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Have you ever seen someone flick a tablecloth out from under plates that stay in place? The plates stay in place because of a concept called inertia. A slightly easier way to demonstrate inertia is by dropping an Easter egg ( or other object ) into a container. We usually do this science demonstration with … Continue reading “Exploring Newton’s First Law with Easter Eggs”
Butterflies play a vital role in the natural world and are crucial to healthy ecosystems. Caterpillars eat plant matter and are a food source for many animals. Butterflies are important for pollination and also an integral part of the food chain. Butterflies are known to be sensitive to environmental changes, and their population numbers are … Continue reading “Butterfly Garden: How to Attract Butterflies Easily”
Have you ever wondered how far Jupiter is from Mars or Venus from Earth? Our handy calculator makes it easy to find out! All distances are average and approximate, as it’s difficult to be accurate with such large distances. Planets are also at different distances from each other depending on where they are in orbit … Continue reading “Distance between planets in the solar system calculator”
You’ve probably seen or experienced most of these common science phenomena before, but you may not have thought about why they happen. From sticking a magnet onto your fridge to colourful lights in the sky, we explain ten fascinating phenomena and offer ideas for learning more about each one. Get ready to delve into the … Continue reading “The Science Behind 10 Everyday Phenomena”
Einstein Rings are a type of gravitational lensing in which the light from a galaxy or star passes a large object, like another galaxy or black hole, and is bent around it. If the alignment is right, the light appears as a ring around the large object. The galaxy or black hole closest to the … Continue reading “What are Einstein Rings?”
This activity uses Skittles to demonstrate radioactive decay. The rate of decay depends on the isotope of the element and is referred to as the half-life. Radioactive decay is a random process. To understand the concept of a half-life, we’re going to pretend Skittles are radioactive atoms. Skittles that land with the S upwards are … Continue reading “Skittles Half Life Demonstration”
The spring equinox marks the astronomical beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. The balance of daylight shifts, marking the start of warmer, longer days. In the Southern Hemisphere, it marks the start of autumn. Equinox means equal night. At the spring equinox, the sun is directly above the equator, and day and night are … Continue reading “What is the Spring Equinox?”
I can’t believe it’s time for British Science Week again. It seems like two minutes since we planned our space-themed experiments last year. If, like me, time has run away from you and you need some easy ideas for British Science Week, we’ve got some suggestions that might help. Change and Adapt Activities Birds, Beaks and Charles Darwin Learn … Continue reading “Easy ideas for British Science Week”
A singing balloon experiment is a great way to learn how sound works. If you put a small coin inside a balloon and spin it, the coin spins around the balloon, making the balloon vibrate very quickly. Objects that vibrate quickly make a high pitched sound. As the coin slows down, the pitch of the … Continue reading “Singing Balloon Experiment”
Planting and watching seeds grow is a fantastic spring science activity for children. Kids can start with a bean or seed in a jar to watch it germinate, observe seedlings and finally become a fully grown plant. Vegetable or herb seeds work well, as they can be eaten afterwards! A common problem when growing plants … Continue reading “Easy DIY Mini Greenhouses”