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Thursday, December 29, 2011

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!!!


Wednesday, December 28, 2011

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