Physical Science Products: Learning about Science in a Hands-on Environment!

by Christopher Cameron

Hands-on science products are both fun for children and highly educational. There are many science products and supplies available on the internet and finding these science products isn't difficult. You can simply perform a search online for the topic you are interested in. Through this search, you can identify products that will teach children about different aspects of physical science and the world that we live in.

Most of the science products that you will find do come with specific directions on how to perform the experiment and will also come with explanations to account for the outcome. This explanation is what makes these science products so effective for teaching children. These science products allow your children to learn about the world around them and understand why things work the way they do, by taking advantage of other people's discoveries. Of course you will be able to draw some your own conclusions from the experiments as well.

These projects often are connected to specific aspects of science and you will be able to select the category or topic that you wish to cover before choosing a project. Most websites will have the projects broken down so you can merely choose the topic you wish to cover and then will show you the list of possible science products that you can purchase to create a corresponding experiment. Some of the more common topics would include magnetism and electricity, electrostatics, simple circuits, density and thermal expansion. Of course the topic you choose should be age appropriate. There would be no sense in trying to teach a first grader the laws of quantum physics, when they don't have the background to understand it.

An example of one of these science products would be a floating and spinning magnet. This is a very popular science product for children, and explains a great deal about magnetic fields. The reason it is so popular is it meets more desires than simply the desire to learn. The magnet seems to float on air, almost as if by magic. Children are excited to know exactly why the magnet will float and are eager to touch it and play with it. This of course will lead to better learning, because children who have a hands-on learning environment will ultimately learn more than children who are taught using a text book.

Most science products will require some degree of setup and pre-planning to use. Teachers and parents are rewarded for these efforts though, because the enjoyment that children experience in this type of learning environment will inevitably lead to a better understanding of the scientific principles involved. This allows children to see that learning doesn't always have to be tedious. Indeed, it can be quite fun and exciting. Interactive science products will help open children's eyes to the world around them and give them a better understanding of physical science.

About the Author

Find unique and innovative Science toys and Science Supplies for Physics and Physical Science. A wonderful resource for science teachers for teaching electrostatics, magnetism, electricity, force, motion, sound, light, color, waves, gas laws, alternative energy, pressure, fluid dynamics and elementary science. For details visit http://www.sci-supply.com

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Bubblology Experiments to Share with Your Kids

by Aurora Lipper

This article teaches kids about the science of bubblology and gives a handful of totally fun activities to experiment with for their homeschool science learning (including bubble castles, light shows, and a kid-in-a-bubble). It's also good for boy scouts working on a badge, or for any kids that love science experiments. These experiments are part of a homeschool science program that I teach, and I promise your kids will love it.

If you pour a few droplets of water onto a sweater or fabric, you'll notice the water will just sit there on the surface in a ball (or oval, if the drop is large enough). If you touch the ball of water with a soapy finger, the ball disappears into the fibers of the fabric! What happened?

Soap makes water "wetter" by breaking down the water's surface tension by about two-thirds. The force that keeps the water droplet in a sphere shape is called surface tension. It's the reason you can fill a cup of water past the brim without it spilling over.

Water becomes "wetter" because without soap, it can't get into the fibers of your clothes to get them clean. That's why you need soap in the washing machine. Soap also makes water stretchy. If you've ever tried making bubbles with your mouth just using spit, you know that you can't get the larger, fist-sized spit-bubbles to form completely and detach to float away in the air. Water by itself has too much surface tension, too many forces holding the molecules together. When you add soap to it, they relax a bit and stretch out.

Soap makes water stretch and form into a bubble. The soap molecule looks a lot like a snake - it's a long chain that has two very different ends. The head of the snake loves water, and the tail end loves dirt. When the soap molecule finds a dirt particle, it will wrap its tail around the dirt and hold it there.

To make the best bubbles for teaching homeschool science, you'll first need to make the best bubble solution. Gently mix together 12 cups cold water in a shallow tub with one cup green Dawn (or clear Ivory) dish soap. If it's a hot dry day, add a few tablespoons of glycerin. (Glycerin can be found at the drug store.)

You can add all sorts of things to find the perfect soap solution: lemon juice, corn syrup, maple syrup, glycerin - to name a few. Each will add its own properties to the bubble solution. (When I teach this class, I have buckets of each variation along with plain dish soap and water so we can compare.)

The absolute best time to make gigantic bubbles is on an overcast day, right after it rains. Bubbles have a thin cell wall that evaporates quickly in direct sun, especially on a low-humidity day. The glycerin adds moisture and deters this rapid thinning of the bubble's cell wall.

Tip for Teaching Homeschool Science: Keep a box handy with these items inside: paper clips (in two different sizes), rubber bands, dish soap (clear Ivory and green or blue Dawn), straws, string, plastic berry baskets, plastic water bottles, and wire coathangers. Label your box "Bubblology Experiments". Pull the box out, add kids, and stand back.

Zillions of Tiny Bubbles can be made with strawberry baskets. Simply dip the basket into the bubble solution and twirl around. You can also use plastic six-pack soda can holders.

Trumpet Bubbles are created by using a modified a water bottle. Cut off the bottom of the bottle, dip the large end in the soap solution, put the small end to your lips and blow. You can separate the bubble away from the trumpet by rolling the large end up and away from your bubble.

Bubble Castles are built with a straw and a plate. First, spread bubble solution all over a smooth surface (such as a clean cookie sheet, plate, or table top). Dip one end of a straw in the bubble solution and blow bubbles all over the surface. Make larger domes with smaller ones inside. Notice the bubble changes shape and size when it connects with another.

Stretch and Squish! Get one hand-sized bubble in each hand. Slap them together (so they join, not pop!). What if you join them together s l o w l y?

Light Show is one of the favorites when I teach this class. Find a BIG flashlight and stand it on end (or use a thin one with three clothespins). Rub soap solution all over the bottom of an uncolored plastic lid (like from a coffee can). Balance the lid, soapy side up, on the flashlight (or on the spring-type clothespins). Blow a hemisphere bubble on top of the lid. Find a dark room, turn on the flashlight, and blow gently along the side of the bubble and watch the colors swirl.

Weird Shapes are the simplest way to show how soap makes water stretchy. Dip a rubber band completely in the soap solution and pull it up. Stretch the rubber band using your fingers. Twist and tweak into all sorts of shapes. Note that the bubble always finds a way of filling the shape with the minimum amount of surface area.

Make a Moebius Bubble by cutting open a thick rubber band or a thick ribbon; give one end a half-twist, and reattach it together.

Polygon Shapes allow you to make square and tetrahedral bubbles. Create different 3D shapes by bending pipe cleaners made into cubes, tetrahedrons, or whatever you wish. Alternatively you can use straws threaded onto string made into 3D triangular shapes. Notice how the film always finds its minimum surface area. Can you make square bubbles?

Gigantic Bubbles. Using the straws and string, thread two straws on three feet of string and tie off. Grasp one straw in each hand and dip in soap solution. Use a gentle wind as you walk to make BIG bubbles. Find air thermals (warm pockets of air) to take your bubbles up, up, UP!

Kid-In-A-Bubble. In a child's plastic swimming pool, pour your best bubble solution. Lay a hula hoop down, making sure there is enough bubble solution to just cover the hoop. Have your child stand in the pool (use a stool if you don't want to get your feet wet), and lift the hoop! For a more permanent project, use an old car tire sliced in half lengthwise (the hard way) to hold the bubble solution.

About the Author

As a teacher, homeschool science teacher, engineer and university instructor Aurora Lipper has been helping kids learn science for over a decade.

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Examples Of Science Projects - Fun Experiments On Liquid Density

by Margreit Du Plessis

We have a number of short Examples Of Science Fair Projects. In this short easy elementary science projects we are going to see some of the interesting things that happen because of the density of liquids. The density of and object has to do with how tightly packed the object is. Two objects can weigh the same but one is smaller than the other, the smaller one is packed more tightly and is therefore denser than the other object. These experiments are meant to make learning fun and are also very suitable for homeschoolers.

The floating egg experiment

What you will need for this easy elementary science project:

• A container
• Water
• An egg
• Salt
• A spoon

This is what you have to do for this easy experiment:

1. Fill the container with enough water to cover the egg completely.
2. Carefully place the egg in the water.
3. What happens to the egg?
4. Make a note of what happens.
5. Start adding salt to the water and stirring it very carefully so as not to break the egg.
6. Keep on adding salt until your egg starts to float.
7. You will need quite a lot of salt, about 4 tablespoons full of salt per 1 ½ cup water to make the egg float.
8. Now you add water to your solution again until the egg start sinking again.
9. Keeping density in mind, try and explain what just happened.

If you worked carefully and did the experiment the right way your egg started rising because it became less dense than the water when you added the salt. When you added extra water, the water once again became less dense than the egg and the egg started sinking again.

This is one example of our easy elementary science projects, one of many examples we have of science fair projects.

About the Author

Watch out for the other fun, Examples Of Science Fair Projects Magriet has. Get even more examples of science fair projects when you visit Elementary Science Fair Projects Magriet is a work at home "Gran" with an interest in all family related subjects.

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