V for Viscosity

Although we made it from A-Z in our Alphabet in Simple Science, I decided that I'd add some here and there.

Science Notebook Page (Click the picture to print).

Background

I defined viscosity as how much a liquid resists flowing.  High viscosity liquids flow slowly and low viscosity liquids flow easily.  Usually thick things are high viscosity and thin things are low viscosity.

Making some Observations

To start off, I put some water in one cup and an equal amount of corn syrup in a second cup.  I only filled the cups about a fourth of the way full, so that Xander could tip, swirl and play with the cups to make observations of the liquids.  I asked him to describe what he was observing, then I asked which liquid had the higher viscosity and why.  Water and corn starch are VERY different, so it was easy for him to come to the right conclusions.

Then I got out an art try and put 1 teaspoon of various fluids around the tray.  We observed which ones spread out a lot, because they were able to flow easily (low viscosity) and which ones didn't spread out as much because the didn't flow well (high viscosity).

I had him choose which one he thought was the highest viscosity and the lowest viscosity.

Time to Test it Out

Then I had him test out his hypothesis.  We picked four of the liquids, including the one he thought was the highest viscosity and the one he thought was lowest viscosity.  We put a little blob of each at one end of the tray, then tipped the tray up to see which one made it to the other end first.  While we just measured qualitatively to see which made it first, you could time it to bring in more math.  However, if you're going to do that, maybe avoid the ketchup or mustard, they didn't flow very well at all.  The mustard did more and the ketchup kind of all slid as a blob.

Xander must have really been missing out science experiments.  Afterwards he asked what experiment we could do next!  I'd better get thinking!

B for Blood

Although we made it from A-Z in our Alphabet in Simple Science, I decided that I'd add some here and there.  I added this one to go with our Heart and Lungs Unit.

Science Notebook Page (Click the picture to print).

Background

Since we were learning about the heart and lungs, we read a bunch of books about each.  In them, he latched onto the components of blood.  Since he showed an interested, I decided to build upon it.  We talked about how red blood cells are important for carrying oxygen all around the body.  He also knows that white blood cells fight germs and platelets help form clots when we get cut.  He loved the book A Drop of Blood.  The Magic School Bus  Works Out was a good episode for talking about the role of oxygen in the muscles and why the blood needs to circulate.  The Magic School Bus Lost Inside Ralphie also talks about how white blood cells fight germs (we were able to get the whole series for about $30, I'd recommend watching the prices on Amazon for another deal).

   

Modeling Blood with Blood Soup

Materials:

Cheerios

Red Juice

Mini Marshmallos

Craisins

Red Food Coloring

Procedure:

The setup is super easy, we just mixed all the food together and added a few drops of red food coloring to enhance the effect. 

The Conversation:

Constructing and using models is a HUGE part of science.  Scientists use models to explain ideas, so we created this edible model of blood.  While Xander was enjoying his "blood" I asked him to explain what the different parts of the soup represented and why.  "What types of cells are round and red like the cheerios?"  "What types of cells are white" etc.  I also asked him about the function of each.  

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T is for Tendon

Although we made it from A-Z in our Alphabet in Simple Science, I decided that I'd add some here and there.  I added this one to go with our Muscles and Bones unit.

Science Notebook Page (Click the picture to print).

Background

Since we were studying muscles and bones, tendons kind of fit in perfectly.  We talked about how a tendon connects muscles and bones, letting you move.  We read some books and built a model of a joint out of paper towel tubes.  (check out the full week of muscle and bones activities here)

   

Chicken Wing Dissection

Materials:

1 raw chicken wing

A knife or kitchen scissors

Procedure:

A little gross, but very fun for any three year old!  We started with a raw chicken wing.  I left the skin on initially so we could talk about how chickens have skin to protect their bodies just like we do.  Underneath is muscle and bone.  I used kitchen scissors to trim the skin away and let Xander look at the muscles and bones underneath.  I had him make observations about the color, feel, etc.  

Then Xander moved the chicken around, so we could talk about the joint and how that worked.  I had him try to bend it the opposite direction, so that he could feel that hinge joints only move in certain directions.

Then the cool part.  If you carefully take a knife and slice into the thicker part of the chicken wing (the muscles furthest from the tip, similar to our biceps), you can expose a thick tendon.  Shimmy the knife around it a little so that you free the end of it from the muscle.  Then holding the bone in one hand, pull on the tendon, and the wing will pop up, like it is waving.  Xander thought this was hilarious!  We ended up doing it until the tendon broke apart completely and we couldn't make it wave anymore.  Wish I could have gotten a better picture for you, but this is what we got.  Good luck! :)

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A for Archaeology

Although we made it from A-Z in our Alphabet in Simple Science, I decided that I'd add some here and there.

Science Notebook Page (Click the picture to print).

Background

Since we were studying about Ancient Egypt, we talked about how archaeologists are the ones who studied the old culture and found the mummies.  We talked about how sometimes studying the past is like a big puzzle.  Archaeologists have to piece together a lot of clues to figure out how people lived.

Ancient Egypt Archaeology Dig

Materials:

1 cup sand

1/2 c cornstarch

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 cup water

Ancient Egypt Toob (or any other small figurines)

Procedure:

Inspiration for this activity came from Coffee Cups and Crayons.  First I mixed the sand, cornstarch and cream of tartar.  Then I added them to a pot with the water and warmed it until the water was cooked in (kind of like cooking play dough).  Once it was nice and thick, I let the mixture cool for a while, then wrapped the Toob figurines in the dough.  I like them dry for about a day.  

Then I put the "fossils" in the sand box and told Xander he needed to hunt them down.  I gave him a shovel and a sifter and he went searching.  If you don't have a sand box, you could hide the fossils in any sort of sensory bin.

After he dug them all up, I set up some "archaeology tools" on a tray for him to dig out the fossils.  They were basically some play dough tools and a little paint brush.  He had so much fun digging out all of the toys!  We will definitely be doing something similar in the future!

I also picked up Temple Trap for him (50% off coupon at Michaels).  He needs some help, but likes the idea of avoiding the alligators.  The premise of the game is that you're a person stuck in a temple and you have to try to escape without getting eaten by alligators.

Follow Kaysha @ Memorizing the Moments's board Alphabet in Simple Science on Pinterest.