2012 1 – 3:30 pm

Dino Day Sat. March 3rd, 2012/10-4pm

or take a walk and learn about the effects that glaciers had on this area

Sat. Jan. 7th 12-1:30 starting at Seward Park Environmental and Audubon Center

or build something like this model of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN made of Legos!

Check out the full story at Geek.com

Fun with Gelatin!

With darkened days we tend to retreat to comfortable surroundings often spending more time in the kitchen creating delectable goodies to carry us through. It takes a hardened soul to turn away from the fruity flavor of jello salads and gumdrops. Ever play with the sweet stuff? Here are a couple of ideas to try (just promise you’ll help with clean-up when you’re done).

Gelatin Stalagmites
Who knew geology formations could be found using physics and a little kitchen wizardry?

What you need:
Balloon (inflated with any old air)
Gelatin (flavored or unflavored)
Bowl or baking dish
Something made of wool (or your own hair)

What to do:
Blow up your balloon and tie it off. Pour your gelatin into the dish—don’t be shy, layer it up to an inch deep. Rub your balloon against the wool, not too hard; is your hair standing up yet? Now touch the balloon to the gelatin and gently lift the balloon. See the gelatin clinging to the balloon and dish? You may even see the gelatin fly up the balloon, cool huh?! The structures sticking up from the bottom of the dish are called stalagmites. Those that cling from the balloon are called stalactites (they have to hold on tight, get it?). What do you call a structure that bridges both dish to balloon? A column!

Obviously, this is static electricity at work, but it also lets us see some cave formations in the warmth of our own homes. Couple that with edible science and we all win!

Gelatin Gumdrops
Done with the balloon? Still want to have a little fun? Let’s try a little chemistry now.
What you need:
Gelatin (pick your favorite flavor!)
Baking dish
Medicine dropper
Fork
Water

What to do:
Pour the gelatin into the dish making sure it is about 1 inch deep. Using your medicine dropper filled with water add one drop of water to the gelatin. Once it is absorbed, add a second drop of water to the same spot making sure it gets absorbed. Continue until about 6 drops have been added. Using your fork, scoop under the spot and lift upward. You will find you’ve made a gumdrop. The gelatin mixed with sugar and flavoring has the unusual property of swelling and holding water in a network of protein fibers. The gumdrop you’ve made is actually a liquid suspended in a solid! Want a little more challenge? Use more or less water, what happens? Use unflavored gelatin, add coloring and your own flavorings to create a personalized treat.

These ideas come courtesy of Mr. Wizard, who definitely still has it! Want to be a wizard yourself? Help us plan this year’s science fair. Contact Amy Oliver (amyroliver@gmail.com) or Anca Stepan (ancastepan@gmail.com) who will teach you the spells. The science fair is coming quickly—6 April 2012!

More Science Fun!

Books

Kitchen science experiments : how does your mold garden grow? by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

Kitchen science / Shar Levine & Leslie Johnstone

Chemistry science fair projects : using french fries, gumdrops, soap, and other organic stuff /

Caves : mysteries beneath our feet / by David L. Harrison

The creation of caves / J. Elizabeth Mills.

Websites

PBS Zoom webs http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/electricgelatin.html

Gelatin Volcano http://www.spacegrant.hawaii.edu/class_acts/GelVolTe.html

Carnagie Mellon Gelatin Gumdrops http://gelfand.web.cmu.edu/scimodules/2._Gelatin_gum_drops.html

Make your own stalactite from Science Kids http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/projects/stalactite.html

http://www.sciencekidsathome.com/science_experiments/growing_stalactites.html#more

More fun with gumdrops http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/geo_gumdrops.html

Kitchen Experiments http://www.accreditedonlinecolleges.com/blog/2010/kitchen-chemistry-100-cool-food-science-experiments-for-kids-and-cooks/

Videos

Mr. Wizard's World Volume 6 J DVD-ED 507.8 MRW

Caves of the national parks [videorecording] : the wonder beneath / Discovery Channel J DVD-ED 551.447 CAV66

Our Science Fair is coming up in April. Seattle will have its first Science Festival this summer. Check out their website to see what's coming up: http://seattlesciencefestival.org/2012-festival-highlights

Your Nose Knows!

Can YOUR nose help YOU survive?

Materials: 4 clean jars
Milk

Method: Pour a quarter cup of milk in the first jar and date it. The next day do the same thing in the second jar. Date that one too. Do this the next day and the next. Leave the jars covered, at room temperature and exposed to some light.

Using your nose: On the fourth day get a willing friend to help you. Have your friend close her eyes and give her each of the jars to smell. Have him/ her rank the jars in order of how badly they smell. The old milk will smell bad and he/she will be repelled by it. The older it is the worse it will smell

Conclusion: This experiment helps you see why smell is important for human survival. Smells help us determine if food is safe to eat so before you take a bite out of your next meal let you nose test it first!
Source: http://www.essortment.com/science-experiments-kids-57143.html

Making Sense of Scents......

Websites:

How Stuff Works: http://express.howstuffworks.com/smell-this.htm
NASA Space Place: http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/e-nose/redirected/

Neuroscience for Kids: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/nosek.html

Discovery Kids: http://yucky.discovery.com/noflash/body/pg000150.html

Kids Health: http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/nose.html

Zoom: http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/tastevsmell.html

Science News for Kids: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2010/12/making-snotty-scents/

Science Buddies: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/HumBio_p010.shtml

Books:

Smelling by Rebecca Rissman

Smelling and tasting by Alvin Silverstein J 612.86 SILVERS

The sense of smell by Mari Schuh J 612.86 SCHUH

What the nose knows : the science of scent in everyday life by Avery Gilbert 612.86 GILBERT

What is smell? by Jennifer Boothroyd E 612.86 BOOTHRO

A qué huele? : un libro sobre el olfato por Dana Meachen Rau INTL-SPA E 612.86 RAU

Science fair success with scents, aromas, and smells by Thomas R. Rybolt TEEN 612.8607 RYBOLT

How to make a mystery smell balloon by Lori Shores E 507.8 SHORES

Shocking, slimy, stinky, shiny science experiments by Steve Parker J 507.8 PARKER

Media:

All about the senses DVD J DVD-ED 612.8 ALL189

Smell my world J DVD-ED 612.86 SME884

Green Science

Local:
See how we can impact our environment by going to Salmon Days in Issaquah this weekend, Oct. 1st and 2nd to visit the hatchery.

http://www.salmondays.org/

If you can't go yourself, check out the Salmon Cam! http://wdfw.wa.gov/wildwatch/salmoncam/video.html

Department of Fish and Wildlife site for kids on conservation: http://www.fws.gov/educators/students.html

City of Vancouver Salmon Page: http://www.cityofvancouver.us/watercenter.asp?waterid=24980&watersubid=27445

Best local places to watch salmon run: http://www.waterhavens.com/blog/attachments/king-county-salmon-runs-viewing-locations-seattle-area.pdf

Seattle Aquarium's Conservation page: http://www.seattleaquarium.org/page.aspx?pid=216

Global:

Audubon Society's Kids Web Page: http://web4.audubon.org/educate/kids/

Children of the Earth United: http://www.childrenoftheearth.org/

Energy Star Kids: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=kids.kids_index

http://www.conservationfund.org/children_nature

http://www.kidsplanet.org/

http://www.smokeybear.com/kids/default.asp?js=1

http://www.worldwildlife.org/home-full.html

http://thinkgreen.com/classroom

Evironmental Science Page from How Stuff Works: http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science

http://www.epa.gov/students/index.html

Books about being green:

My First Green book by Angela Wilkes

Team Green Science Series by Robert Gardner

Environmental science & protection : keeping our planet green / by Cordelia Strange

Save the Earth science experiments : science fair projects for eco-kids / Elizabeth Snoke Harris
Hoot / Carl Hiaasen - Teen Fiction

Last child in the woods : saving our children from nature-deficit disorder / Richard Louv

Reducing your carbon footprint in the kitchen / Linley Erin Hall

Not your typical book about the environment / Elin Kelsey ; illustrated by Clayton Hanmer.

Making good choices about renewable resources / Jeanne Nagle.

Natural resources : using and protecting earth's supplies / by Darlene R. Stille.

Websites for Green Science Fair ideas:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Green-Science-Fair-Projects---Creative-Ideas-For-Environmentally-Oriented-Projects&id=1755148

http://chemistry.about.com/od/sciencefairprojectideas/a/pollution-green-chemistry-projects.htm

http://www.discoversolarenergy.com/DIY/sci-fair-proj.htm

http://discovermagazine.com/2008/may/a-science-fair-for-a-better-planet

What can I do?

Trick or Treat for Unicef : http://youth.unicefusa.org/trickortreat/

Tips for a green home: http://www.squidoo.com/go-green-in-your-home-today

PBS list of things kids can do to help the environment: http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/action/way04.html

10 more things to do: http://www.seql.org/kids.cfm

Check out kidServe Seattle to see if there is a volunteer opportunity that's right for you: http://www.kidserveseattle.org/volunteer-kids.aspx

Help clean a trail or join a preservation society:

Washington Trails Association work party schedule (kids are welcome!) :

http://www.wta.org/kids/volunteer/trail-work-parties

http://www.trailvolunteers.org/

http://www.cedarriver.org/

Visit a Seattle Environmental Learning Center to see what else you can do: http://www.seattle.gov/parks/environment/elc.htm

Detergents: Science Brings Good and Bad

We use detergents to clean many things, clothes, dishes, even cars. Dishwashing liquid is the most common detergent in the home. You might be surprised to learn that in the wrong places this great cleaner has a downside.

Materials:
Water
Large bowl
Waxed paper
Self-sealing plastic sandwich bag
Dishwashing liquid

What to Do:
Fill the bowl with water.
Crumple a large piece of waxed paper and stuff it into the sandwich bag. Seal the bag.
Float the bag on top of the water. Add several big squirts of dishwashing liquid to the water and observe. Does the bag begin to sink?

Action, Reaction, Results:
One reason that the bag floats on the surface of the water is that it has an oily coating that makes it water repellent. Detergent in the dishwashing liquid breaks up the oily coating and the bag begins to sink. Do all detergents work the same? Does it take the same amount of time for the bag to sink with different detergents?

From our experiment we can see that detergents can cause problems. Detergents in a natural water supply can cause harm to wildlife, too. For example, detergents can make water birds’ feathers less repellent to water. When hiking or camping it is important not to use detergents in or near lakes, rivers, ponds or streams.

Have a love for exploring the world around you? Sign up to help with the science fair. Contact Amy Oliver (amyroliver@gmail.com) or Anca Stepan ( ) to join the fun.

Spinning Fountain

So the sun finally came out, but the sprinkler has lost its luster and you still want water fun. What’s a kid to do? Try this on for size and see what you think.

Materials:

Empty half-gallon paper milk carton

Nail

2-foot long string

Tree branch

Directions:

1. Get an empty half-gallon paper milk carton. Use a nail to punch a hole in each left-hand corner of the carton, close to the bottom. Punch another hole in the top flap of the carton. An adult may have to help you punch the holes.



2. Tie one end of a 2-foot-long string through the hole in the top of the carton.



3. Tie the free end of the string around a tree branch so that the carton is dangling in the air.



4. Ask two friends to cover the holes in the bottom of the carton with their fingers. Use a hose or pitcher to fill the carton with water.



5. Ask your friends to remove their fingers from the carton. What happens when water squirts out of the holes?

Action, Reaction, Results:

When water squirted out the carton spun around. This happened because of Newton’s third law of motion (every action has an equal and opposite reaction). As water spurted out of the holes, it pushed back on the carton. This made the carton twirl in the opposite direction. What happens if you change the placement of the holes? Does the size of the hole matter?

More Science Fun

Looking for more fun ways to learn and do science? Check these out!

Mama Joules Science Blog http://www.mamajoules.blogspot.com/

Any of the books by Dan Green and Simon Basher:

Astronomy: Out of this World

Biology: Life as We Know It

Chemistry: Getting a Big Reaction

Periodic Table: Elements with Style

Physics: Why Matter Matters

Rocks and Minerals: A Gem of a Read

Science News for Kids Website http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/

Facts on File Science Website http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE40

Science Monster Website http://www.sciencemonster.com/

Sci Channels games website http://science.discovery.com/games/games.html or watch one of their many shows like "How It's Made" or "Morgan Freeman's Through the Wormhole".

Summer Fun: Balloon Dragsters

Who can build the fastest car? Use the directions below to build your vehicle, test it, then challenge your friends to a race. Just keep it on the track, okay?
Materials:
Piece of cardboard, 6 x 10 inches
4 straight pins
Colored markers or crayons (optional)
Flexible straw
Tape
Balloons (un-inflated)
What you Do:
Make dragster parts first. Cut 3x4 inch piece of cardboard. This will be the body of your dragster. Cut four circles, each with a 2 inch diameter, for wheels. Use a pin to poke a hole in the center of each wheel and then set the wheels aside. Decorate parts if you like.
Bend the flexible straw into an L-shape. Lay it lengthwise in the middle of the dragster’s body, with the straw’s mouth-end sticking up near the front of the car and the opposite end extending past the rear of the car. Tape the straw in place.
Put the mouth of the balloon over the mouth of the straw. Tape it in place. Just to test your tape job, blow into the open end of the straw to make sure you can inflate the balloon. If it fails, try re-taping the balloon to the straw.
Attach the wheels to the dragster body using a pin for each wheel. Test it to make sure it rolls. Make adjustments if you need to.
Blow into the straw until the balloon is half full of air. As you take your mouth off the straw, quickly block the end of the straw with your finger to keep the air in. Then let go of the straw and watch the dragster take off.
Try different sizes and shapes of balloons. Vary the amount of air in the balloons. What other modifications can you make and what effect do they have? (change the size of the wheels, or shape of body). What makes the fastest dragster?

What’s going on? Dragsters are a special kind of race car. They use the principles of rocket science to move in a straight line as fast as possible. Rocket engines and balloon dragsters work according to Newton’s Third Law of Motion. That law says that for every action (force) there is an equal and opposite reaction (force). In your dragster, the balloon pushes air through the straw—action—so the dragster moves forward—opposite reaction.

We’ll put out more fun ideas through the summer. Hey, and keep your eyes peeled for other cool stuff. We’d love to hear your ideas! You can contact Amy Oliver at AmyROliver@gmail.com.

More Sport Science!

Bazemore, Suzanne. Soccer : how it works. Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, c2010
Biskup, Agnieszka. Football : how it works. Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, c2010
Biskup, Agnieszka. Hockey : how it works. Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, c2010
Bonnet, Robert L. Home run! : science projects with baseball and softball. Berkeley Heights, NJ : Enslow Publishers, Inc., c2010
Dreier, David Louis. Baseball : how it works. Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, c2010
Gardner, Robert, 1929-. Health science projects about sports performance. Berkeley Heights, NJ : Enslow Publishers, c2002
Gardner, Robert, 1929-. Science projects about the physics of sports. Springfield, NJ : Enslow Publishers, c2000
Gardner, Robert, 1929-. Slam dunk! : science projects with basketball. Berkeley Heights, NJ : Enslow Publishers, c2010
Goff, John Eric, 1970-. Gold medal physics : the science of sports. Baltimore, Md. : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010
Goodstein, Madeline P. Goal! : science projects with soccer. Berkeley Heights, NJ : Enslow Publishers, c2010
Goodstein, Madeline P. Wheels! : science projects with bicycles, skateboards, and skates. Berkeley Heights, NJ : Enslow Publishers, c2010
Levine, Shar, 1953-. Sports science. New York : Sterling Pub., c2006
Mercer, Bobby, 1961-. The leaping, sliding, sprinting, riding science book : 50 super sports science activities. New York : Lark Books, c2006
Rowe, Julian. Sports. Crystal Lake, Ill. : Rigby Interactive Library, 1997
Slade, Suzanne. Basketball : how it works. Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, c2010
Sohn, Emily. Skateboarding : how it works. Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, c2010
Why a curveball curves : the incredible science of sports. New York : Hearst Books, c2008
Wiese, Jim, 1948-. Sports science : 40 goal-scoring, high-flying, medal-winning experiments for kids. New York : J. Wiley, c2002

Don't Blink or You'll Miss It!

You didn’t think we were done with science did you? Think science and sports are worlds apart? Think again!
Some sports require fast reaction times: baseball, sprinting, tennis, volleyball and fencing to name a few. How fast is your reaction time? Below is a way to measure it.

Materials:
Ruler
Friend to help you

What to do:
Have your helper hold the ruler by the 12 inch (30 cm) end so that it hangs down vertically toward the ground.
Place your thumb and index finger on either side of the ruler at the 0-inch mark. Don’t squeeze the ruler—it should be able to move freely through your fingers.
Tell your friend to let go of the ruler when s/he is ready and pinch your fingers together to catch it.
Read on the ruler the distance it fell. Use the table below to determine your reaction time.

DISTANCE – REACTION TIME CONVERSION TABLE
Distance Time
2 in (~5 cm) 0.10 sec (100 ms)
4 in (~10 cm) 0.14 sec (140 ms)
6 in (~15 cm) 0.17 sec (170 ms)
8 in (~20 cm) 0.20 sec (200 ms)
10 in (~25.5 cm) 0.23 sec (230 ms)
12 in (~30.5 cm) 0.25 sec (250 ms)***

This one is all about realizing how amazing your body is. Your senses have to realize what is happening, communicate with your brain and tell your hand to grab the ruler.

Want some more science? Introduce a few variables: which of your hands is fastest, which person in your family is fastest? Try it blindfolded and have the helper make a noise as s/he drops the ruler. Collect these results. What things do you notice about your data? Keep practicing and see if you can improve your time!

***Remember milliseconds are one thousandths of a second so 1000 milliseconds (ms) = 1 second. That means 250 ms = 0.25 seconds; 100 ms = 0.100 seconds. See you’re a lot faster than you thought!

Another Great Science Fair!

Wow, 2011 held another great Science Fair for Fernwood Elementary!

Great job all of you Fernwood Students, what a wonderful group of experiments were performed, recorded and shared!

Thanks to Amy Oliver for all her hard work in making this happen!

What did you learn from your experiment? Leave a comment to share with others about what you learned.

Need a Little Help for the Science Fair?

*****Want a little more personal help? Come to the science workshops Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the Fernwood library during lunch recess starting March 21st.

We’d love to see you!*****

2011 Science Fair Documents are here!

Have you thought of what question you want to try to answer for the Science Fair this year?

Our Science Fair is coming on Friday, April 15th!

Read about our Science Fair Guidelines, get your registration document, and check out some good questions to get you started thinking about what you are interested in doing for the Science Fair.

Science Fair Registration document: (These will be due back to school by Tuesday 29 March 2011)

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B5rlgHJl1FKtOTJhNWQwYjEtZWU3MC00ZjY0LWFlMDgtMjgzZjI4ZWYxMjA3&hl=en&authkey=CJOEmtELcom/viewer?

Science Fair Questions:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B5rlgHJl1FKtZjZmZDQ3NzgtMDgwNi00NmI1LThlNTUtMWZlMzNhZTYxNGMz&hl=en

Science Fair Guidelines:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B5rlgHJl1FKtOWM0YmNiNmYtZjc1Yi00MTA1LTliYTctZjUxNTkyOGNiNGVl&hl=en&authkey=CNbvlu8L

Remember, the most important thing to do is have fun!

Here are some websites to help you see what fun ways you can explore your world through science:

Fun experiments http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/homeexpts/homeexpts.html

Fun facts http://www.hightechscience.org/funfacts.htm

Fun with Bill Nye http://www.billnye.com/

Fun science games http://www.gamequarium.com/science.htm

Fun science song "Put it to the Test" by They Might Be Giants http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kf51FpBuXQ

Fun Science video: YouTube video Mythbuster's Mentos + Diet Coke experiment

(10 second ad before video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjbJELjLgZg&feature=related

Other fun ways to experience science

Visit the Burke Museum for one of their fun hands on learning days:






Dino Days March 5th 9-4 http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/events/index.php http://vimeo.com/10292552 and several other events throughout the year.

Watch the Robotics Competition at QWest Field on March 18th and 19th
http://www.firstwa.org/

Visit the UW Engineering Department's Discovery Days in April
http://www.engr.washington.edu/alumcomm/openhouse.html

Plant some Sunflowers and help scientists track the bee population http://www.greatsunflower.org/









Play a game or let your home computer help science:













Fold It, a game that helps scientists analyze the structure of protiens

http://fold.it/portal/info/science#whygame or use your computer to help when you aren't using it with Rosetta@Home http://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/







Free Rice, fun quizzes on science, math, geography and vocabulary that also help donate food to World Food Programme to help fight hunger.


http://www.freerice.com/category


Have your computer help with the search for Extraterrestrial life when you aren't using it with








Seti@Home http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/















Learn about Watson, the IBM computer that won on Jeopardy!


http://www-03.ibm.com/innovation/us/watson/what-is-watson/index.html