Mapping the Solar System

I recently encountered this activity for the first time, on the McDonald Observatory website.  I've since found the same activity on numerous other sites.  I don't know where it came from first, but I'll give credit to the place where I first saw it.

Anyway... it's a super simple way for students to map the solar system and get a feel for how much distance is between the planets.  In short, it's brilliant!

Each student will need a sentence strip or a length of adding machine/calculator paper.

Hold the paper vertically and label (in small letters) one end of the strip "Sun" and the other end "Pluto".

At this point, you can have students fill in the planets with their best guesses as to their placement.  Or you can just make the accurate map.  It's up to you and your situation.

To make the map:
Fold Pluto to the Sun.  Label Uranus on the crease.
Fold Pluto to Uranus.  Label Neptune on the crease.

 Fold the Sun to Uranus.  Label Saturn on the crease.
Fold the Sun to Saturn.  Label Jupiter on the crease.
Fold the Sun to Jupiter.  You can label the crease Asteroid Belt or leave this space blank.

Fold the Sun to the Asteroid Belt.  Label Mars on the crease.
Fold the Sun to Mars. Label Venus on the crease.

Label the space between the Sun and Venus, Mercury.  (You could fold the Sun to Venus and label the crease, but the space gets a little tight to make more folds at this point).

Label the space between Venus and Mars, Earth.

That's it!  You've completed your map!  And it's incredibly accurate for such a simple model.

I'm thinking it might be fun to convert distances to some other notable bodies in the cosmos to this scale and lay out the sentence strips to show kids the vast amount of space in space.  I'll let you know what I come up with!

Shaving Cream + Corn Starch

I'm not sure how to categorize this one, but it's a fun concoction to make and play with.  It'll definitely be part of our slime day at the library, even if it's not actually a slime!

Pour some corn starch into a bowl.  Squirt in some shaving cream, about the same amount as you have corn starch.  You're just eyeballing it. Quantities aren't terribly important and you can always adjust amounts as you go along.

Dive in with your hands and start squishing it all together - a very tactile experience!

It will become a soft clay that you can mold into all kinds of shapes.  As time goes on, the clay will get stiffer.

So much fun!!

Polymers: Glue + Liquid Starch

I've been playing with around with recipes to make assorted slimes and such in preparation for a library program this summer.

A simple slime to concoct uses glue and liquid starch (you can find it in the laundry aisle)

You can find people using all different proportions, but I use about equal amounts of each (I eyeball it) poured into a cup.  You can add food coloring to the mixture as you desire.  Stir until things gel up (if it's too sticky, add more starch).  Then you can knead it with your hands.  (You can rinse off any extra starch).  As you play with it, it will become more smooth and gel/putty like.

You might also want to try using clear glue , with or without food coloring for a different effect.

Science in the Library

For the past couple of years, I've been working part-time in our local library.  In addition to typical library duties (checking out books, shelving books etc.), I've taken on responsibility for much of the children's programming that goes on at our location.

I've started a blog to share some of those programming ideas with others.  I get so many ideas from the Internet, I want to give back what I can.

I thought I'd share the news here, as I know many of the Science Matters readers work with groups of children in a variety of settings. I have to keep things flexible, as I never know how many people will show up for the program or exactly what the age make-up will be.  I'll let you know my contingency plans for each activity!

Given my background, it's probably not much of a  surprise to hear that much of the programming has a science spin to it.  In fact, we've started three science clubs at the library this spring.  I'll likely cross-post the science ideas to the Science Matters blog, so the people interested in just science content can find it all in one place.

Winner, winner

The winner in our Top Ten Household Objects comment contest is...

Mrs. M at Orchard View!!!


Thanks to everyone who participated and make sure you check out those comments to find some more great ideas!

More new stuff later this week!

Top Ten Household Items #1

#1 on the Top Ten List of Household Items to Use in Your Science Classroom is:

Food Coloring

Definitely a worthy winner!  I use it all the time and I'm sure there are lots more ideas to add to the list!


Tie-Dye Name-tags
Beads of Color
Capillary Action in Action
Frustration Bottles
Mixing Colors
States of Matter
Diffusion Demonstration
Finding Equilibrium (Water)
Salt Water Painting 
Solubility Fireworks
Magic Marble
Milk Fireworks
Sugar Density Column
Contact Lens Safety
A Hole in the Water
Celery in Colored Water
Egg-speriment

Comment on this post to be entered to win a prize box containing most of the Top Ten Items.  And remember, if your comment contains an additional use (not mentioned above) for food coloring in the science classroom, you'll receive a bonus entry!

Top Ten Household Items #2

#2 on the Top Ten List of Household Items to Use in Your Science Classroom is:

Pennies

Pennies have so many great uses in the classroom!  What can you add to the list?

Penny boats
Penny Passengers
Genetics Penny Flip
Inertia Penny Finger
Penny Knock Out
Penny in a Cup
Drops on a Penny
Half-Life Model
Spot the Penny (refraction)
Projectile Motion
Penny in a Balloon
Salt, Vinegar and Pennies (chemical changes)
Balance a Lever

Comment on this post to be entered to win a prize box containing most of the Top Ten Items.  And remember, if your comment contains an additional use (not mentioned above) for pennies in the science classroom, you'll receive a bonus entry!