In this activity students will explore how crystals are made.

Materials:

Measuring cups (1/2 cup)
Tablespoons
Alum (spice can be found at grocery store)

Instructions:

1. Add ½ cup of hot water to 2 ½ tablespoons of alum.
2. Crystals will form within 30 minutes.
3. Want bigger crystals add more alum to the water.

How It Works:

When the alum and water mix, the alum begins to accumulate in clusters and as the warm water evaporates, it leaves the lumped crystals behind. The alum forms not just a solid, but a solid with a repeating pattern, making a crystal.

Discussion Questions to Ask:

• How did were the crystals made?
• What characteristics do the crystals have?

There are many places where crystals grow in nature, like ice crystals are often formed in the winter, in colder climates as the liquid molecules freeze. Also in caverns, there are stalagmites and stalactites that are crystals of calcium carbonate. When teaching concepts like crystals, young students may become bored as the formation of the crystal may take longer than one class period. To keep the students’ attention, incorporate crystals-related activities in other areas, i.e. math (counting or matching crystals), art, geography (where do crystals form in nature), even in physical education (students can pretend to be frozen crystals and play tag). It is best to start this activity and others that take more than one day on a Friday, that way when the students return on Monday the process is complete. For other science teaching tips related to crystals, visit: http://bit.ly/10l3FXy

And for other Fun Learning Science Games, we invite you to visit here:

http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/ocean.html

http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/space.html

http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/brain.html

 http://www.literature-enrichment.com/

To perform this interactive exercise, you’ll need some rubber gloves, a large bowl, ice, water, an outdoor thermometer and some solid vegetable shortening. Before you begin, explain to the kids that whales, dolphins, seals and porpoises are mammals, not fish. Among other things, this means that they are warm blooded. Explain that a warm-blooded sea creature’s body temperature stays constant and doesn’t adjust to the surrounding temperature.  And make sure they know that in order to maintain a constant temperature, these sea mammals need a way to stay warm when the area around them gets cold.

Now explain that the way these animals stay warm is through an extra layer of “insulation” beneath their outer skin.  Tell them that the activity they’re about to do will show how this blubber keeps the animal warm.  Divide the students into several groups.  Give each group a large bowl filled with water and plenty of ice, and a rubber glove beside it. Coat each glove with a layer of vegetable oil and have the children repeat the action, putting on the glove and submerging their hand. Ask them to write down their responses.

Have each student put on the glove and submerge their hand in the ice water and tell if they think the water is warm, cool, fairly cold, or very cold.   Now, again, ask them to write down how cold they felt the water was.  Almost everyone will report that their hands are much warmer with the vegetable oil.  Explain to the students that the vegetable oil protects the hand from the cold water in exactly the same way that the blubber protects the whale or dolphin from the icy water around them.

Your students will have a lot of fun with this. More importantly, they will have a greater appreciation for how Mother Nature has protected some important sea animals.

Here is our 52-Card Deck on Mammals that includes 4 fun Interactive Learning Games:

http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/mammals.html

Let’s talk about the nest first.  On a day when the weather is not too chilly, take the children outside and go on a nest hunt.  Have them look in an area with plenty of trees for a real nest.  As you look at it together, (or talk about it if you don’t happen to find one that day) explain to the kids that the birds build their nests one stick, or leaf, or piece of paper at a time.  Tell them also that the bird must first hunt for all of the materials needed to build the nest.

When you return to the classroom, tell the students that, based on what they learned, they are to make their own bird’s nest.  Tell them to use supplies that they find in the classroom (Make sure there are things in the classroom such as paper, sticks, grass, yarn, etc.).  To hold the pieces together, provide something like clay and then watch your kids’ creativity shine!

On another day, continue your study of birds by having your children make an actual bird feeder. Here are some possibilities:

• Make a bottle bird feeder by cutting a big rectangle out of two opposite sides of a large bleach bottle (aired out empty at least 24 hours), or other large empty plastic bottle.  Fill the bottom with birdseed and then tie a piece of string around the neck and through the handle. Then hang it outside.
• Make a milk carton feeder by cutting windows out of two opposing sides of a carton. Make sure you leave two inches at its bottom.  Place a pencil through holes in the sides to make a bird perch.  In the top, punch a hole and tie string through it and make a loop.  This is for hanging the feeder.  Your kids can paint it for additional fun and flare.  After it’s painted, put bird seed on the bottom and then hang it outside.
• Make a Potato Chip Can Feeder by cutting two triangle holes in two sides of a Pringles can.  The bottoms of the triangles should be an inch from the can bottom, and should be parallel to one another.  Punch a pair of holes near the top and lace string through them. Tie the string into a loop for hanging the can outside.  Place birdseed on the bottom of the can and it’s ready for use.

A couple of projects like this will not only teach your kids about birds, but will make your kids love these winged wonders.

And here is our Interactive Learning Card Deck with 4 Fun Games on Birds:

http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/birds.html

The first part of this science lesson is making a solar system using candies for planets. It doesn’t show you the true size difference but it does bring out some of the main characteristics.  The second part is about the fantasy of living somewhere within it!

Part 1:  Creating The Solar System

You can either draw your orbits on black construction paper, or a paper plate.

Sun – Butterscotch

Mercury – Orange Jujube

Venus – Nestle’s Sno Caps;

Earth – Blue Skittle;

Mars – Red Skittle;

Asteroid Belt – Candy Sprinkles;

Jupiter – Peppermint with Red Hot stuck on top;

Saturn – Lemon Drop with Twizzler wrapped around;

Uranus – Green Jujube;

Neptune – Aqua Skittle;

Pluto – Tart ‘n’ Tiny;

Sweet Tarts and Mini-M&Ms are also possibilities.  Be creative!

You can also give each student a planet and let them guess how far they would be from the sun.  Start by giving where Pluto is so they have an idea of the area; then have them measure the correct amount.

Using the web link called Exploratorium is a fun converter that can make your solar system any size:

http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/index.html

Part 2:  Planet Postcard

Students choose their planet of preference to be from, pretend they live there, and they write to a friend describing their planet.  Some specs to write about could be the temperature, humidity index, colors of the terrain, craters, life forms.  Then instruct them to make a planet tourism advertisement where persuade people to come to their planet and visit!

Here is one of our fun games about the Solar System:

http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/space.html

…The JPL computer model suggests that the length of the Earth day may have been shortened by 1.26 millionths of a second.  The change in the length of the day came as a result of the shift in the Earth’s axis that occurred because of the quake. The Earth’s figure axis, the imaginary line about which its mass is balanced, shifted by 2.7 milliseconds of arc, or about eight centimetres.

To Think; “Reserve your Right to Think, for to think wrongly is far better than to not think at all”. (Famous Genius Hypathia of Alexandria (350/370-415 A.D.) Hypathia, a gal ahead of her time, was a pioneer for furthering human brain potential.

The human brain is the center of the human nervous system and is a highly complex organ. Brain evolution, from the earliest shrewlike mammals through primates to hominids, is marked by a steady increase in what is known as “encephalization” – the ratio of brain to body size. It is estimated that the human brain has 50–100 billion neurons! Our human brain is protected by the thick bones of the skull. Literally floating, it is also suspended in cerebrospinal fluid, and is isolated from the bloodstream by what is known as the blood-brain barrier. It requires much protection due to its floating delicate nature.

There are several ways of exercising one’s brain to keep it sharp and healthy, though only exercises that include all 3 of these functions: (1) high oxygen, (2) coordination and (3) memory sequences ~ actually build new dendrites (new neural pathways). Two of the best exercises that do all 3 of these functions are ballroom dancing and ping pong. Aerobic exercise (fast breathing) such as running, dancing, swimming or sports, done 1 hour prior to mental activity such as studying or learning, gives a flush of oxygen to brain, actually growing new brain dendrites.

There are numerous foods and nutritional supplements that are required for growing and sustaining a healthy brain. Strong iron supplies in the blood is critical in carrying more oxygen to the brain, and teenage girls require a fair bit more iron in their diet than growing teenage guys, and therefore doctors sometimes suggest supplementing. Iron-rich foods include spinach, the popular tasting liver J. Fish oils are known as brain oils because they contain EPA and DHA from omega-3 fatty acids that build brain cell membranes (EPA is Eicosapentaenoic acid and DHA is Docosahexaenoic acid). The best are cold water fish like salmon, herring and cod. The fish make EPA and DHA by eating microalgae that live in seawater. These are critically important for a happy healthy brain! Vegetarians receive their important brain chemicals EPA/DHA (Eicosapentaenoic and Docosahexaenoic acids) from omega-3 plants such as flaxseed, walnuts and primrose oil, though only when combined with the first protein such as blue-green micro-algae. When combined, these foods promote healthy neuron growth in the brain, maintaining cognition and happy mood feelings!

It is critically important to always protect the brain with a helmet when engaging in contact or fast-moving sports. Drinking carbon-filtered water daily is essential for maintaining the brain’s required fluid levels. Choosing deodorants and anti-perspirants made without aluminum is best. Being kind to your brain includes using shampoos, lotions and soaps that only have body-friendly chemicals.

Vitamin E boosts the brain’s oxygen, improves and preserves memory and intellectual performance. Vitamin E rich foods are broccoli, carrots, kale, grapes, onions, blueberries, spinach, oranges and sweet potatoes. Even though the brain makes up a mere 2% of our total body weight, it uses 20% of our body’s blood supply and oxygen, most critical for full brain functioning.

These are some of the many ways to make a genius human brain. It is so wonderful that today’s brain scientists say that literally anyone can have a genius brain if they have the proper nutrition and do the right exercises on a daily basis.

…..for Learning how our solar system works, here is one of our fun Learning games:

http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/brain.html