Do you want your kids to love science? If so, make sure they do science fair projects kids will find fun. Kids will not be interested in projects that are not very visual and that are not very easy to do. They want to see the results in a very short time; I’ve seen that over and over again with my little granddaughter Anabel. She loses interest very soon if things are moving too slow!
So, here is a science fair projects kids will find fun and easy. It actually is two experiments that can be done, first the one and on the next day the other so it does not take too long.
Does air take up space?
The case of the dry tissue paper
After you have done this experiment you should be able to answer the following questions:
1. How does the tissue paper feel after the first part of the experiment?
2. What do you see when you turn the glass slightly?
3. What causes these bubbles?
4. What happens to the tissue paper now?
5. What do you think stopped the tissue paper from getting whet the first time?
6. What was there between the tissue paper and the water?
7. Look around, is there air around you?
Can you see the air?
What you need for your project:
* One tissue
* A glass
* A bowl
* Water
How to do this experiment:
1. First you have to crumple the tissue and place it in the bottom of the glass making sure there is a relatively big space between the rim of the glass and the tissue.
2. Now you have to turn the glass up side down and submerge it in the water making sure you keep it completely vertical.
3. Take the glass out of the water and feel the tissue.
4. Now do the same, but turn the glass slightly so the air can escape.
5. Take it out again and feel the tissue.
6. Now and try all the questions on top.
Conclusion:
Air takes up space and it is all around us. The tissue stays dry in the first part because the air between the water and the tissue prevent the water from reaching it and making it whet. In the second part you allowed the air to escape and water could fill that space left by the escaping air. The air was not there to form a layer between the water and the tissue any more, so the water reached the tissue and made it whet.
The case of the airlock
After you have completed this, one of our science fair projects kids will love to do, you should be able to answer the following questions:
1. What do you do when you seal the opening of the bottle with the adhesive clay?
2. What happens when you pour the water in the funnel while the bottle is sealed?
3. Why do you think it happens?
4. Why doesn’t the air escape through the opening in the funnel?
5. Why do you keep the top opening of the straw closed at first?
6. What happens when you take away your finger after you have inserted the straw in the opening of the funnel?
7. Why do you think it happens?
8. What does it tell you about the properties of the water as well as the air?
What you need for this experiment:
* A funnel with a short stem
* A bottle with an opening that the funnel fist snuggly in
* Adhesive clay
* A straw
* A jug
* Water
What to do:
1. Place the funnel in the bottle
2. Seal the rim of the bottle with adhesive clay making sure it is completely sealed and no air can escape
3. Put the water in a jug and pour some of it into your funnel and observe what happens.
4. Now you take the straw and while keeping one end closed with your finger, push it into the funnel.
5. Remove your finger
6. Observe what happens now
Conclusion:
The air in the bottle is trapped and prevents the water from running into the bottle. No air can escape through the water as the water molecules in the opening of the funnel because of the surface tension in the water. (What is this?) When you insert the straw in the bottle, you hold one opening closed to prevent the water from the funnel to go into the straw. When the straw is through the water layer and you remove your finger, the air in the bottle can escape through the straw and the water starts pouring into the bottle.
These two science fair projects kids will love to do can be turned into a very good science fair project. Pay attention to the scientific method and your display.