Author: Maddie Van Beek
Halloween is only a few weeks away! That means it's time for some spooky fun with Halloween science activities!
1. Use your colorful candy to try out candy chromatography!
What exactly is chromatography?
Chroma means color and graphein means to write.
There are a few different kinds of chromatography, but today you are going to be dealing with paper chromatography. When you use paper chromatography, you can separate different inks or dyes into their individual components. For example, a black marker actually has many different colors of dye to create black ink.
Watch the video below to watch how paper chromatography can be used to separate black ink into its individual colors:
Halloween is only a few weeks away! That means it's time for some spooky fun with Halloween science activities!
1. Use your colorful candy to try out candy chromatography!
What exactly is chromatography?
Chroma means color and graphein means to write.
There are a few different kinds of chromatography, but today you are going to be dealing with paper chromatography. When you use paper chromatography, you can separate different inks or dyes into their individual components. For example, a black marker actually has many different colors of dye to create black ink.
Watch the video below to watch how paper chromatography can be used to separate black ink into its individual colors:
You can use this same idea to separate the dyes of your favorite candies!
YOU WILL NEED
Check out our blog about candy chromatography here for instructions:
YOU WILL NEED
- M&Ms or Skittles
- Coffee filter paper
- A tall glass
- Water
- Table salt
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Ruler
- 6 toothpicks
- Aluminum foil
- 2 liter bottle with cap
Check out our blog about candy chromatography here for instructions:
2. Create your own glowing beverages!
Did you know that tonic water glows under a black light? The reason that it does this is because of one special ingredient: quinine.
Why is quinine fluorescent? Read the link below to find out!
Did you know that tonic water glows under a black light? The reason that it does this is because of one special ingredient: quinine.
Why is quinine fluorescent? Read the link below to find out!
Now that you know about quinine, do you know what a black light is? Why is a black light any different from a regular light? They might appear the same as any other light bulb, but they function very differently. Black lights actually produce ultraviolet light. When you turn a black light on, it causes white things to glow in the dark.
Read about black lights in the link below to find out how they work:
Read about black lights in the link below to find out how they work:
YOU WILL NEED
Here’s what to do!
The instructions for this activity are very simple. Make ice cubes out of tonic water and then put them in any light colored drink such as 7-up or Sprite. Turn on a black light, turn off the lights, and watch your beverages glow an eery blue!
3. Make pumpkin slime!
The slime that you will be creating is a non-newtonian fluid. Newtonian fluids behave as you would expect a liquid to behave. For example, when you hit water, it gives way. You can easily put your hand through it without much resistance. Non-newtonian fluids sometimes act like a solid and sometimes act like a liquid. When you hit a non-newtonian fluid, it resists the impact. How can that be?
Watch this video to see people experiment with non-newtonian fluid. They even try to bike across it! You’ll be amazed at its power to resist stress.
- Tonic water
- Ice cube trays
- Sprite or 7-up
- A black light
Here’s what to do!
The instructions for this activity are very simple. Make ice cubes out of tonic water and then put them in any light colored drink such as 7-up or Sprite. Turn on a black light, turn off the lights, and watch your beverages glow an eery blue!
3. Make pumpkin slime!
The slime that you will be creating is a non-newtonian fluid. Newtonian fluids behave as you would expect a liquid to behave. For example, when you hit water, it gives way. You can easily put your hand through it without much resistance. Non-newtonian fluids sometimes act like a solid and sometimes act like a liquid. When you hit a non-newtonian fluid, it resists the impact. How can that be?
Watch this video to see people experiment with non-newtonian fluid. They even try to bike across it! You’ll be amazed at its power to resist stress.
YOU WILL NEED:
- One pumpkin
- Cornstarch
- Mixing bowl
- Spoon
- Cookie sheet or pan
- Food coloring (optional: your pumpkin will already color your slime an orangey tint)
References:
https://sciencebob.com/free-halloween-science-ideas/
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/shining-science-explore-glow-in-the-dark-water/
http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/everyday-innovations/black-light.htm
Image and video credits, in order of appearance:
Amos, E., 2010. Plain-M&Ms-Pile. File uploaded from Wikimedia Commons on 10/9/2016.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/Plain-M%26Ms-Pile.jpg/800px-Plain-M%26Ms-Pile.jpg Image released into the Public Domain.
Pauller, N., 2014. Paper chromatography - Chemistry experiment with Mr Pauller. Video uploaded from YouTube on 10/9/2016. https://youtu.be/ZCzgQXGz9Tg
Hard Science, 2013. Biking across a pool of corn starch - Hard science. Video uploaded from YouTube on 10/9/2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BleCJJAKkgw&feature=youtu.be
https://sciencebob.com/free-halloween-science-ideas/
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/shining-science-explore-glow-in-the-dark-water/
http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/everyday-innovations/black-light.htm
Image and video credits, in order of appearance:
Amos, E., 2010. Plain-M&Ms-Pile. File uploaded from Wikimedia Commons on 10/9/2016.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/Plain-M%26Ms-Pile.jpg/800px-Plain-M%26Ms-Pile.jpg Image released into the Public Domain.
Pauller, N., 2014. Paper chromatography - Chemistry experiment with Mr Pauller. Video uploaded from YouTube on 10/9/2016. https://youtu.be/ZCzgQXGz9Tg
Hard Science, 2013. Biking across a pool of corn starch - Hard science. Video uploaded from YouTube on 10/9/2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BleCJJAKkgw&feature=youtu.be
