Static Electricity Experiment
They say opposites attract and that couldn't be truer with these fun static electricity experiments. Find out about positively and negatively charged particles using a few basic items, can you control if they will be attracted or unattracted to each other?
What you'll need:
Instructions:
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Make a Tornado in a Bottle
Learn how to make a tornado in a bottle with this fun science experiment for kids. Using easy to find items such as dish washing liquid, water, glitter and a bottle you can make your own mini tornado that’s a lot safer than one you might see on the weather channel. Follow the instructions and enjoy the cool water vortex you create!
What you'll need:
What Absorbs More Heat?
When you're out in the sun on a hot summers day it pays to wear some light colored clothes, but why is that? Experiment with light, color, heat and some water to find out.
What you'll need:
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Barometer Project
A barometer is used for measuring air pressure. It is a useful tool for helping predict weather changes.
Make your own barometer and start making your own weather forecasts, compare your results to the weather forecast on the news and see who does best!
Make Your Own Barometer
What you'll need:
Instructions:
What's happening?
When there is low air pressure the balloon should expand out and the straw will point down. This is because the air inside the balloon now has relatively more air pressure compared to the air outside, it pushes the balloon out as a result.
When there is high air pressure the air on the outside will push the balloon into the jar and the straw will point upwards. The air inside the balloon now has relatively less pressure, this pushes the balloon inwards as a result.
In general, high air pressure indicates fair weather while low air pressure indicates that bad weather is more likely. Although forecasting the weather isn’t an exact science and can be very difficult at times, give it a go and see how accurate you are
meter on a flat surface somewhere inside.Wind Speed Challenge
Harness the power of wind with some weather based projects that will help you understand wind speed and how it changes from place to place and day to day.
Put your problem solving skills to the test with these fun challenges
What you'll need:
The Challenge:
Your challenge is to design something that can measure the wind speed. Create an anemometer that features free spinning cups that spin faster as the wind increases. The wind should blow into the cups pushing them away. The faster the wind the more force it has to push the cups and the faster they spin. You can measure the wind strength by comparing how many times the anemometer spins around every 10 seconds. Does it vary from place to place and day to day?
What you will need:You can find out how much rain falls where you live by making your own rain measure. This involves cutting, so you will need an adult to help.
BALLOON IN A BOTTLE
MATERIALS:
PROCESS:
Fill the plastic bottle with hot water.
Swirl the water around to make the bottle hot and then pour it out.
Refill the bottle one-fourth full with hot water and place the balloon over the mouth of the bottle.
Fill the large bowl with ice water and place the bottle in the bowl.
Watch as all of the air is taken from the balloon. It might even get sucked into the bottle.
EXPLANATION:
What happens? The hot air in the bottle expands as the cool air outside the bottle contracts. When you first place the balloon over the mouth of the bottle, the air in the bottle is hot. As the air cools from the ice water outside the bottle it contracts and pushes the balloon into the bottle. This is why the air is taken from the balloon and sometimes gets sucked into the bottle
MAKE IT RAIN
MATERIALS:
PROCESS:
Pour about two inches of very hot water into the glass jar.
Cover the jar with the plate and wait a few minutes before you start the next step.
Put the ice cubes on the plate.
EXPLANATION:
What happens? The cold plate causes the moisture in the warm air, which is inside the jar to condense and form water droplets. This is the same thing that happens in the atmosphere. Warm, moist air rises and meets colder air high in the atmosphere. The water vapor condenses and forms precipitation that falls to the ground.
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