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Secret messages

What’s the best way to write a secret message?

Let’s find out! Choose 2 or more of the methods below and test how well they work. Show us your results in the comments below! Which method do you think works best?

You need: paper, a white crayon, watercolor paints, paint brush, cotton swabs, lemon juice, hair dryer, baking soda, water, grape juice, cups

Method 1: Use a white crayon to write a message on a piece of paper. Paint over the paper with watercolor paints to reveal the message.

Method 2: Dip a cotton swab in lemon juice and use it to write a message on a piece of paper. When you are ready to read your secret message or show it to someone else, heat the paper by holding it close to a light bulb or using a hair dryer on the hot setting.

Method 3: Measure equal parts of baking soda and water into a cup. Stir until the baking soda and water are completely mixed. Dip a cotton swab in the mixture and then, pressing firmly, write a message on a piece of paper. Let the message dry completely. Pour some grape juice into a separate cup. When the paper is dry, dip a new cotton swab in the grape juice and rub it across your message. The hidden message should begin to reveal itself.

Method 4: Research some other secret message solutions and test them out!Secret, Hidden, Message, Message On Paper, Paper

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Let’s observe

How many birds do you see in our video?

Observe means to use your senses to gather information. When you watch something you are using your eyes to observe and learn.

Watch the video below and observe the number of birds that are at this pond. Play the video again. Observe carefully. How many birds do you see? Did you miss any the first time? Tell us how many birds you observed in the comments below! Then record your own video and ask us to observe something in it!

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Blue treasure hunt

We’re going on a treasure hunt!

Set a timer for 5 minutes. Pick one window in your house and look through it to hunt for things that are blue. Set the timer for 5 minutes again. This time, pick one cabinet in your house and hunt inside it for things that are blue. Did you find more blue things outside the window or inside the cabinet? Post a picture of what you found and tell us about your treasures!Blueberry, Blue, Delicious, Fruit, Food, Dessert, Sweet

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Pet’s Eye View

Get down on your pet’s level and move around your house.

How is your pet’s view of the world different from yours? Draw a picture of what things must look like to your pet. Share your picture with us in the comments below!

Cat, Kitten, Kitty, Black, White, Play, Toy, Light

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How far is that star?

Make a model to show how far away the closest star is.

Light-years measure the distance between objects in space. Things in space are so far apart, one light-year is equal to about 6 trillion miles!

Proxima Centauri is the closest star to Earth (besides the Sun). Even though it’s the closest, Proxima Centauri is still about 4 light-years away.

Find something you have a lot of that you can use to represent trillions of miles.  It could be Lego bricks, rocks, toothpicks or anything else small. Let one piece represent one trillion miles. If one light-year equals about 6 trillion miles, how many pieces do you need to represent one light-year? How many pieces do you need to represent the distance to Proxima Centauri? Line up your objects to show the distance between Proxima Centauri and Earth. Take a picture of your model and share it with us in the comments!

Ocean, Starry Sky, Milky Way, Rest, Sailing Boat, Boat

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The view from your window

Draw the view from your window.

Choose a window in your home. Grab a piece of paper and some colored pencils, crayons or markers. Watch through the window for a few minutes. Try to notice small details. Do you see any patterns? Is there anything out there that you haven’t noticed before? Draw what you see through your window. Then share your drawing with us in the comments!

Window, View, Tree, Landscape, Season, Wooden, Natural

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What is your favorite _____?

Ask people the question “What is your favorite ____?”

First, fill in the blank with something you are curious about. Maybe you want to know about peoples’ favorite food, animal, color or something else. Write the question on a piece of paper. Then ask at least 10 people and write their answers on your paper. You can ask your family at home and call, text or email other people like grandparents, cousins and friends.

Scientists call the answers that you write down data. Once you have all your data, make a chart or graph to organize it. Organizing data into charts and graphs can make it easier to see patterns. What kind of patterns do you see about peoples’ favorites? Share your chart or graph with us in the comments below!

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Crack the code – part 2

We have another code for you to crack!

In this post, we spelled a secret word using the dots and lines from Morse code. Did you know that Morse Code was actually created to let people communicate using sound or light signals? In Morse code, each dot represents a short sound or flash. Each line represents a long sound or flash.

Grab a piece of paper and pencil and listen to the sound recording below. See if you can use the Morse code chart to figure out the secret word we’re sending you! After you figure it out, create your own secret word in Morse Code using sound or light signals. You could tap it out, play it on a drum or other instrument, or turn a flashlight on and off. Take a video and share it with us — let’s see if we can crack your code!

File:International Morse Code.svg

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Classify a collection

Classify a collection of things.

Classify means to sort objects into groups according to properties that they have in common. We can classify objects by color, shape, size, luster, or any other property. Scientists classify things in nature to better understand how they are related.

Do you have a collection of anything? Maybe you have a collection of stuffed animals or cars or seashells. If you don’t have a collection, you can use anything you have a lot of like candies, coins, building blocks or even socks.

Look at the objects in your collection. What different properties do you see? Classify the objects in your collection by sorting them into groups. How many different groups did you make? What properties did you use to make your groups? Can you mix them back together and classify them in a different way? Tell us how you classified your collection in the comments below!

Mussels, Marine Gastropods, Meeresbewohner, Sea Animals

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Red treasure hunt

We’re going on a treasure hunt!

Set a timer for 5 minutes. Hunt around inside your house for objects that are red. Set the timer for 5 minutes again. This time, hunt around outside for objects that are red. Did you find more red treasures inside or outside? Post a picture of what you found and tell us about your treasures!