Nursery Rhyme Science: Simple Simon

Simple Simon met a pieman
Going to the fair;
Said Simple Simon to the pieman,
“Let me taste your ware.”

Said the pieman to Simple Simon,
“Show me first your penny;”
Said Simple Simon to the pieman,
“Sir, I haven’t any.”

Simple Simon didn't have a penny to buy a pie, but if you have a penny, you can do some fun science experiments...

Activity 1: Drops on a Penny
How many drops of water do you think a penny can hold? Allow each child to make a guess.

Take a few minutes to practice using an eye dropper, so everyone can squeeze out a drop at a time.  (This activity provides great fine motor practice!)

Then place a penny on a paper towel.  Provide each student with a dropper and a small cup of water.  Have students place drops of water on the penny, counting each drop, until the water spills over the side of the penny.

 
Activity 2: Polish a Penny
Dissolve some salt in a small amount of vinegar.

Place some pennies in the solution, the grungier the pennies, the better!

After a few minutes, remove the pennies and rinse them off.  The pennies should now sparkle brightly!

You can also try dipping half a penny in the solution for a minute or so...

The explanation...

The vinegar/salt solution removed the copper oxide from the pennies, leaving a clean copper surface on each penny.

Over time, all of the pennies will become tarnished with copper oxide once again, as the copper reacts with oxygen in the air.