Author: Maddie Van Beek

Today we’re going to talk about absorption! What does it mean to absorb? Absorption occurs when one substance takes in another. We’ve done some other activities involving absorption in the past, such as when we did our rainbow inchworm (http://www.discoveryexpresskids.com/blog/rainbow-inchworm) and candy chromatography (http://www.discoveryexpresskids.com/blog/candy-chromatography).


Let’s look at an example of absorption.

YOU WILL NEED:
* Sponge
* Water
* Tablespoon


Here’s what to do!
1. Have you ever used a sponge? What does a sponge do when it runs into liquid?
2. Fill a tablespoon with water and dump it onto the sponge. What happens to the water?
3. Wring out the sponge into the sink.
4. Check how many tablespoons of water the sponge will hold. Dump one tablespoon of water at a time onto the center of the sponge until the water starts to seep out. At this point, the sponge is fully saturated. This means that the sponge will hold no more water. Why do you think a sponge absorbs water so well? What other materials absorb water? What materials might not absorb water?


For other activities involving saturation, check out http://www.discoveryexpresskids.com/blog/sweet-solutions-rock-candy and http://www.discoveryexpresskids.com/blog/floating-egg.


Now that you understand what absorption means, let’s test out some different materials. You are going to use watercolor paints on different surfaces to see how well they absorb the paint.


Watercolor Absorption

YOU WILL NEED:
* Paper towel
* Cardboard
* Paper plate
* Styrofoam plate
* Wood
* Tissue paper
* Facial tissue
* Wax paper
* Liquid watercolor paints
* Cup of water
* Paint brush


Here’s what to do!
1. Cover your work space with newspaper or a disposable tablecloth.
2. Place all your materials on your work space.
3. Fill a cup with water to rinse your paint brush out.
4. Start painting! Pick one material to start with and paint on it. Stop and observe before you move on to the next one. How well did that material absorb the paint? How can you tell that the material is absorbing the paint at all? Clue: Think back to the sponge example.
5. Move on to the next material. Paint on it and observe!
6. Keep on painting and record your findings. Which materials absorbed paint the best? Which materials absorbed paint the least or even resisted the paint (that is, the paint pooled on the surface, or formed small beads of liquid)? You may have seen the paint bead on the surface of some materials and not even absorb at all. Why do you think some materials absorb better than others?


Let’s try another absorption project that you can keep! The chromatography activities that we’ve done in the past are similar to what we are going to do today. In this activity, you will see how marker ink on paper towel travels when you soak the paper towel in water.


If you’ve done one of our chromatography activities in the past, you’ll remember that the reason water can travel up a paper towel, seemingly defying gravity, is because of capillary action. Capillary Action is what causes the water to “climb” up your paper. Because of cohesion within liquid molecules, and adhesion between the liquid and the solid, capillary action allows liquids to move against the forces of gravity.


Cohesion means the molecules like to stick together. Adhesion means that the molecules like to stick to other things. In this case, the water molecules like to stick to the paper towel.


Grow your own rainbow

YOU WILL NEED:
* Paper towel
* Markers
* Plastic container
* Water


Here’s what to do!
1. In the top left corner of your paper towel, place a large dot of red marker. Your dot should be at least one inch wide.
2. Leave a little space to the right of the red dot and draw an orange dot. Continue on until you have drawn dots for every color of the rainbow.
3. Fill your plastic container with about half an inch of water.
4. Place your paper towel, colored side down, in the plastic container so that only the very bottom touches the water. Drape the top of the towel over the side of the container.
5. Watch what happens! The paper towel quickly absorbs the water, but what happens to the marker dots? You should see the color slowly spreading as the water climbs up the paper towel. As the water travels, the ink from the marker dots travel with it! Do some colors travel faster than others?
6. Wait a few minutes, and voila! You just grew a rainbow!


Extension: Have a color race! See if some colors of ink really do travel faster. Which color reached the top the fastest? Slowest? Try creating different designs and make more chromatography art!


References
http://www.learnplayimagine.com/2014/02/combining-art-and-science.html
http://weirdsciencekids.com/DefinitionAbsorption.html
http://teachbesideme.com/rainbow-science-absorption/

With the continual growth of technology, our world is becoming less reliant on paper all the time, but we still use a lot of paper every day. Did you know that 4 billion trees are used every year to make paper (http://www.ecology.com/2011/09/10/paper-chase/)? One reason that so many schools and businesses are going paperless (using electronic communication and resources instead) is of course for convenience, but it also saves a lot of trees!

Reduce: To make smaller or lessen in amount. How can you reduce your paper use?
Reuse: To use something over again. Think about how you can reuse old paper.
Recycle: To convert something into reusable material. When you can’t reuse paper, recycle it!


A fun way to reuse and recycle your old paper is to make your own paper! Its fun and you get to create a unique new product from something that was no longer usable. How cool is that?!


Before you get started, learn more about how paper is made in real paper mills:
http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-do-you-make-paper-from-a-tree
http://www.treeremoval.com/how-paper-is-made-from-a-tree/#.VxQxSpMrKRs


Your paper-production won’t be as lengthy and complicated as a paper mill’s, and you also won’t need to use any natural resources. It’s a win-win! Don’t expect your paper to turn out as smooth and flawless as real paper, but the paper you’re making today could be a great option for gifts, decorations, or cards.


YOU WILL NEED:
* A variety of old paper (non-glossy)
* Water
* Bowl
* Pan
* Old picture frame
* Screen or mesh
* Stapler
* Sponge
* Blender (optional)
* Glitter (optional)


Here’s what to do!

1. Select your paper. Find your old notebooks, scratch paper, advertisements, newspapers, and other paper that you would otherwise just throw out. Find a variety of colors and textures!

2. Start ripping! Tear your paper into tiny little pieces and put them into a bowl as you go.

3. Add water. Use a little at a time so it doesn’t get too soupy.

4. Work the water into the paper. Squish the shredded paper in your hands to make sure the water really soaks in. Eventually you’ll end up with a paper pulp. For a quicker method, use a blender. The texture should be like oatmeal.

5. Add glitter or any other materials that you would like. I’ve even added seeds or flower petals for a fun texture.

6. Fill a pan half full of water.
​
7. Grab your picture frame. Cut a piece of mesh or screen a little bigger than your frame, place the mesh over the frame, and staple it into place. This is your paper screen. 

8. Immerse the screen into the pan of water.

9. Dump the paper pulp into the pan of water over the screen.

10. Lift the screen slowly and move it from side to side as you lift to get the paper pulp to settle evenly onto the screen.

11. You want the pulp to settle onto the screen in a thin, even layer. Remove or flatten any large lumps or bumps. If it doesn’t work out the first time, just re-immerse the screen into the water and start over.

12. Use a sponge to carefully press out excess water from the pulp on the screen.

13. Set the screen down on the counter undisturbed for the paper to dry.

14. Now the waiting game begins! Check back in a few hours.

15. Check if your paper is ready to remove by lifting a corner. If you can easily lift the corner, remove the paper from the screen. If you want, you can iron it on a low setting to make the paper more flat and smooth.

16. Once you’re done, cut your paper into any shape you want. You can use a ruler, pencil, and scissors to create straight edges, or you can leave it the way it is for an artistic look. Have fun creating!


References
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Paper
http://www.ecology.com/2011/09/10/paper-chase/
​http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-Handmade-Paper/

Author: Maddie Van Beek

This week in Fargo has been incredibly windy! Instead of complaining, let’s embrace the wind and do some windy-day activities! 


What is wind? Another word for wind could be gust, breeze, or gale. Dictionary.com defines wind as air in natural motion that moves along the earth’s surface.


Listen to Hank Green’s explanation of wind in this video to find out more:

Now that you’ve watched the SciShow episode on wind, write down your definition of wind in your own words. 


Follow-up questions:

1. How is wind created? 
2. What is the point of wind? (Hint: What is wind trying to create/help the surrounding area reach?)
3. How is wind destructive? 
4. Can wind be a good thing? 

Wind as power
Although sometimes wind can be a nuisance, it can actually help us, too. Click the link below to learn more about how wind can be used as a source of renewable energy. Take the quiz at the end to check your understanding. ​

Now that you know how wind is created and how it can be beneficial for us, let’s analyze what wind does to the air around us. 


Windchill
How does wind affect the temperature? That’s kind of a trick question. Wind doesn’t actually change the air temperature, but it does make the temperature feel colder than it actually is. If you’ve lived in the midwest, you’ve probably heard a lot about windchill. Windchill is a temperature that conveys what the air around us feels like due to the wind. Wind makes the air feel colder than it actually is. The windchill temperature is always lower than the actual air temperature. Windchill is noticed more in cooler climates during colder temperatures. 


Now that you understand a little bit more about what wind is and how it is created, let’s move on to our activities for today. First, you are going to compare the temperature versus the windchill and create a visual for comparison. 


YOU WILL NEED:

• A computer with internet 
• Paper
• A red pencil and a blue pencil 

Here’s what to do!

1. Check the temperature, windchill, and wind speed and write down each in the chart. You can use weather.com or any other weather website. Make sure you’re checking the weather in your city or town! When you record your findings, use the chart below for reference.

2. Create a graph. The X-axis should be the date, and the Y-axis should be the temperature. Each day, you will check the temperature and the windchill at the same time. If you check the temperature and windchill at 8am on Day 1, continue to check the temperature and windchill at 8am each day. Use the graph below as an example:

3. Create a graph to show the temperatures you record. Use a red pencil for temperature and a blue pencil for windchill. 


4. At the end of two weeks, analyze your graph. When was the temperature and windchill most similar? When was it the furthest apart? Did stronger winds affect the windchill more than lighter winds? What about the direction the wind was coming from? 


For your second activity, you are going to build your own wind-powered race car! 


YOU WILL NEED:

• Plastic straws or coffee stirrers
• Popsicle sticks
• Lifesavers
• Scotch tape
• Aluminum foil
• Coffee filters
• Tissue paper
• Plastic wrap
• Stopwatch

Here’s what to do!

1. Think about a car. What are the most important parts of a car in order for it to function? 
2. The car you’re making today won’t have a motor and it won’t run on electricity. It’s going to run on wind! In order to make the most of the wind energy, you will need to create some sort of wind-catcher or sail for your car. Think about the materials that would work best to catch wind. 
3. Use paper and pencils to make a sketch of your car. 
4. Select the materials you would like to use for your car. Use the plastic straws or stirrers for the axles, and use the Lifesavers for the wheels. Other than that, use your imagination to construct the best car possible! Your car doesn’t necessarily have to look like a car, but it needs to be able to roll, and it needs to be able to be moved by wind. If you need a little help, check out the image below as an example. ​

5. After you’re done building, test it out! Take it outside to see if your car will roll with the wind. If it’s not windy outside, just use your breath. If your car does not roll, take it inside and make adjustments. 

6. Once you have a car that rolls, use the stopwatch to time how long it takes to roll 10 feet. Can you make it go any faster? Have your friends build cars and race them!

​7. After you’re done racing, analyze your results. Which materials worked best for the wind-catchers? Why do you think that is? 



References
http://stem-works.com/external/activity/199
https://www.teachengineering.org/view_activity.php?url=collection/cub_/activities/cub_sailcars/cub_sailcars_activity1.xml
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_chill

Author: Maddie Van Beek

​
Mold can be really gross! But is it really dangerous? 


You’ve probably seen moldy bread before. Sometimes we forget about food in our cupboards and come back to find some fuzzy green intruders that we didn’t invite. A while back, we did a blog on moldy bread. If you missed it, you can check it out here: http://www.discoveryexpresskids.com/blog/whats-eating-that-moldy-bread


Today, you’re going to learn more about mold, what it grows on, and how it grows fastest. 


What is mold? 
Mold is a decomposer. While you might find it kind of icky, it actually helps us and the earth around us by breaking things down and recycling them back into the soil. Mold may be gross (and bad to eat) but it does an important job for us! If you look at the picture of the nitrogen cycle below, notice the decomposers. Decomposers help break down that plant and animal waste to return it to usable nitrogen, a necessary nutrient. ​

Where does mold grow? 
Mold can be found in any environment during any season of the year, but mold likes warm, humid areas. Mold might appear to grow only on the surface of things, but that’s just the part you see. Once mold has grown on the surface, tiny microscopic mold roots may have already penetrated the food beneath the surface. ​

Is mold actually dangerous? 
According to the USDA, eating mold can cause all kinds of problems such as respiratory issues and may cause toxins that can make you sick. Obviously a little mold will not immediately give you any life-threatening disease, but a lot of mold over time could hurt your health. If you’re wondering about moldy food, follow the old saying, “when in doubt, throw it out.” 


Safe mold
Even though we just learned about the dangers of mold, there are times that mold is safe. Did you know that mold is actually used to make cheese? Without mold, we wouldn’t even have some medicines! There are also times that you can just cut mold off and save most of the food. How do you know what to throw and what to save? 


Check out the list below. What do you notice? What kinds of foods are dangerous to eat when mold is found on them? What do these foods have in common? What kinds of foods be saved from mold? Look for common attributes in these foods and write them down. You will come back to this list later. ​