a fun science learning website for all students
Kinetic energy is energy that an object has because of its motion. An object that is moving fast has more kinetic energy. Potential energy is energy that an object has because of its position. An object that is up high has more potential energy.
Hunt around outside for something that has kinetic energy and something that has potential energy. Take a picture or video of what you found and tell us about their energy! How many different things can we find?!
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!
Density describes how much matter is in a certain amount of space. If you have two objects that are the same size, the object that is heavier is more dense. It contains more matter in the same amount of space.
Hunt around your house or outside for two objects that are about the same size but have different density. Post a picture of what you found and tell us about their density! Which one is more dense? How do you know?
Find three pennies. The dirtier the better! Describe what the pennies look like.
You need: 3 pennies, 2 small cups, vinegar or lemon juice, and liquid soap or laundry detergent.
1 – Put one penny in a cup. Pour enough vinegar (or lemon juice) into the cup to cover the penny.
2 – Put one penny in the other cup. Pour enough liquid soap (or laundry detergent) into the cup to cover the penny.
3 – Leave the third penny alone.
4 – Wait at least ten minutes.
5 – Remove the pennies from the cups. Rinse them with water and rub them with a paper towel.
6 – Compare all three pennies. Which one is the shiniest? Share your results with us in the comments!
Can you think of any other liquids to test? Get permission and give them a try. Can you find a liquid that cleans even better than the ones you already tested?
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!
Do you think a bug can travel all the way across your yard in an hour? Let’s find out!
You need: a timer, ruler or tape measure, 2 pencils, and a calculator.
1 – Take your supplies outside. Find a bug that looks like it is walking in a mostly straight line.
2 – Set the timer for 1 minute.
3 – Place one pencil down where the bug is now. This marks the starting line.
4 – Start the timer and watch the bug for one minute. When the timer goes off, place the other pencil down where the bug is then. This marks the finish line.
5 – Measure the distance between the two pencils in centimeters. This is the bug’s speed in centimeters per minute.
6 – Multiply your bug’s speed by 60. This new number is the bug’s speed in centimeters per hour.
If the bug keeps going in a straight line, where will it be in one hour? Will it still be in your yard?
Do the experiment again to see if the bug is still moving at the same speed. Or find another bug and do the experiment again to see which bug is faster!
There are lots of different types of energy. Some types of energy are heat, light, sound, electrical and mechanical. (Look them up if you’re not quite sure what some of them are.)
Write the different types of energy on a piece of paper. Then go for a walk outside. As you walk around your neighborhood, hunt for examples of each type of energy. When you find one, write it down or draw a picture of it. Share your results with us in the comments!
A force is a push or pull on an object. When an object is still, the forces on it are balanced. This means that the forces pulling in opposite directions are equal so the object doesn’t move. If the force pulling in one direction gets stronger, then the forces become unbalanced and the object will start to move.
Take a video that shows balanced and unbalanced forces and tell us about it. Be creative! What things at your house can you use to show forces? How can you show switching between balanced and unbalanced forces?
Something that is moving has velocity. Velocity describes an object’s speed and direction. Something moving fast has high velocity and something moving slow has low velocity. Something moving forward has positive velocity and something moving backward has negative velocity.
Take a video that shows velocity and tell us about it. Be creative! What things at your house could you use to show velocity? How could you show high and low velocity? Or positive and negative velocity? Can you show all 4 in one video?!
Luster describes how shiny or dull something is. Something that has high luster looks very shiny. Something that has low luster looks very dull.
Hunt around your house or outside for two objects that have different luster. Or, can you find one single object that has two different lusters? Post a picture of what you found and tell us about their luster! How many different treasures can we find?!
