lotsofpumpkins Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Dh and I are teaching a science track at a Children's Camp in a few weeks. We have already decided what to do on two of the days (owl pellets and nature scavenger hunt) so we need one more idea. The class is 45 minutes long, but something that takes about 30 minutes is great because that will give us a little bit of extra time for some quick demonstrations we might want to do. The children have completed 2nd-6th grades. Since both of our other ideas are related to nature, I'm wanting something chemistry or physics, but haven't been able to come up with any ideas that are about 30 minutes. Everything is either too quick or takes too long. Thanks in advance for ideas! ETA: We made a decision! In addition to the nature scavenger hunt and the owl pellets, we are also going to build bristle bots and have races. To fill in extra time, we'll put ivory soap in the microwave, have the dc see how many drops of water they can fit on a penny, etc. We'll probably have some cornstarch available for some oobleck. That always seems to be a hit. Thanks for all the great ideas! I'm definitely keeping them in mind because I like to have fun stuff to do here at home with my own dc too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Maybe using photosensitive paper to make a picture? You can gather a few objects like leaves or whatever, and then have them use the blue sensitive paper, and then develop it? You could talk about why it works. They could gather first, then put on the paper, then you could demonstrate the other things you want to get to, then they could develop it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Ones we did as Cub Scout camp with big success - (and pretty cheap) - Alka seltzer rockets Cartesian divers Marshmallow guns Target practice with giant air cannon and then we made mini marshmallow shooters. I'm on my phone but can get you links if you want them. And - one of those solar tubes - freakishly awesome!! But - tie it down!!! It's huge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Extract DNA from a banana, with simple materials you have at home like dish detergent. It doesn't take 30 minutes to do this, but you can use the time to talk a bit about DNA-where it is in the cell, why the material you get is long and stringy, what DNA does, etc. This was a huge hit here when I did it with my kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Vinegar and baking soda volcanos. Diet coke and menots (bigger volcano). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lotsofpumpkins Posted May 28, 2014 Author Share Posted May 28, 2014 Thanks for the ideas! I'll look into those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 It doesn't take a full 30 minutes, but you can have kids guess how many drops of water they can fit onto a penny laid flat, before it spills over. Most will guess somewhere under 10. Then hand out pennies and eye droppers, and have them keep track, with a prize for the most drops. It is an amazing lesson on water surface tension. Of all the things that we did when I taught a science co-op, this one is one of the simplest and yet most impressive. You can dissect a flower and label the parts You can do simple experiments with a pendulum to figure out exactly what changes the speed of a pendulum- weight, height of release, or string length. You can do a planet walk- try googling it. Basically you need to get some "to scale" planets (basketball for jupiter, lentil for earth, etc, etc) and then set them out along a 100m line (side of a soccer field, for example) at the correct number of meters to get a feel for the size of the solar system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korrale Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Icecream made with liquid nitrogen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 1) Build a model of sugar, using toothpicks and small colored marshmallows, or 2) get some filter paper (coffee filters work in a pinch) and run paper chromatography on spinach extract in order to see all the pigments in spinach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2pandc Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Alka seltzer rockets are fun. I found some small craft storage containers at dollar tree. They come in a pack of 6 and have a snap on lid. They worked perfectly. I had my co op students cover theirs with paper and fins. It was fun to see if the size, shape, and weight affected results. You can also vary the amount of water used to see the difference :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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