Science Week Activities

On Friday afternoon we celebrated Science week by participating in Chemistry experiment rotations.  All students in Year 3 were mixed into 6 groups and each group completed two activities each. These activities were done between 2pm and 3pm and then we returned to the classroom and the students were eager to share what they had done with the rest of the class. Huge thank you to Mrs Myles who came along to help run one of the experiments (and very sorry I forgot to thank you on the day!!)

I organised two of these rotations - Puffy Paint Art and Sherbet. Here are the activities if you would like to try them at home.

Sherbet

To do this activity you will need:

    icing sugar

    citric acid

    bicarbonate soda

    flavoured jelly crystals

    teaspoon

    dessert spoon

    small mixing bowl

    small snap lock bag.

To make sherbet you will need to:

1.      Add 1 level teaspoon of citric acid crystals to the bowl

2.      Add 1 level teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to the bowl

3.      Now add 3 heaped dessert spoons of icing sugar

4.      Add at least 2 level dessert spoons of jelly crystals (or more to taste)

5.      Place a small amount, about half a teaspoon on your tongue

6.      After tasting you may need to vary the ingredients. If it is too bitter add more sugar, if there isn't enough fizz you may need to add either bicarbonate soda or citric acid. Make sure you add only in small amounts, remember you can always add more but it is very hard to remove some.

What's happening?

You have just created an acid-base reaction in your mouth. When you combine an acid (in this activity the citric acid) and an alkaline (the bicarbonate soda) with saliva they mix together to create a gas in the form of lots of tiny bubbles.

This is called an acid-based reaction and it's what gives sherbet its fizz. You are actually feeling the sensation of carbon dioxide bubbles on your tongue. These are the same bubbles that are in fizzy drinks.

The icing sugar is needed to add sweetness as the citric acid and bicarbonate soda are quite sour. Citric acid is one of the acids found in lemons, oranges and limes. That is why they are called 'citric fruit'.

The other acid in lemons and other citric fruit is called ascorbic acid. This is commonly known as vitamin C. The jelly crystals simply add flavour.

Homemade puff paint

What you need:

• 1 cup self-raising flour
• 1 cup table salt
• 1 cup water
• Food or paint colouring
• A spoon
• Ziplock bags
• Scissors
• A large mixing bowl
• A piece of cardboard

Activity:

Step 1. Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in the water and mix to combine until smooth.

Step 2. Divide the mixture into as many bowls as you want colours. Stir in the dye to colour each bowl.

Step 3. Use the spoon to scoop the coloured paint into a ziplock bag. Start to seal the bag, squeezing the air out and leaving about 1 cm unzipped.

Step 4. Push the paint towards one corner and use your scissors to snip off the corner. You only need to cut off a tiny bit.

Step 5. Twist the end of the bag until the paint starts to squeeze through the hole. Let your child gently squeeze the bag as they paint onto some cardboard. They can be as creative as they want!

Step 6. Once the masterpiece has been created, carefully place in a microwave and cook on HIGH for 10 seconds. Check to see the paint is puffing and continue to cook on high at 10-second intervals until the paint is dry and puffy.