Suggestions for primary school science experiments?

[BigMoosie]

Hi, my mum has told her students (ages: 9/10/11) that she will do one science experiment per week. What would you suggest to be some interesting experiments for her to do? I suggested she get some batteries and graphite electrodes to break water into its constituents and make a bang but she doesnt want her kids going home and hurting themselves.

 

Any ideas?

 

I ask this in the chemistry section but it is not restricted to this field of science.

[budullewraagh]

what sorts of experiments does she want to perform? give me some criterions. i can help, but i need to know what is considered "dangerous" and what is relevant to the curriculum she teaches

[the tree]

Any ideas?

• Get some universal indicator, and a few weak acids and weak alkalines, that's simple and pretty low risk.
  
• Putting an asprin into one of those camera film containers with a bit of water then putting the lid on makes a reasonable bang.
• As a demonstration rather than a hands-on thing, burning metals to get pretty colours is always fun.

[BigMoosie]

The universal indicator sounds like a perfect idea, that could be purchased at a hardware store or something?

 

budullewraagh: well she teaches a year 4/5 class, last week she did that plastic cup phone thing and the week before that she taped a straw to a balloon and let it blow along a string. Very basic stuff, the kids enjoyed it, but I know that at that age I would rather have been doing something more advanced.

 

Flames and bangs are best avoided (but some leniancy) as she doesnt want the kids duplicating her experiments and getting hurt. Otherwise it can be anything that will make a kid that age go wow!

[the tree]

The universal indicator sounds like a perfect idea, that could be purchased at a hardware store or something?

The most common domestic use is to test the ph of pond water so an aquatics store would have it.

[Mendelejev]

Making a volcano with vinegar and baking soda is GREAT. I love that experiment, not dangerous, spectacular, ... ! You could even make a volcano with plaster.

 

http://www.spartechsoftware.com/reeko/Experiments/volcano.htm

 

You can even buy a set

 

http://www.miniscience.com/projects/volcano2/

 

You could also make some volcano's with ammonium dichromate but it's more dangerous and carcinogen.

 

http://www.west.net/~science/volcano.htm

 

Or you could do the famous menthos-eruption

 

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/00000109

 

Or use some hydrogen peroxide and add some NaI ! Works very very well.

[donkey]

• [*']Get some universal indicator, and a few weak acids and weak alkalines, that's simple and pretty low risk.

I agree. When I was really young I saw a "show" where they added 2 brightly coloured mixtures to produce a colourless mixture. How was this possible? Surely it should go brown!! And then they added something else to make it go back to a coloured liquid.

 

I think young kids will be baffled by it and interested

[budullewraagh]

speaking of dichromates and volcanoes, one can use powdered ammonium dichromate and sodium thiocyanate to make long green "snakes" erupt from a pile of dust.

[Borek]

Put some sodium bicarbonate into aquarium, add some vinegar. CO2 evolves yet it is heavy enough to stay in the aquarium.

 

Next, do some soap bubbles (how they are called in English?) and let them float in the aquarium - they will float on the CO2 cushion.

 

Get some jar, get CO2 from the aquarium (seems funny, as you are trying to get "nothing" into the jar) and pour it onto the light candle.

 

Best,

Borek

--

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[H2SO4]

dude that bubble thing with the CO2 seems awesome!

[akcapr]

ya the bubble thing is preetty cool. I assume u could also drop some reactive metals in there.

[H2SO4]

ya the bubble thing is preetty cool. I assume u could also drop some reactive metals in there.

 

 

Whay do you mean drop some reactive metals in there? in the aquarium?

[BigMoosie]

Dropping reactive metals in water is always fun yes, but that has little to do with this "gentle" experiment, in fact you probably read the post wrong, the aquarium is not supposed to have any water in it. It sounds awesome, I so have to try it out, if it goes well that is the best contender yet.