Mad Science: Weather Camp

How is your Co-op set up for summer camp?  We had planned to host Mad Science Camp.  Right now Camp is in limbo.  Are you planning Camp at home?  One theme I have used is Weather—which is not expensive.  Yesterday I posted our homemade thermometer.  We made them at Camp with Plastic bottles.  The kids can make their own clay for the thermometers.  We made barometers, too.  My friend, Tiff, works at a day care and saved baby food jars.  Yikes!  Glass jars!  Make sure the kids are careful.  You might want to try making lightening.  Summer is a tough time for static electricity because of the relative humidity.  If you have small milk cartons, try How Wet is the Air? (Scroll down the page.) to learn more about relative humidity.

I was surprised how much kids liked Weather as a theme.  (That tells you a lot about my bias in science.). So what else do you do?  We made Cloud Viewers, mounted on card stock.  Then we made Clouds in a Bottle.  Clouds turned into an experiment.  These cloud instructions require smoke in a bottle.  We made clouds in jars, too.  The kids spent nearly an hour making clouds and comparing results.  Then we made tornado or vortex tube bottles.  Kids love these.   Save your bottles and buy bottle connectors.  You should be able to find the tornado tubes for around $1 each.  Layers of the Atmosphere is the type of activities which are optional for camp.  Some kids think this one is too much like school.  If your child likes to color, cut, and glue, he might like it.  I bought a Solar Ballon for Camp.  It was fabulous!  The fun lasted 15 minutes when the kids accidentally released the string and the balloon rose out of sight.  The kids were hoping the local Air Guard would shoot it down. Money well spent.  I am not a purist; Camps include crafts: rain sticks, construction paper solar prints, UV Bead bracelets which change color outside, rainbow mosaics, and paint clouds.  We make it rain as a group—just for fun.  Yes, we sing and play games.  Just think how happy your kids will be!

Mad Science: Make a Thermometer

Like you, our household is juggling lessons at home with fun activities.  Today we made a thermometer.  You could do a science day on weather and make instruments.  We used these instructions.  I did not follow the instructions at first.  The juice bottle was too large to submerge in the bowls of hot and cold water.  Once we substituted a small vanilla bottle, the thermometer worked better---not great, but better. We did use rubbing alcohol.  Below our photos is a video with instructions using a water bottle.  These are fun to try to better understand how a thermometer works, but not for accuracy. Just below are our photos. 

Mad Science: Is Steve Spangler’s Amazing Scientist Lab Kit a good buy?

Kudos to Steve Spangler!  The man produces fun kits!  Right now, Spangler is promoting summer science camps.  One camp kit is the Amazing Scientist Laboratory at $34.99.  Is this a good price?  The kit has large test tubes; these are plastic bottle preforms, 2L bottles before air is blown into them to hold liquids, such as soda.  Six test tubes and a rack retail for $10.95.  (Spangler sells Baby Soda Bottles and racks separately on his web site.). The kit has a reaction plate (retail is $2.95), Petri dish ($1.20), water beads ($2.25), fizzy color tablets (4.95), and Alka-Seltzer tablets ($8.42 for a box of 72).  This kit is priced fairly.   Do you have one child or a large family or group?  The kit has a few color and Alka-Seltzer tablets.  Skip the preforms (baby soda bottles) and  buy test tubes and racks. Ziploc bags, plastic cups, or empty yogurt containers cost even less than Petri dishes, reaction plates, and test tubes.  (Mix with craft sticks.). Gel crystals are cheaper than water marbles.  (Soil Moist or Water Absorbing crystals may be cheaper at the garden store. Lowe’s carries Soil Moist.). Substitute paint pigment for pricey fizzy color tablets.  Yes, I think the fizzy color tablets are cool, too.  Try making bath bombs instead.  Tint the baking soda, citric acid, or Epsom salts be for mixing them together.  Buy a giant box of Alka-Seltzer for Lava Lamps and Alka-rockets.  Spangler’s kits are priced fairly—but you can stretch $35 further by focusing on supplies.

Mad Science: Ziplock STEM and Bubble Lamp in a Bag

Did you know Ziploc has STEM activities?  Look at Bubble Lamp in a Bag!  I usually make Lava Lamps at camp in bottles.  (Science Bob has good tips, too.). Don’t shake the bottle; instead gently rotate the bottle.  Have extra Alka-seltzer tablets on hand.  Kids love these lamps.  Alka-seltzer is largely baking soda and citric acid.  Mix the two powders and drop the mixture into the bottle or bag.  BTW, I use acrylic or washable paint as a substitute for food coloring because it’s cheaper.  We use a lot of pigment at camp.

Mad Science: More about Steve Spangler’s Camp

Steve  Spangler is offering his Science Camp kits ($89) online along with an overview of his Science Camp.  What a genius marketing idea.  Take a look at the camp ideas and extra supplies needed.  Sure, you could buy his kits or the Stem Camp Collection.  Do you need kits?  If you want kits compare Steve Spangler’s prices with Educational Innovations and Home Science Tools—particularly if you have a large family or group of cousins you are planning to host for Science Camp.    One of Spangler’s themes for camp is Newton.  Spangler has Screaming Balloon kits: a nut in a balloon for $4.99.  Try this one, Penny in Balloon.  Now substitute a dime or a nut.  Test different sized balloons.  Large, light colored balloons usually work better than small balloons.  How about the coin drop trick?  Want more of Newton’s tricks?  Try the Stacked Ball Drop.  Frugal Fun has a Newton’s inertia trick using a stack of pennies. We use a stack of nickels or quarters and a ruler.  Which works better, quarters, washers, nickels, or pennies?  Which tool is better for flicking the coins: butter knife, finger or ruler?  Here are a few more Newton’s Law lab ideas.  Add up the costs for the lab ideas here—most of which you can scrounge from your house.  You can do this!

Mad Science: Stem Kits: Hex Bug and Air Powered Car

Guess who has STEM kits?  Good Will online has Hex Bug Vex Robotics Starter kit and Air Power Engine Kit.  Our household is planning and testing STEM activities and programming Lego Boost.  I bet you are looking for kits for your kids.  These two kits are priced fairly; they each retail for about $25.  Believe me; I have a stack of science kits we break out on a rainy afternoon.  Could you build your own?  Here and here are simple air-powered cars you can make with plastic bottles, straws, and balloons.   This air car kit is less expensive.  Be critical of any STEM kit.  Ask yourself if you and your kids could make a model instead.

Apologia Chemistry: Organic Hydrocarbons Introduction

Warning!  I love Organic Chemistry.  I like for my kids to have an introduction during Chemistry.  This may be much more than your class wants to tackle.  Before we do the modules on Thermodynamics, Kinetics, Equilibrium, and Redox, we are doing Organic Chem.  Yeah!  I am compiling resources: Hydrocarbon chapter introduction, Study Guide for Notes (answer key), Nomenclature WS 10.4 (answer key), Nomenclature 10.7 (answer key), and Organic functional groups.  I have a brief introductory slideshow.  My plan is for the kids to name, write, and make the molecules.

 The class builds and names the first ten alkanes and then tackles the 10.4 Worksheet.  We use molecular model kits to build the molecules on the worksheet.  Where do you get molecules?   I use Lab-aids Molecules of Life for large classes.  (Yes, the kit is pricey, about $125.00.)  Ebay has inexpensive molecular model kits from China.  (The issue is the amount of time for the molecules to arrive.)  Here are models you make by labeling your fingers. The kids can make molecules with play dough and toothpicks.  Below are videos for naming organic molecules.

Video 1 in the Organic Series

Video 2

Video 3

Video 4

Video 5

Video 6

Mad Science: Colorful Bubbles

Warning!  Before you make colorful bubbles, put on a paint smock, lab apron, or old clothes.  Have you seen Bubble Colors?  This is an experiment challenging kids to make red bubbles.  The issue is the experiment uses commercial bubble solution.  Kids try to dye it.  What about bubbles you make from scratch?  At Mad Science Camp, we make bubbles on Friday.  I like the idea of making bubbles as an experiment.  Here are classic bubble recipes with either corn syrup or glycerin.  Kids can experiment with different brands of dish detergents.  (Dawn is best.)  We want to try to make multi-colored bubbles.  Here are directions for colorful bubbles using paint.  Here are directions to make bubbles with food coloring.  These are supposed to be stainless.  I want to try food coloring, acrylic paint, and cabbage powder.  Let's hope it's nice outside.  The kids will make one classic recipe for bubbles with corn syrup, Dawn, and water.  They'll experiment with different pigments and might try the stainless bubbles.  I can't wait!

We tried coloring bubbles.  So disappointing.  We colored both homemade and commercial bubble solutions.  None colored well.  Crud.

Mad Science: Dollar Tree Science

Have you seen Dollar Tree Crafts or Hacks?  Dollar Tree has science materials.  Start with chemicals:  rubbing alcohol, white glue, Epsom salts, cornstarch, baking soda, peroxide, and table salt.  (Walmart is also great for science materials.).  The next category is Novelty Toys: grow animals, glitter slime (to compare with homemade slime), and  bouncy balls (Stacked Ball Drop—bouncy ball on a tennis ball.),. Dollar Tree has science toys: Mini-Copters, rockets, bubbles, and chalk.  I buy toys and compare them with DIY chalk, bubbles, and rockets, or paper stomp rockets.  Toys add to the fun.  I buy customizable travel mugs at Dollar Tree for the kids.  Use the paper inserts as a template and cut blank pieces.  The kids draw and color the paper with science images to customize the mug. I sew draw string bags in plain fabric for the kids to decorate and store their loot from camp, such as the little toys.  One more tip—buy plastic dinosaurs toys to use to make fossil casts.  Isn’t this fun?

Mad Science: Do Camp at home

Our household does science.  My husband teaches Math and  Physics; I teach Biology and Chemistry.  Clearly we like STEM.  Usually in the summer my husband and I volunteer for VBS, Cub Scout Camp, and Science Camp.  We had planned to host a Science Camp at home.  Since we are in lockdown our plan is to continue school all summer and add camp activities to our schedule.  Mad Science this summer has Chemistry and Physics as the theme.

Start planning your camp.  Let’s talk about science kits.  Scrounge first for materials at home.  Clothespins can serve as test tube holders.  I buy bags of small plastic test tubes which fit in cassette cases, and substitute for test tube racks.  Dollar Tree sells test tubes with racks by the case.  (If you can shop at Dollar Tree start there for many science materials.). Buy pipettes or medicine droppers.  Add craft sticks or coffee stirrers to stir potions.  Kids love small jars to store powdered chemicals: Epsom salts, cornstarch, baking soda, table salt, citric acid, and plaster.  Label the jars.  Older kids can write the chemical names and formulas.  Add plastic paint palettes to use as reaction plates.  We use empty coffee cans or shoe boxes  to store all of the science equipment.  Decorate the box with science symbols.

After the kits organize their science kits, let them decorate large t-shirts as Lab coats.  Don’t forget safety glasses. (Kids can use them for nerf wars, too.). If you are going for a traditional camp approach, tie dye the tshirts.  I use Dharma Dyes.  Let the kids experiment with different mordants. Alum is a good mordant and makes giant crystals—add crystals to your list of science experiments.

If you have a dedicated space for Mad Science Camp, let the kids decorate posters for the walls.  Print a few Memes.  Have a contest for the best Lab Safety bumper sticker or cartoon.  The kits, posters, and  t-shirts should keep your kids engaged for two hours.  Look at you!  Your first day of camp is sorted.

Mad Science: Steve Spangler is planning a Virtual STEM Camp! Plan yours!

Steve Spangler is hosting Virtual Science Camps live by Zoom in June.  Plan your own science camp.    You can do it!  Do you need ideas?  I am here for you!  Start here, the Big Picture for the Mad Science Camp I was planning for June.  Here are some of the posts with ideas for Mad Science Camp: Competitions, Launchers, Instant Snow, Candy Science, CSI, Coding, Anatomy Academy, and Science Equipment—Make Your Own!  Yes, there are more Mad Science posts.  BTW, Mad Science is on Pinterest, too.  Determine your theme.  Our Mad Science Camp was planning to focus on Chemistry and Physics, two of our favorite topics.  Like you, we are in lock-down, too.  My family is doing experiments at home—all of us like lab.  We will keep posting our experiments with videos for you.  What are you waiting for?  Steve Spangler’s camp is $249.  You can do Mad Science Camp for less!  Let’s do this.