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Creating a cloud in a jar is a great way to learn how clouds form and how cloud seeding works. Clouds form when water vapour condenses or freezes. Water vapour rises, cools and condenses on particles in the air to form a cloud. When clouds become too heavy to be supported by upward air currents, … Continue reading “Cloud in a Jar Experiment”
We created these shadow drawings over the summer holidays, but they work brilliantly at any time of year as long as the sun in shining. You can either look for shadows that have formed naturally to turn into a picture or make your own shadows and add to them. Chalk or chalk pens work well … Continue reading “Shadow Drawing – Science and Art”
Cloud seeding is when tiny particles are added to clouds to help them produce more precipitation. Clouds form from tiny, light water droplets or ice crystals. As they bump into each other, they merge to form larger drops. The water droplets fall as rain when they are too heavy to be supported by upward moving … Continue reading “What is cloud seeding?”
Life on Earth depends on the light and heat from the Sun. While the warmth from the Sun gently warms you on a sunny day, the core of the Sun is a mind-blowing 15 million degrees Celsius ( 27 million degrees Fahrenheit), and the surface is 5500 degrees Celsius ( 10000 degrees Fahrenheit). That’s hot … Continue reading “How hot is the Sun?”
Today’s new STEM challenges celebrate all things spring! Here at Science Sparks, we are looking forward to better weather and all the new growth, colour and life that spring brings. Try these easy spring STEM Challenges to get the new season off to a great start. What is Spring? Spring is the season between winter … Continue reading “Easy Spring STEM Challenges”
Keep the kids busy over the Easter holidays with my FREE Easter Science Quiz. Do you know why chocolate eggs melt, why eggs are oval, and what the name of the famous egg rolling game is? Find out with our egg-citing quiz! Easter Science Quiz More free Easter activities for kids Try one of my … Continue reading “Science Quiz for Easter”
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”