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Experimental Instruction

Check out all our STEM Experiment videos on our Youtube Channel! 
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Homemade Lava Lamp

Designed and Produced by: Cady Wang 

 

    Have you ever used a lava lamp to light up your room? Make a homemade lava lamp using supplies in your kitchen! In this experiment, vinegar will be colored with food coloring. It will then be poured into a bottle that is already filled with vegetable oil and baking soda on the bottom. Watch how different densities and a simple chemical reaction transform your typical cooking supplies into a cool lava lamp!

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Materials: 

  1. Long cup/bottle

  2. Small container (can be a bowl, cup, etc.) 

  3. Vinegar

  4. Vegetable oil (or any other type of oil)

  5. Baking soda

  6. Food coloring

  7. Spoon

Detailed Instructions

Baking Soda and Vinegar Balloon 

Designed and Produced by: Dani Jayinski

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In this experiment, baking soda and vinegar are mixed in a bottle, with a balloon attached to the lip. When the two interact, baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, and vinegar, acetic acid, an acid base reaction occurs. The two react to form carbon dioxide. Since carbon dioxide is a gas, and gas molecules want to spread out, the balloon inflates. This experiment is super fun, easy, and looks like magic! 

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Materials: 

  1. Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)

  2. Vinegar (acetic acid)

  3. A balloon

  4. A plastic water bottle (or another lipped container)

  5. A funnel (optional but helpful)

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Detailed Instructions

Wind Anemometer

Designed and Produced by: Grace Liu

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An anemometer is a device that measures the speed of the wind, or any gas. By using simple household materials, you can make a basic cup anemometer at home. The device uses paper cups in order to “catch” the wind, causing the structure to spin. The number of spins in one minute can tell you how fast the wind is moving in your area. At the end of the experiment, you will be able to go outside and calculate the wind speed yourself!

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Materials: 

  1. Cardboard - must be relatively sturdy 

  2. Pen (or any writing instrument)

  3. Ruler

  4. 4 paper cups

  5. Thumbtack

  6. Stapler

  7. Scissors or a knife

  8. Pencil

  9. Modeling clay, playdough, or a plastic water bottle with dirt and water inside 
     

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Detailed Instructions

Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag

Designed and Produced by: Rachel Heeren 

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    Ever wonder how ice cream is made? Ever wanted ice cream really badly but you don’t have any at home? Well look no further! Using chemistry concepts of solutions, freezing points, and heat transfer, making ice cream at home is as simple as putting three ingredients into a bag of ice and salt to get ice cream in as little as 5 minutes!

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Materials: 

  1. ​1 gallon bag

  2. 2 quart size bags

  3. 4 cups of ice

  4. ½ cup of salt

  5. 1 tablespoon of sugar

  6. ½ cup of milk, cream, or half-and-half

  7. ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract

  8. gloves, towel, or pot holders (to shake the bags)

  9. bowl & spoon

  10. toppings!
     

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Detailed Instructions

Color Changing Milk

Designed and Produced by: Felicia Su

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    This experiment allows students to observe the interactions between soap, food coloring, and the components of milk. When soap comes in contact with the milk, it causes the water and fats in milk to separate. The different chemical properties of water and fat cause this movement. This can be observed through food coloring and other indicators that create cool designs and fascinating movements!

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Materials: 

  1. ​Shallow plate or bowl

  2. Whole milk or 2% milk

  3. Food coloring (can be substituted with pepper or other colored spices)

  4. Dish soap

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Detailed Instructions

Rubber Egg Experiment

Designed and Produced by: Caroline Zhao

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    In this experiment, students can learn about a simple chemical reaction by putting an egg in vinegar. The eggshell is composed of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), while vinegar is a little bit of acetic acid (CH3COOH) mixed with water. The acetic acid reacts with the calcium carbonate of the eggshell, which forms calcium acetate (Ca(CH3COO)2), water (H2O), and carbon dioxide (CO2). This carbon dioxide is released as a gas, which can be seen as bubbles form on the surface of the shell. For the next twenty four hours, the vinegar will react with all of the shell until it is entirely consumed, leaving only the interior, rubber part of the egg remaining.

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Materials: 

  1. Vinegar

  2. Raw Egg

  3. Tall Glass or Jar

Detailed Instructions

Warm vs. Cold Water Food Coloring 

Designed and Produced by: Adelene Chan

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    Explore the basics of an experiment and review the scientific method. Test how the temperature of water affects how easily food coloring mixes in. With just a few simple materials, examine how kinetic energy, heat, and particle movement affect how long it takes for the food coloring to mix in. Finally, explore how kinetic energy relates to the 3 basic states of matter.

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Materials: 

  1. 2 cups/glasses (preferably clear and similarly sized)

  2. Warm water (from faucet)

  3. Cold water (from faucet) 

    1. Recommend adding ice cube

  4.  Food coloring (2 dark colors: red, green or blue)

    1. AND/OR try this with mixing sugar, salt, honey!

Detailed Instructions

Prosthetic Robot Hand

Designed and Produced by: Priyanka Dhingra


In this experiment, you will learn how to construct a simple, prosthetic robotic hand. This hand will be able to grab onto various small, lightweight objects. However, the average person
uses their hands for more than just grabbing! How can you design a prosthetic hand that can accomplish daily tasks such as writing, brushing your teeth, or opening a door? The way you
design your hand--whether that be adding more fingers or joints, changing the materials, or changing the positioning--will greatly affect what kind objects you will be able to pick up. For
example, if your goal is to construct a hand that can easily hold paper cups, you may not be able to grab a great variety of objects like a cotton ball or a doorknob. Building a prosthetic robot hand that can easily accomplish several tasks in the same manner a human hand can is still a tough challenge professionals struggle with even today

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Materials: 

​1. Tape or modelling clay

2. Drinking straws

3. 3 rubber bands

4. 3 paper clips

5. Scissors

6. Needle

7. Thread

8. Cardboard tube

9. Assorted objects to grasp!

Detailed Instructions

Upside Down Water Experiment

Designed and Produced by: Aryaa Modi

            All around you, water is always moving in a downward motion due to gravity. But what if there was something you could do to prevent water from falling like that? In this experiment, kids learn about the effect of surface tension and air pressure and how these work against gravity to keep the water in a glass, that is covered by a handkerchief, from spilling everywhere once flipped over. This experiment uses easily available household items like a handkerchief and glass of water.

Materials

  1. Water glass

  2. Handkerchief

  3. Water

  4. Tray

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Detailed Instructions

Tornado in a Bottle Experiment

Designed and Produced by: Aryaa Modi

                  This experiment uses simple household supplies to make a tornado in a jar or bottle. Dish washing soap will be added to the water along with craft supplies like color or glitter to make it more exciting. Then, after a few circular motions the tornado will be visible. This experiment teaches children about concepts such as centripetal force and vortexes.

Materials

  1. A clear plastic bottle or mason jar that comes with a lid

  2. Water

  3. Dish Washing Liquid Soap

  4. Glitter or food coloring (Optional)

Detailed Instructions

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