Science Labs

On Friday we went on a science field trip with other homeschoolers.  We visited the Ann Arbor Hand-On Museum for a couple of science labs.  

The first lab was a Slime Lab!  This lab was kinda messy, but what fun science lab isn't. The instructor talked about states of matter with the kids and then instructed them on how to make their first slime.  The first slime was like slime you would buy in a container at the store, squishy and sticky.  The kids all had a turn to mix their ingredients and play with their slime.  The pictures below are from making the first slime.

The second slime was quite different.  The slime they made was called Oobleck.  The kids were instructed on how to create this slime and if they didn't do it in the correct order then it won't turn out right.  This slime seemed like a liquid but at times performed like a solid.  

Following the Slime Lab we had lunch with our friends and checked out some things around the museum that was close to the lab room.  We only had about an hour between labs.

The second lab that we went to was the Sound Lab.  As you could expect this did get a little noisy.  The kids learned about sound moving in waves and vibrations.   We were able to see the vibrations on tuning rods.  The kids were even able to splash water out of a cut with the vibrations of the tuning rod.  The kids then used stethoscopes to hear small sounds.  They were walking around the room finding different sounds on different surfaces.  To hear different pitches of sound the kids used different sized pvc pipes.  The pipes would be taped on to the palm of a hand and they had to decided which pipes made lower and higher sounds.  For some reason I didn't take pics of this lab.  

After the Sound Lab we had about an hour to play before we had to hit the road.  The kids played in a water play room and a foam building room.  The museum is large and on this visit the kids and their friends just wanted to stay in the main part of the museum.  That was alright, it gave the moms more time to chat.  I love to see how the kids' friendships grow and what they can achieve while they are working together.  In the foam room the kids worked together and made a "house" out of almost all of the foam blocks in the area.  And in the water area they were making tracks to race balls down the "river".  

Slime recipe:
*borax powder        *water         *2 small bowls
*white glue(Elmer's)      *food coloring(optional)

In the 1st bowl, combine 6 teaspoons glue, 6 teaspoons water and food coloring (optional).  In the 2nd bowl, pour 1/4 cup water and 1/4 teaspoon borax.  Stir.  Slowly stir the glue mixture, from the 1st bowl, into the 2nd bowl.  Once your slime has formed, pick it up and knead it in your hands.  There will be some liquid left in the bowl.  The more you play with the slime, the firmer it becomes.

Oobleck recipe:
*cornstarch  *water   *1 small bowl

In the bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water. Stir.