Summer Science Activities
Adding More Science fun to Your Summer
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Just because school is out doesn't mean brain drain needs to set in. Transform your backyard into your very own science lab and have a blast with these awesome summer science experiments.
Coke and Mentos Soda Gyser
What you Need..
- 2 liter bottle of diet coke
- roll of Mentos candies
- a big space that can get messy!
The experiment is simple, you add all of the Mentos to the soda and once and then get out of the way!
Diet Coke & Mentos | MythBusters
The Science Behind the Exeperiment!
The carbonation in the soda reacts with the Mentos candy and little carbon dioxide bubbles form all over the candies. This happens very quickly and when it’s fast enough then an explosion occurs.
Mentos are the candy of choice because their surface is very porous and ideal for creating lots and lots of carbon dioxide bubbles. Any soda will work but the aspartame in diet sodas produce a bigger reaction because it lowers the surface tension of the soda.
Solar Oven
What you Need..
- Pizza Box
- 2 Clear Sheet Protectors
- Black Construction Paper
- Tape (Clear and Duct)
- Blade
- Thermometer
- BBQ Skewer
- Glue
- Aluminum Foil
- Ruler Pen
- Maybe a Magnifying Glass to speed up process!
The Process...
- See video below..
Solar Oven S'more - Sick Science! #094
The Science Behind the Experiment!
Solar ovens use solar energy—light and heat emitted from the sun—to cook food. They can also be used to pasteurize water or even sterilize instruments. How does a solar oven work? The simple answer is that it is designed to absorb more heat than it releases. Thus causing what ever you have inside them to heat up and cook or boil.
Ice Cream in a Bag
What you Need..
- Whole Milk
- Vanilla
- Sugar
- Salt
- Ice
- Large and Small Ziplock Bags
- and whatever else you want to put in your Ice Cream.
- Here is a video that walks you through the process of making the Ice Cream
The Sci Guys: Science at Home - SE1 - EP10: Melting Points: Ice Cream in a Bag - 10 Minute Ice Cream
The Science Behind the Experiment!
To make ice cream, the ingredients—typically milk (or half and half), sugar and vanilla extract—need to be cooled down. One way to do this is by using salt. If you live in a cold climate, you may have seen trucks spreading salt and sand on the streets in the wintertime to prevent roads from getting slick after snow or ice. Why is this? The salt lowers the temperature at which water freezes, so with salt ice will melt even when the temperature is below the normal freezing point of water.
Technically, the temperature that the salt lowers is called the freezing point. When a freezing point is lowered, such as by adding salt to water, the process is called freezing-point depression. As we'll see in this activity, freezing-point depression is not unique to solutions made of water and salt; it also happens with other solutions. (A solution is made when a substance, such as salt, is dissolved and becomes a solute. The medium into which it is dissolved is a solvent—typically a liquid, like water.)
Technically, the temperature that the salt lowers is called the freezing point. When a freezing point is lowered, such as by adding salt to water, the process is called freezing-point depression. As we'll see in this activity, freezing-point depression is not unique to solutions made of water and salt; it also happens with other solutions. (A solution is made when a substance, such as salt, is dissolved and becomes a solute. The medium into which it is dissolved is a solvent—typically a liquid, like water.)
Below are Images and Their Explainations of Some of the Experiments you Might do Over the Summer
Other Resources for Cool Science Experiments
Check out these Cool Youtube Channels...