Planning for baking and a bit of science-y stuff.

We didn't actually do any baking today (unless potatoes count!?), but we have been deciding what we are going to construct out of gingerbread tomorrow.  I've persuaded M that a double decker bus would be a bit tricky, so she's going for a tent on an island (Swallows and Amazons influence, although it was pointed out to me that there really should be at least two tents) and I think K is going for a kennel for a robot dog.  I am attempting a fairly small house.  We have cardboard models made, which we will be able to dismantle to use as templates tomorrow.  Wish us luck!

K was busy writing another thank you and M was doing some secret sewing (a present for a friend), in between gymnastics and swimming, so I decided to have another go at an experiment showing the different densities of liquids, a rather less ambitious version of this one.  It was a bit more succesful than last time we tried, with just three layers.  I went for 5, from the bottom: honey, washing up liquid, milk, vegetable oil and surgical spirit.  This time I poured them in as carefully as I could and to start with although the milk mixed in with other things somewhat, the five layers were pretty clear.


Then M showed up so we had a look and also weighed some of the liquids that I'd used, in little containers that helpfully all weighed the same!  K had a look later too.

Surgical spirit

Washing up liquid

Milk

Vegetable oil

 Several hours later, there were still definite layers, but it looked a bit different.  The honey and oil layers are still well defined, but it would appear that milk and washing up liquid are happy mixing it up and curdled milk is considerable less dense than uncurdled milk!  I'm going to leave it all on the side to show the girls tomorrow and we can have a talk about it then.  I need to find out what curdling actually is!