Science Archives - Page 3 of 10 - Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

Radio Wave Transmission Experiment

November 15, 2016 By Guest Author

Written by Marci Goodwin of The Homeschool Scientist.

I guess I’m showing my age when I say I can remember my family’s first remote control TV. It was amazing. My dad could change from his favorite news channel to whatever channel the game was on without anyone having to walk to the TV and turn the dial. My career as the official changer was over.

Soon after that, I remember my brother getting a remote control car. The car raced around the kitchen linoleum floor while he sat in a chair with the controller steering it from a couple of feet away. Magic!

After that came the cordless phone that totally changed our world. Walking around the house while talking on the telephone? No cord to get tangled? These were exciting times.

What makes all of those technological advancements possible was the discovery of the ability to transfer information through the air without wires or any other connection. This information travels from the remote control to the car, TV, telephone or any other remotely controlled devices by invisible radio waves.

Each device can receive information from a certain frequency of radio waves. That is why the controller of one your remote control cars won’t work on the other. These radio waves are sent out into the air by a transmitting antenna and received by a receiving antenna. The waves of information can travel through the air easily because air is a good transmitter. Not all materials are.

Experimenting With Good And Bad Transmitters

Supplies

Remote control car
Paper
Aluminum foil
Plastic wrap
Fabric

Procedure

Cover the remote (or antenna, if external) with one of the materials (paper, aluminum foil, etc.). Try to use the remote to control the car. Does it still work? Try all of your materials. Make a note of how the remote works when covered with each material. Try other materials you find around the house and note how the remote works when covered with each.

Try all of your materials. Make a note of how the remote works when covered with each material. Try other materials you find around the house and note how the remote works when covered with each.

What Happened?

Some materials are excellent transmitters of radio waves and allow them to pass right through. Other materials are poor transmitters and block the radio waves.

Which materials did you find to be good transmitters and which are poor?

Marci is a Christian wife, homeschool mom, science geek, softball coach, ice rink mom and blogger, who needs her morning coffee, hair done and make-up on before attempting of those things. You can find her blogging at The Homeschool Scientist

Heat Transfer Experiment

October 6, 2016 By Guest Author

Written by Marci Goodwin of The Homeschool Scientist.

As a hockey mom who spends an inordinate amount of time in freezing cold ice rinks, heat is on my mind quite a lot. I am always trying to find the warmest spot in the rink where I can still see my son in action, but not turn into a popsicle.

I am constantly on the search for the proper amount of clothing to layer in all seasons to stay warm in the rink, but not hot everywhere else. It is a delicate balance sometimes. My goal is to trap as much of my body heat inside my layers of clothing as possible.

Heat Is Energy

As you may know, heat is energy. That energy always travels from a warmer substance to a colder one. That is why when the weather is cold (or we are in an ice rink) we try to keep the heat energy of our bodies held within the layers of our clothing so it is not transferred to the cold air around us.

If we look at heat at an atomic level, we see that warmer particles move faster than colder particles and have a higher kinetic energy. When the temperature of a substance starts to increase, the particles start to move faster and the kinetic energy increases.

In order for a substance to increase in temperature, energy has to be transferred from somewhere. Another substance has to transfer some of its heat (or energy) to the cooler substance. This causes the kinetic energy of the substance transferring the energy to decrease and the particles to slow down.

Heat Transfer Experiment

Every time something gets warmer something gets colder because of the transfer of energy from one substance to another. Try this is simple heat transfer experiment to test this theory yourself.

Supplies

14 oz aluminum can
Plastic or glass container that the aluminum can and 1 cup of water can fit into
2 thermometers
Water

Procedure

Warm 1 cup of water until it is steaming hot. It does not have to be boiling. Carefully, pour the hot water into the aluminum can.
Pour 1.5 – 2 cups of cold tap water into the other container.
Place a thermometer in each container and take the temperatures of the water in both containers simultaneously.
After recording the temperatures, immediately set the aluminum can of hot water into the container of cooler water.
Record the temperatures of both containers simultaneously every minute for the next 15 minutes.
Graph your results – temperatures vs. time.

What Happened?

It doesn’t take long to see the transfer of heat happen. Almost immediately, the temperature of the hot water in the can will decrease, while the temperature of the cooler water in the other container will increase.

Your graphs should show that the temperatures of the water in the two containers started far apart, but grew closer over time. This shows that heat energy was being transferred from the hot water in the aluminum can into the cooler water of the container. The water in the two containers will eventually reach equilibrium, or become the same temperature.

Chemical Reactions with Seashells

June 23, 2016 By Guest Author

Written by Marci Goodwin of The Homeschool Scientist.

One of our favorite family vacation destinations is the beach. I love it! The sand, the waves, and the sun are all glorious. I just can’t get enough!

When we do take a trip to the beach, we usually spend as much time in the sand and water as possible. We dig in the sand, snorkel in the shallow water when the waves are calm, jump the waves when they are high, and nap under our beach canopy when needed.

One of our favorite things to do as a family on the beach is collect shells. We find them on early morning walks on the beach and as they wash up throughout the day. By the end of our vacation, we usually have a sand bucket full of them.

When we get home, we sort them according to their types. Sometimes we use a shell guide to try and identify them. We might also put them in jars to admire them and remember our trip. And, sometimes we use them for a chemistry experiment!

What Is A Seashell?

Who isn’t mesmerized by shells being washed up on shore by the crashing waves? Their shapes and colors make them like treasures pulled from the deep mystery of the ocean. Collecting shells on the beach can be addicting. You never know what the next one might look like.

But what are seashells?

Seashells are exoskeletons formed by soft-bodied mollusks such as oysters and clams for protection from the environment and predators. These mollusks secrete a material made mostly of calcium carbonate which builds up and hardens to create the shell. As the animal grows, this exoskeleton expands, as well.

Some people think of the shell as the home of the mollusk. This idea is accurate to an extent. The animal does live in its shell. However, the shell is attached to the animal’s body, so the creature can’t leave its “home” unless it dies. These discarded exoskeletons are the empty shells we find on the beach.

Seashells And Chemistry

When we want to know the chemical composition of something, we test it. Doing various simple chemistry experiments and tests can positively identify some substances and rule out others. An easy test for the presence of calcium carbonate uses vinegar.

Place a shell in a glass and add enough vinegar to cover the shell. Observe.

See the bubbles accumulating on the surface of the shell. These are carbon dioxide bubbles created by the chemical reaction between calcium carbonate, a base, and acetic acid in the vinegar, an acid. The shell is breaking down in this process. If you leave the shell in the vinegar for a few days, the vinegar will visibly break down the shell. The remains of the shell would be thin and brittle.

Geologists use this type of test to determine the presence of limestone in rock. Limestone contains calcium and will react with an acid in the same way.

Try this easy experiment at home to see how the calcium in seashells reacts with acid or test rocks with acid to determine if they contain limestone.

Marci is a Christian wife, homeschool mom, science geek, softball coach, ice rink mom and blogger, who needs her morning coffee, hair done and make-up on before attempting any of those things. You can find her blogging at The Homeschool Scientist.

10 Easy Ways to Start a Rock Collection

May 24, 2016 By Kris Bales

We’ve had a lot of fun studying rocks in the past, even if I’m not very good at identifying them. You don’t have to be a geologist to try your hand at rock study — but you do have to have rocks! If you’re like me, you may be at a loss as to where to find something other than gravel. So, where can you find rocks to study? Try these 10 easy ways to start a rock collection.

Where to find rocks for rock collecting

1. Around your yard or neighborhood. Let’s start with the obvious. Go outside! Check around your yard and neighborhood. You may be fortunate enough to live in an area where interesting rocks are readily available to those who look for them.

1. Online friends. Okay, I know there probably isn’t anyone who still does email groups, but back in the day, an email group was a fantastic jump start to our rock collecting. We did a rock exchange with several families in my group and wound up with a nice variety of rocks we might not otherwise be able to find in our area. Everyone who was interested in participating just collected rocks from their area to exchange with families in a different part of the country.

Forums aren’t quite as obscure as email groups, so that or a Facebook group might be a good place to start, too. If nothing else, we probably all have Facebook friends who live in different parts of the country, so post on your page to see if you have any friends willing to send a few rocks your way.

3. Friends and family. If you’ve got friends or relatives in other parts of the country, ask them to send you some interesting rocks. Even those who live in the same area you’re in may be a good source. We got a really nice collection of rocks from the “overstock” of a rock-collecting friends set.

4. Try a Rock Hounds club. We purchased a set of rocks from a local rock hounds club. It turned out to be a really awesome set because it had an example of each type of rock (igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic) and included some interesting specimens that we’d probably not have been able to find otherwise.

5. Check at museums. Many children’s museums or aquariums offer rocks and gemstones for sale.

6. Use a subscription service. Several years ago I did a review of The World’s Most Fascinating Rock Collection. We got some amazing rocks from them that we still enjoy and pull out from time to time. Check out The World’s Most Fascinating Rock Collection for details.

7. Nature walks. Be on the lookout for interesting rocks when you go on nature walks near creeks or on trails. Just be sure that it’s okay to take the rocks. If you’re at a nature center or preserve it’s probably not allowed.

8. Near water. If you live near an ocean or river, take a walk along the beach or shore, keeping an eye out for interesting rocks.

9. Local colleges. Call the geology department at colleges and universities in your area to see if they can suggest local spots to hunt for rocks.

10. Roadcuts and construction sites. Roadcuts are areas where a path has been cut through hills or mountains to build a road. These and construction sites where the earth has been dug up are good spots to check for rocks. Again, make sure you have permission to be in these areas and proceed with caution. Both could be dangerous, especially with young children.

Activities for learning about rocks

After you’ve collected the rocks, you can try your hand at identifying them with this handy rock key. And, of course, you should make some edible rocks! Try these:

Have you discovered good spots to look for rocks?

updated from an article originally published February 26, 2009

This post is linked to Top Ten Tuesday and the Hip Homeschool Hop.

Girls Like to Geek Out, Too! (A Project Amp Review)

May 5, 2016 By Kris Bales

Nothing goes together quite so well as teenagers and music at my house. Josh is my musician and Megan is my vocalist, but they also both enjoy listening – the louder, the better. They like being at home alone so they can really crank it up. I have to remind them the keep it somewhere south of call-the-cops loud.

We do have neighbors.

With that in mind, you can imagine Megan’s excitement when I asked if she’d help me review Project Amp from EEME. Build her own amp so she can plug in her iPod and crank it up? Yes, please!

I received this product free for the purpose of reviewing it. I also received monetary compensation for the time invested in writing the review.The opinions expressed are my personal, honest opinions. Your experience may vary. Please read my full disclosure policy for more details.

What I didn’t expect was that Josh would be upset that I didn’t ask him to help me with the review. He never wants to help with my reviews, so I didn’t think to ask him. Plus, I thought it would be cool to show that girls like STEM projects, too.

Now, I’ve spent the last several weeks feeling guilty that I didn’t offer him the opportunity.

As soon as we got the kit, which includes everything you need to complete the project – yes, everything – Josh started digging around through his stuff (you know, the box of leftover parts and wires every male on the planet seems to keep) to see if he had all the supplies to build his own amp. {insert mom guilt}

What’s included in the Project Amp Kit?

Project Amp is a multi-step project from EEME. (We completed their Project Genius Light a few years ago. I let Josh do that one. {mom guilt})

It can be purchased as a single kit or as six separate shipments received over the course of 6 months. We’re doing the six separate shipments (though we will receive each new set as we complete the one before it – review blogger perk).

Each kit contains everything you need to complete that portion of the project.

Our first shipment included:

One speaker
Wires
Jig
Wire stripper
Breadboard
Battery (not pictured) and battery holder
Led
Short wires (that are really tiny and easily almost-lost if you’re not careful. Just saying.)

I don’t mind projects that don’t include items that you might already have around the house, but I really appreciate kits that include everything. Just in case.

How does Project Amp work?

Your Project Amp kit includes access to the EEME website which features how-to video lessons for each step of the project. There are several things we really like about these video lessons.

First, there are links to any pertinent lessons that may have been taught in other projects that a student might not have completed.

For example, in the first lesson of the Project Amp lesson, the student has to strip wires. The process is shown in the video, but not in great detail since it was taught in a previous project. However, there is a link to the video that teaches wire stripping so that student can watch it for more detail if needed.

It’s also worth noting that the folks at EEME take into consideration that kids may need a bit of practice with this skill, so they include plenty of extra wire. This allows the student to practice wire stripping and really get the hang of it without using up all of the wire needed to complete the project.

Second, there are several individual videos for each step of the project. Each video is short – probably all under 5 minutes or so – which means that it’s simple to stop where you need to and pick up the project again later if you don’t have time to complete it in one sitting.

Third, we really liked the “rewind 5 seconds” button. That made it so easy to go back and catch something we missed. It’s the little things, y’all.

Who is Project Amp for?

Project Amp is recommended for kids ages 10-17. One thing I really wanted to show with this review is that girls are interested in these projects and perfectly capable of completing them on their own. Too often, people think of STEM projects as being geared more toward boys and while they are fantastic, hands-on projects for boys {mom guilt}, girls enjoy them, too.

With that in mind, I wanted Megan and I to sit down and complete this project together – without Dad or big brother. So, we sat down at the dining room table, pulled up the website…and I quickly discovered that my job was to take pictures for the review. Period.

Oh, wait. Megan did ask me to wrap the wires in one step because she was afraid she wasn’t getting them tight enough. That was all I got to do.

A kid closer to the lower intended age-range for Project Amp might need some help, but I’d say that most kids will probably be able to complete the project independently. The videos provide clear, step-by-step instruction and a close-up view of each step so that it’s easy to see exactly what you’re supposed to be doing.

We’re looking forward to the next step in the project. Megan is really excited about not only being able to crank up her music, but also being able to tell her friends that she built the amp herself.

You can find out more about Project Amp and a whole bunch of other cool electronics projects at EEME. They even have small projects that you can do with a group, like a co-op or birthday party.

Teach your kids about electronics in a fun, hands-on way with EEME’s free interactive online lessons. You can also follow EEME on social media via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram, or subscribe for EEME’s monthly projects.

Have you completed any projects from EEME? If so, which ones?

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