Behind the Scenes
- More Than Meets the Eye
- Monsters, Motion, and Mechanics!
- Mysterious Makeup and Preposterous Props!
- High-Tech Reality
- Monsters, Motion, and Mechanics!
A Frosted Window Pane
Your frosted window panes won't melt because they're made of Epsom salts, not frozen water. Epsom salts are a different substance with very different properties. First, you made a solution - a solid dissolved in a liquid. Then the solid crystals re-formed when the water in your solution evaporated. The crystals on the paper have the same shape as the ones you poured out of the box.
More Upper Elementary School Activities
A Way with Clay
Your clay figures participated in a demonstration of the effect of heat energy on plastic modeling clay. Chemists and animators know that when you take the clay out of the freezer it is very stiff, but as it is warmed by the air and heat of your hands, it softens. When you bring the clay in out of the hot sun it is very soft and won't hold its shape well, but it hardens as it is cooled by the air to a point where you can work with it. So raisins too hot or too cold won't dance.
More Upper Elementary School Activities
- More Than Meets the Eye
- Monsters, Motion, and Mechanics!
- Mysterious Makeup and Preposterous Props!
- High-Tech Reality
- Monsters, Motion, and Mechanics!
A Bloody Mess
Chemists study substances thoroughly and are able to identify them by their properties. There are many properties of blood (such as color, viscosity, and texture) that must be duplicated to create a convincing fake. Changes in these properties when exposed to the air (such as darkening in color and thickening in viscosity) must also be taken into account. Corn syrup and red coloring combined is a favorite special effects mixture for blood, but you may have discovered others that work just as well.
More Upper Elementary School Activities
- More Than Meets the Eye
- Monsters, Motion, and Mechanics!
- Mysterious Makeup and Preposterous Props!
- High-Tech Reality
- Monsters, Motion, and Mechanics!
A Bone to Pick
A chemical reaction occurs between the bones and the vinegar, producing a new material with different properties (elasticity) from the originals. There is a chemical in the bones that combines with the vinegar to get this special (and scientific) effect. When you break the chicken bone in half before it is soaked, you can see little holes inside. A bird's bone has hollow spaces inside that make the bone lighter, which makes it easier for the bird to fly.
More Upper Elementary School Activities
- More Than Meets the Eye
- Monsters, Motion, and Mechanics!
- Mysterious Makeup and Preposterous Props!
- High-Tech Reality
- Monsters, Motion, and Mechanics!