Ready for more science and lots more fun?   I hope so summer is still young.  Summer Science Air & Gas Week 2 brings you some more information with more experiments that are sure to thrill your kids and even you.

Once again with these experiments some are out door activities because they will make a mess, although with this week there are a couple that are great for indoors by chance you have a rainy day.  Remember use these experiments to not only have fun but also to help teach your kids to keep them learning all summer and keep checking back as we post new Summer Science Experiments each week.

Gases in the Air

Can you put out a candle without blowing on it or touching it?  Because air is a mixture of gases that we can’t see this experiment helps show what the gases in the air can do.  The gas in this experiment is called oxygen which is very important and is used when we burn things or produce energy.

Supplies

• Candle
• Colored water
• Glass jar
• Bowl
• Candle holder (I didn’t have one so I just used a small pot that raised the candle up a little bit)
• lighter

Directions:

1. Place the candle on the holder and then place it in the bowl.
2. Pour some water into the bowl, it doesn’t have to be full but probably about half
3. Carefully light the candle and see how big the flame is.
4. Place the jar over the candle putting it straight down.
5. The water level will rise in the jar and the flame will go out.
6. The flame that we lit uses oxygen gas and since we placed the jar on it it used up the oxygen in there and so it had nothing to help it burn so it suffocated, the water rose up to replace the oxygen in the jar and the remaining gas in the jar is called nitrogen.

Weighing Air

This experiment wasn’t very informational but my husband and I had fun fighting the wind to make it work.  Air is not weightless, even though it is light it can be heavy.  With this experiment you can show that air has some weight to it.

Supplies

• Balloon pump
• Two tacks
• Two balloons
• Rubber band
• Long piece of wood
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Tape
• Thread

Directions

1. Using the ruler find the center of the wood piece and mark it with the pencil.
2. Carefully push the two pins into each side of the mark you made.
3. Tie the thread to the middle of your rubber band.
4. Fix the loops of the rubber band around the pins and lift the wood by the thread, it should balance.
5. Tape a balloon on each end of the stick.
6. The balloons should still balance.
7. Take one balloon off and blow it up with air, then reattach it to the wood.
8. The balloon that is blown up should weigh the wood piece down showing that air is heavy.

Warning: if you do this outside you will fight with wind like crazy, so this might be a great indoor activity.

Volcano Eruption!

I love volcanos, they are so fascinating! Show your kids some real pictures of volcanoes then go let them make one.  Explain to you kids how a volcano works.  A volcano has a long pipe that leads down from the top of the volcano to a deep underground cave.  There is melted rock or lava, and very hot gases that are stored down in that cave.  The pressure from these gases and melted rock sometimes force up the pipe to the surface.  The lava erupts from the volcano and flows down the volcano where it will cool and become solid.  Because the lava comes up and cools it will help build the volcano to be taller and bigger.  You can build a volcano a couple different ways, I had access to a sand box so I just made it in there but didn’t dye the water so I didn’t stain the sand.  You can also make it in a dish with sand or dirt and dye the water to show the color of lava.

Supplies:

• Vinegar
• Bottle (I used an empty franks red hot sauce bottle, if its narrow necked it shoots up better)
• Baking soda
• Funnel

Directions:

1. Put about 1/3 cup baking soda into your bottle.
2. Make a hole and place the bottle and build up the sand around it to look like a volcano but don’t cover the hole in the bottle.
3. Carefully pour the vinegar into the bottle and watch the volcano erupt! Ours we poured some vinegar in about 3 different times but after that it was done.

Wind direction

We feel the wind every day but do you know where the wind is coming from?  Knowing the direction of wind can be important because it can change and affect the weather.  We can make a wind vane to see the wind’s direction.

Supplies:

• Long pin/tack
• Modeling clay
• Scissors
• Pot with a plastic lid
• Ruler
• Tape
• Drinking straw
• Pencil with an eraser
• Colored paper

Directions:

1. With the pencil make a hole in the middle of the lid of the pot and push the sharp end into the hole so the eraser stays up.
2. Using the ruler and colored paper cut out four small triangles and two large ones.  About 3 inches on the large ones and 2 inches on the small ones.
3. Roll up a piece of tape and tape the four small triangles to the outer edge of the pot so they represent north, east, south, west and point in that direction. (I wrote the directions on the paper as well)
4. At the end of the straw cut short slits to insert the two large triangles.  Push one triangle point end into the straw and the base of the other to be the pointer.
5. Carefully push the pin through the center of the straw and then into the eraser of the pencil.
6. Spin the straw a few times to make sure it moves easily.
7. Make a ring of the modeling clay and press the pot into it so it is stable and won’t blow away.
8. Place you wind vane outside on a table or chair and watch the wind vane turn and show you the direction of the wind.  The direction of the wind is the direction from where it comes from, so if you straw points to the north the wind is blowing north.

Exploding Bottles!

We already know when vinegar and baking soda are combined we can make a volcano erupt or make gases to fill a balloon but what happens if they’re in a confined space?  This experiment will show how strong these gases can become.  This experiment can be very fun but be careful with it because with the pressure in the bottles it can pop early, although it doesn’t hurt if it’s just in your hand it can still be dangerous.  This experiment can also be done in a gallon plastic bag although I didn’t do the plastic bag because I felt like the bottles worked better.  These pictures also suck because it was hard to time them.

Warning: this experiment is messy and needs a parent to help with.

Supplies:

• Empty water bottles
• ¼ cup water
• 1/3 cup vinegar
• 3 tsp baking soda
• Tissue
• Food coloring

Directions:

1. Put water and vinegar into the bottle and dye a different color if you want.
2. In the center of the tissue put the baking soda.  Carefully roll up into a long roll and fold in the ends (you will need to fit it into the bottle but make sure the baking soda isn’t going to fall into the liquid right away) (if doing a plastic bag skip to step 7)
3. Carefully push in the tissue to the bottle so it’s almost all the way in but not dropped to the bottom.  (we don’t want it to touch the liquid yet)
4. Put the lid on not tight but a little loose.
5. Hurry and shake up and down really fast but only about 3 times and throw high up in the air and away from you.
6. POP! Sometimes it will pop in the air or explode on the ground!
7. Plastic bag, seal the bag almost all the way except for a couple inches to put the tissue in.
8. Drop the tissue into the bag and seal immediately.  Drop bag onto ground.
9. The bag should expand, once it is expanded to pretty much max, pick it up and throw it high and far and it will explode on the ground.

Make sure to check back next week to learn about Water & Liquids with super fun experiments to keep everyone learning and never bored this summer.

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