One small (sandwich size) zip-lock bag - freezer bags work best.Baking sodaWarm waterVinegarMeasuring cupA tissue

1.Go outside - or at least do this in the kitchen sink.

2.Put 1/4 cup of pretty warm water into the bag.

3. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the water in the bag.

3.Put 3 teaspoons of baking soda into the middle of the tissue

4.Wrap the the baking soda up in the tissue by folding the tissue around it.

5.You will have to work fast now - partially zip the bag closed but leave enough space to add the baking soda packet. Put the tissue with the baking soda into the bag and quickly zip the bagcompletelyclosed.

6.Put the bag in the sink or down on the ground (outside) and step back. The bag will start to expand, and expand, and if all goes well...POP!

Cool huh? Nothing like a little chemistry to to add fun to a boring afternoon. What happens inside the bag is actually pretty interesting - the baking soda and the vinegar eventually mix (the tissue buys you some time to zip the bag shut) When they do mix, you create an ACID-BASE reaction and the two chemicals work together to create a gas, (carbon dioxide - the stuff we breathe out) well it turns out gasses need a lot of room and the carbon dioxide starts to fill the bag, and keeps filling the bag until the bag can no longer hold it any more and, POP! Be sure to clean up well and recycle those plastic bags...have fun!

The project above is aDEMONSTRATION. To make it a true experiment, you can try to answer these questions:1.Will different temperature water affect how fast the bag inflates?2.What amount of baking soda creates the best reaction?3.Which size bag creates the fastest pop?

clean dry paper clipstissue papera bowl of waterpencil with eraser

Fill the bowl with waterTry to make the paper clip float...not much luck, huh?Tear a piece of tissue paper about half the size of a dollar billGENTLY drop the tissue flat onto the surface of the waterGENTLY place a dry paper clip flat onto the tissue (try not to touch the water or the tissue)Use the eraser end of the pencil to carefully poke the tissue (not the paper clip) until the tissue sinks. With some luck, the tissue will sink and leave the paper clip floating!

How is this possible? With a little thing we scientists call SURFACE TENSION. Basically it means that there is a sort of skin on the surface of water where the water molecules hold on tight together. If the conditions are right, they can hold tight enough to support your paper clip. The paperclip is not truly floating, it is being held up by the surface tension. Many insects, such as water striders, use this "skin" to walk across the surface of a stream.

The project above is aDEMONSTRATION. To make it a true experiment, you can try to answer these questions:1.How many paperclips can the surface tension hold?2.Does the shape of the paperclip affect its floating ability?3.What liquids have the strongest surface tension?4.Can the surface tension of water be made stronger? (try sprinkling baby powder on the surface)

A large iron nail (about 3 inches)About 3 feet of THIN COATED copper wireA fresh D size batterySome paper clips or other small magnetic objects

1. Leave about 8 inches of wire loose at one end and wrap most of the rest of the wire around the nail. Try not to overlap the wires.2. Cut the wire (if needed) so that there is about another 8 inches loose at the other end too.3. Now remove about an inch of the plastic coating from both ends of the wire and attach the one wire to one end of a battery and the other wire to the other end of the battery. See picture below. (It is best to tape the wires to the battery - be careful though,the wire could get very hot!)

4. Now you have an ELECTROMAGNET! Put the point of the nail near a few paper clips and it should pick them up!NOTE:Making an electromagnet uses up the battery somewhat quickly which is why the battery may get warm, so disconnect the wires when you are done exploring.

Most magnets, like the ones on many refrigerators, cannot be turned off, they are called permanent magnets. Magnets like the one you made that can be turned on and off, are calledELECTROMAGNETS. They run on electricity and are only magnetic when the electricity is flowing. The electricity flowing through the wire arranges the molecules in the nail so that they are attracted to certain metals.NEVER get the wires of the electromagnet near at household outlet!Be safe - have fun!

The project above is aDEMONSTRATION. To make it a true experiment, you can try to answer these questions:

1.Does the number of times you wrap the wire around the nail affect the strength of the nail?2.Does the thickness or length of the nail affect the electromagnets strength?3.Does the thickness of the wire affect thtye power of the electromagnet?

* A clear drinking glass* 1/4 cup vegetable oil* 1 teaspoon salt* Water* Food coloring (optional)

Fill the glass about 3/4 full of water .Add about 5 drops of food coloring - I like red for the lava look.Slowly pour the vegetable oil into the glass. See how the oil floats on top - cool huh? It gets better.Now the fun part: Sprinkle the salt on top of the oil.Watch blobs of lava move up and down in your glass!If you liked that, add another teaspoon of salt to keep the effect going.

So what's going on? Of course, it's not real lava but it does look a bit like a lava lamp your parents may have had. First of all, the oil floats on top of the water because it is lighter than the water. Since the salt is heavier than oil, it sinks down into the water and takes some oil with it, but then the salt dissolves and back up goes the oil! Pretty cool huh?

The project above is aDEMONSTRATION. To make it a true experiment, you can try to answer these questions:1.How long will the effect go on if you keep adding salt?2.Do different kinds of food oil give different effects?3.Will other substances (sand, sugar. etc.) work the same as salt?4.Does the height or shape of the glass affect the experiment?

Do It YouselfFun Science Experiments

Famous Scientist