More kitchen science

There were some literary endeavours this morning, when M continued her novel (about C, her piano teacher, and potatoes) and K wrote her Uncle M a story in celebration of his new job entitled 'Uncle M and the steering weels'. K demonstrated an understanding that one of the uses of the apostrophe is to show where letters are missing, albeit with slightly wobbly spelling: 'But he cold'ot reach the steering weel', which goes nicely with the sign for her bedroom door that she made yesterday which demonstrates the other: 'K's room'.

This afternoon we returned to the great science experiment book and talked quite a lot about density today. If I had planned to do a couple of experiments which had a common link, then K & M would probably have rebelled and gone off to play with playmobil, but fortunately they each chose an experiment which coincidentally went rather nicely together.

Firstly we made a 'Fizzy Fountain'. Take one plastic bottle, 3/4 fill with vegetable oil, top up with water, add a few drops of food colouring and add some effervesant powder (book says tablet, but I bought sachet by mistake and it worked okay, although might have been more spectacular with a tablet). Then talk about why the bubbles rise and fall.

Next get some playdough and marbles out. Drop them in a glass of water and talk about sinking and floating and a bit more about density.

Then roll out the playdough instead make it into a boat shape and put it back into the water...... and find that you haven't rolled it thin enough and it still sinks, which gives you more to talk about. Then re-try more successfully.

Finally, just because it's fun, make a non-Newtonian fluid.

Aka Slime or Gloop!!