Fun Science at Fun Club!

First Tuesday of the month = Fun Club!  Today's theme was Science, with families bringing in something for everyone who was interested to see or do and there was plenty of variety.

There was an experiment to observe showing how much carbon dioxide was produced when yeast was mixed with different types of sugar (or none for the control).

Yeast experiment

There was an electronics kit which K spent a long time experimenting with and which we've borrowed for a month or two.  I dredged up from the recesses of my mind memories of physics lessons, that told me that two or more bulbs in parallel would all burn as brightly as one, but that in series they would burn more dimly, but couldn't for the life of me remember why!  A has had a go at explaining and I think I've got it and I'm very much looking forward to having a go with the kit.

K and the electronics kit

There was an experiment to show that things expand when they absorb water.  There were several experiments or demonstrations about density, such as seeing whether oranges float with and without their peel, and showing that a (fresh!) egg sinks in water, but floats in a salt solution.

M & Z watching things expand in water!

There was catapult making, using wooden clothes pegs and lollipop sticks, to fling marshmallows, along with an explanation of the three different classes of lever. 

K's marshmallow catapult.

M and lots of others planted pea-shoots to take home and observe (and eat!), there were magnets to experiment with, various instruments to use to find out about sound, including measuring how loud children can be (answer: very!), a microscope to observe micro-organisms in pond water and more!

I had hoped to take along the wherewithal to do some chromotography, but unfortunately the blotting paper I'd ordered from ebay didn't arrive in time (it was waiting for us when we got home), so we took along two forks, a wine glass, a cocktail stick and matches to do this - still amazing!

There wasn't time to do everything, but both K & M had a go at several different things and we've come away with plenty of ideas to follow up, as well as the electronics kit (thank you H!).