Science Explorer: At Home Science Projects

Blowing, Bouncing, Bursting Bubbles Bubble Bomb - Using baking soda and vinegar, you can pop a plastic bag with the power of fizz. Balloon Blow-Up -Not all bubbles are made with soap! Bubbularium - Make an observatory to see the amazing colors in bubbles! It's All Done With Mirrors Up Periscope! - Build a mirrored tube that lets you see around corners and over walls. Mysterious Mixtures Outrageous Ooze - This stuff can't make up its mind -- is it a liquid or a solid? Go With the Flow - Spin the bottle to make beautiful swirling shapes! It's Colorific! Reflecting Rainbows - Decorate your white walls with rainbow colors! Surprising Structures File Card Bridges - How many pennies will your bridge hold? Geodesic Gumdrops - Make amazing architecture with gumdrops and toothpicks. Dramatic Static Super Sparker - Make very, very, very tiny lightning, anytime you want! Remote Control Roller - Rub a balloon on your head, then watch a soda can race across the floor! Hear, Hear! What Do You Say?

MAKE HOMEMADE SCIENCE TOYS AND PROJECTS Hands-On Science Activities for After School Play | Exploratorium Introduction An introduction to the stripped-down motor, a simple and easy-to-make version of the electric motors found in toys, tools, and appliances. • Download activity instructions• Download concept map• Going further Recommend the Stripped-Down Motor activity to a friend Explore more things to make and do Bee Hummer | Bottle Blast Off | Color Chromatography | Cuica | Cup Speaker | Ice Balloons Jitterbug | Sound Sandwich | Stripped Down Motor | Water Bottle Membranophone | Whirling Watcher Educator Resources | Privacy Policy | Use Policy | About Digital Library Afterschool | About the Exploratorium © 2007 - 2015 Exploratorium | The museum of science, art and human perception.

The Sun and the Seasons: Museum Victoria Museum Victoria home Skip to main content The Sun and the Seasons The seasons are governed by the tilt of the Earth’s axis in space as it journeys around the Sun in a year. The Sun and the seasonsArtist: Frey Micklethwait. Temperatures on our planet are not determined by the distance of the Earth from the Sun. The seasons don’t begin on one day and finish on another. So when do we actually start the seasons? In some parts of the world, such as Australia, seasons begin on the first day of a particular calendar month - in March for Autumn, June for Winter, September for Spring and December for Summer. Spring Equinox (AEST) 2012 September 23, 00:49 am2013 September 23, 6:44 am2014 September 23, 12:29 pm The Sun in springArtist: Frey Micklethwait. On the day of the Spring Equinox, the Earth’s poles are the same distance from the Sun. Summer Solstice (AEDT) 2012 December 21, 10:11 pm2013 December 22, 4:11 am2014 December 22, 10:03 am The Sun in summerArtist: Frey Micklethwait. Autumn Equinox (AEDT)

Leaf Experiments Leaf cells have a special feature: pigment-containing chloroplasts in certain cells that enable them to produce energy and their own food through photosynthesis. What does that mean? Well, the chloroplasts within a cell contain different pigments, which are what gives a leaf its color. Green chlorophyll is the most common type of pigment, but there are also xanthophylls (yellow), cartenoids (yellow, orange), and anthocyanins (red). The chlorophylls usually hide the other pigments, except when autumn comes along and chlorophyll begins to break down. This is why leaves turn different colors in the fall. So then, what is photosynthesis? You can test the importance of light energy in plant growth by doing a simple experiment. using 2-3 small plants. To find out more about leaf pigments, do this next experiment. Next, test to find out what colors are really present in a leaf. Taking a Closer Look at Plant Cells Learn even more about plants by studying different sections of real leaves.

Earth's Oceans: Tides Tides are periodic rises and falls of large bodies of water. Tides are caused by the gravitational interaction between the Earth and the Moon. The gravitational attraction of the moon causes the oceans to bulge out in the direction of the moon. Another bulge occurs on the opposite side, since the Earth is also being pulled toward the moon (and away from the water on the far side). Since the earth is rotating while this is happening, two tides occur each day. Isaac Newton was the first person to explain tides scientifically. For information on the moon, click here. The Sun's Interaction with the Tides Spring Tides Spring tides are especially strong tides (they do not have anything to do with the season Spring). The Proxigean Spring Tide is a rare, unusually high tide. Neap Tides Neap tides are especially weak tides. WEB LINKS ON TIDESNOAA on tides Tides from the Department of Geography, Okanagan University College

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