eg.blowing up balloons with bi carb soda and vinegar. looking for some other cool simple experiments for next year any suggestions? thanks
easy experiments for school open night
easy experiments for school open night
our recent school open night was a great success, both chem lab and biol lab open with small "hands on" experiments for kids and parents to try.
eg.blowing up balloons with bi carb soda and vinegar. looking for some other cool simple experiments for next year any suggestions? thanks
eg.blowing up balloons with bi carb soda and vinegar. looking for some other cool simple experiments for next year any suggestions? thanks
Great experiement for open day
I have used the corn flour and water slime a great experiment for open day, for children and adults both. For this one add the colour with the water or you go through too much food colour and have children with stained hands.
Another good idea is to have some dry ice, sodium hydroxide solution and universal indicator. It is great for the visitors to see tha changing colours and to see if they can work out why it happens.
Another good idea is to have some dry ice, sodium hydroxide solution and universal indicator. It is great for the visitors to see tha changing colours and to see if they can work out why it happens.
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kimmy
- Posts: 418
- Joined: 01 Jun 2006, 10:00
- Job Title: School Lab Assistant
- School: Quirindi High School
- Suburb: Quirindi
- State/Location: NSW
easy fun experiement
Hi there, when we have parent nights or year 6 orientation we do many experiments this is just one of them,
Surface Tension the "Milky Way"
This experiment demonstrates in an easy and enjoyable way the properties of surface tension.
Equipment
Small Petri Dish
Milk
Food Colouring at least 3 different colours
detergent in a dropper bottle
Method
Pour a small layer of milk into clean petri diah. Gently into the centre of the milk drop a few drops of each of the ffod colouring. Then add to the centre a drop of detergent. The colour will quickly dissipate to the edge of the tray, as the surface tension is broken. Each time you add more detergent the surface tension is weakend until there isno more reaction.
hope that you try this experiment and parents and students enjoy it.
Surface Tension the "Milky Way"
This experiment demonstrates in an easy and enjoyable way the properties of surface tension.
Equipment
Small Petri Dish
Milk
Food Colouring at least 3 different colours
detergent in a dropper bottle
Method
Pour a small layer of milk into clean petri diah. Gently into the centre of the milk drop a few drops of each of the ffod colouring. Then add to the centre a drop of detergent. The colour will quickly dissipate to the edge of the tray, as the surface tension is broken. Each time you add more detergent the surface tension is weakend until there isno more reaction.
hope that you try this experiment and parents and students enjoy it.
Natural Chemical Indicators
To demonstrate the use of a Natural Indicator will be a fascinating observation.
There are a series of Natural Indicators that I will list. Simply boil these in a beaker of distilled water until the colour leaches out and forms a dark solution.
Red Cabbage
Red Rose Pedals
Beetroot Juice
Collect this liquor, (some may have a distinct odour) and add either an Acid or Alkali to a small quantity and differentiate the colours for each type of indicator.
If you use small quantities, say 20mL in a 50mL beaker then the odour will be minimal. You can compare this to known indicators such as Methyl Orange, Phenolphthalein etc.
There are a series of Natural Indicators that I will list. Simply boil these in a beaker of distilled water until the colour leaches out and forms a dark solution.
Red Cabbage
Red Rose Pedals
Beetroot Juice
Collect this liquor, (some may have a distinct odour) and add either an Acid or Alkali to a small quantity and differentiate the colours for each type of indicator.
If you use small quantities, say 20mL in a 50mL beaker then the odour will be minimal. You can compare this to known indicators such as Methyl Orange, Phenolphthalein etc.
Dr Robert Crosdale. MRACI. NSS. NSSA. NASA.
Ph.D (Chem), Post Grad Ph.D (Physics), M.Ed, B.Sc (Hons), Dip. Appl. Sc. (Chem)
Lake Munmorah High School.
University of New England.
University of New South Wales.
University of Newcastle.
To understand the Universe from our perspective, we need to look towards our own backyard first for answers.
** AD ASTRA PER ASPERA - SEMPER EXPLORO **
Ph.D (Chem), Post Grad Ph.D (Physics), M.Ed, B.Sc (Hons), Dip. Appl. Sc. (Chem)
Lake Munmorah High School.
University of New England.
University of New South Wales.
University of Newcastle.
To understand the Universe from our perspective, we need to look towards our own backyard first for answers.
** AD ASTRA PER ASPERA - SEMPER EXPLORO **
Volcano
This experiment is better for displays than as a class prac as it's a nuisance to clean up.
Beaker 1 - 400mls H2O add Red dye make it quite strongly coloured
Beaker 2 - 4 Tlbsps of aluminium sulfate
Beaker 3 - 400mls cold H2O in a 600ml beaker
Beaker 4 - 4 Tlbsps of Bicarb
Beaker 5 - 4 Tlbsps of gelatin
1 500ml conical flask
1 tote tray or tray with deep side to catch overflow
a volcano - paper mache one that hides the conical flask looks effective
Mix 1 + 2 and pour into conical flask
Mix 3 + 5 mix well then + 4 mix and pour into conical flask
If you have dry ice it adds to the 'show' add to the conical flask first
Density cylinder
1 - 1 litre measuring cylinder preferable to use one with a stopper or cork it to reduce smell and stop spillage
300mls water
300mls oil
300mls kerosene
then add a few nuts in there shells try before night to see which ones work well and adjust volumes
Rainbow cylinder
This will last for days
1 - 1 litre measuring cylinder + 900ml H2O + 10mls Universal indicator
40 g of washing soda / sodium carbonate
mix this into the cylinder
80mls vinegar add to measuring cylinder, swirl with long stirring rod
Should see a ph gradient / rainbow effect
Green house effect
Make a shoe box house with sloping roof and a sky light of perspex
Have a large front door big enough to put your hand in or a small plant, set up a lamp to heat the roof follow the junior experiment Core ScienceYr10 ?? (will check)
Whats magnetic box
Can use low profile take away food containers in a tote tray with a variety of materials. Then have a perspex cover over top of all containers , could be held in place with double sided tape and small timber pieces attached to inside of tote, Then tie a large magnet to tote through hole on rim
Geological earth movement puzzle blocks
Timber blocks with coloured/ patterned stratified layers painted on edges can simulate faults, Visitors can match the blocks , or use a guide sheet
This experiment is better for displays than as a class prac as it's a nuisance to clean up.
Beaker 1 - 400mls H2O add Red dye make it quite strongly coloured
Beaker 2 - 4 Tlbsps of aluminium sulfate
Beaker 3 - 400mls cold H2O in a 600ml beaker
Beaker 4 - 4 Tlbsps of Bicarb
Beaker 5 - 4 Tlbsps of gelatin
1 500ml conical flask
1 tote tray or tray with deep side to catch overflow
a volcano - paper mache one that hides the conical flask looks effective
Mix 1 + 2 and pour into conical flask
Mix 3 + 5 mix well then + 4 mix and pour into conical flask
If you have dry ice it adds to the 'show' add to the conical flask first
Density cylinder
1 - 1 litre measuring cylinder preferable to use one with a stopper or cork it to reduce smell and stop spillage
300mls water
300mls oil
300mls kerosene
then add a few nuts in there shells try before night to see which ones work well and adjust volumes
Rainbow cylinder
This will last for days
1 - 1 litre measuring cylinder + 900ml H2O + 10mls Universal indicator
40 g of washing soda / sodium carbonate
mix this into the cylinder
80mls vinegar add to measuring cylinder, swirl with long stirring rod
Should see a ph gradient / rainbow effect
Green house effect
Make a shoe box house with sloping roof and a sky light of perspex
Have a large front door big enough to put your hand in or a small plant, set up a lamp to heat the roof follow the junior experiment Core ScienceYr10 ?? (will check)
Whats magnetic box
Can use low profile take away food containers in a tote tray with a variety of materials. Then have a perspex cover over top of all containers , could be held in place with double sided tape and small timber pieces attached to inside of tote, Then tie a large magnet to tote through hole on rim
Geological earth movement puzzle blocks
Timber blocks with coloured/ patterned stratified layers painted on edges can simulate faults, Visitors can match the blocks , or use a guide sheet
Last edited by juliem on 23 Jun 2006, 14:52, edited 1 time in total.
-
rae
- Posts: 1045
- Joined: 31 May 2006, 10:00
- School: Oxley College
- Suburb: Burradoo
- State/Location: NSW
Easy experiments for school open night
Hi Sue,
One of our science teachers did this prac as a demo for his year 8 class. I thought it might be useful for an open day.
Blue Bottle Experiment.
Chemicals: 0.05g methylene blue
50ml ethanol
8g potassium hydroxide OR 6g sodium hydroxide (this is what I used)
10g glucose(dextrose
Method: Dissolve methylene blue in ethanol.
Weigh KOH OR NaOH and add to 300ml of water, add glucose and swirl until solids dissolve.
Put into a 1litre bottle with cap.
Add 5ml of methylene blue solution.
The resulting blue solution will turn colourless after about 1 minute.
Demonstration: Shake the bottle vigorously so that the air dissolves in the
solution. The colour will change to blue. This will fade back to colourless over about 30 seconds. The more shaking the longer it will take for the blue colour to fade. The process can be repeated over 20 cycles. After some hours the solution will turn yellow and the colour changes will fail to occur.
Theory: Glucose is a reducing agent and inalkaline solution will reduce the methylene ble to a colourless form. Shaking the solution admits oxygen which will reoxidise the methylene blue back to the blue form.
This experiment was taken from"Classical Chemistry Demonstrations- One hundred tried and tested experiments." Published and distributed by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
One of our science teachers did this prac as a demo for his year 8 class. I thought it might be useful for an open day.
Blue Bottle Experiment.
Chemicals: 0.05g methylene blue
50ml ethanol
8g potassium hydroxide OR 6g sodium hydroxide (this is what I used)
10g glucose(dextrose
Method: Dissolve methylene blue in ethanol.
Weigh KOH OR NaOH and add to 300ml of water, add glucose and swirl until solids dissolve.
Put into a 1litre bottle with cap.
Add 5ml of methylene blue solution.
The resulting blue solution will turn colourless after about 1 minute.
Demonstration: Shake the bottle vigorously so that the air dissolves in the
solution. The colour will change to blue. This will fade back to colourless over about 30 seconds. The more shaking the longer it will take for the blue colour to fade. The process can be repeated over 20 cycles. After some hours the solution will turn yellow and the colour changes will fail to occur.
Theory: Glucose is a reducing agent and inalkaline solution will reduce the methylene ble to a colourless form. Shaking the solution admits oxygen which will reoxidise the methylene blue back to the blue form.
This experiment was taken from"Classical Chemistry Demonstrations- One hundred tried and tested experiments." Published and distributed by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
open day
Hi Sue, these pracs are all good for open day. Dry ice with universal indicator is great. Another one which our kids do for open day is Genie:
use 500ml flat bottom round flask and cover with alfoil.Put 20mL of 30% hydrogen peroxide on the bottom of flask. Put small amount of manganese dioxide in a single layer of tissue and tie with cotton to form a tiny parcel. Place just on inside of flask with cotton hanging out and secure with rubber stopper in position just above the peroxide. When ready to use, remove stopper, MnO2 will fall into peroxide and walla, you have a very effective reaction producing oxygen and water. This mixture will shot from the top of flask- hence genie waking up.
use 500ml flat bottom round flask and cover with alfoil.Put 20mL of 30% hydrogen peroxide on the bottom of flask. Put small amount of manganese dioxide in a single layer of tissue and tie with cotton to form a tiny parcel. Place just on inside of flask with cotton hanging out and secure with rubber stopper in position just above the peroxide. When ready to use, remove stopper, MnO2 will fall into peroxide and walla, you have a very effective reaction producing oxygen and water. This mixture will shot from the top of flask- hence genie waking up.
