Get ready to glow...

For our next science activity we will be making glow in the dark jelly!

We will be releasing this activity on the Surrey Libraries Facebook page on Thursday 5th November at 4:30pm. 

For this activity you will need:

• Some packet jelly cubes
• Some tonic water
• Some boiling water
• Some jelly moulds (or something to put the jelly in)
• A spoon
• A jug (or something to mix everything in)
• A UV light

For more information watch this short introduction video.

Follow Surrey Libraries on Facebook and Twitter for the latest information and don't forget to visit Science Club on the Surrey Libraries YouTube Channel

Shadow Puppets

A shadow is formed when an object blocks the light, so it needs to be opaque or translucent. If something is transparent it will not cast a shadow as the light will pass straight through. 

The first thing that we are going to do is set up our light or torch next to a wall or background so that you have somewhere to see your shadow puppets. We are then going to cut a shape out of card and attach a lolly stick to the back of it with tape so that you can hold it 

Now if you put your card shape in front of the light then you will see the shadow on the wall behind. Try moving your shape closer or further away from the light and see what happens. Does the shadow get bigger or smaller?

Try moving your light closer or further away and see how this changes the shape of your shadow. Does the shadow get bigger or smaller?

Once you have had a play with a basic shape you can try drawing and cutting out some other shapes out of the card. If you mount them on to lolly sticks, then you have something to hold so that you can move them. You can try making your own puppet show. If you have some split pins at home, you could even try making some moving puppets.

The video tutorial for this activity is available to watch on the Surrey Libraries Facebook Page or the Surrey Libraries YouTube Channel

Playing with Shadows...

 For our next science activity we are going to be experimenting with shadow puppets!

We will be releasing this activity on the Surrey Libraries Facebook page on Thursday 29th October at 4:30pm. 

For this activity you will need:

• Some Card
• A Pair of Scissors
• Some Tape
• Lolly Sticks
• A pen or pencil
• A torch or light source

For more information watch this short introduction video.

Follow Surrey Libraries on Facebook and Twitter for the latest information and don't forget to visit Science Club on the Surrey Libraries YouTube Channel

Paper Marbling

 Paper marbling is the name given to a type of surface design that produces patterns similar to the ones found in smooth stone like marble. Each design is unique and the earliest types of paper marbling date back to the 12th Century

The first thing that you are going to need to do is spray some of your shaving foam onto your plate. You are then going to use a spoon to spread it out so that it is about 1-2cm thick.

We are now going to get some food colouring and put some drops of colour on the foam. You can use 2 or 3 different colours if you want to. Using the cocktail stick you are then going to swirl the colours on the top of the foam to make a nice marble pattern that you are happy with

Take your piece of A4 card and cut it in half. You are then going to fold this piece of card in half. Carefully place your piece of card face down onto the shaving foam and then leave it for a few seconds. You can then pick it up off the plate and use the lolly stick to remove any shaving foam and then follow this with the paper towels. You will then need to leave your card to dry

When you drop the food colouring onto the surface of the shaving foam it doesn’t soak in, it stays on the surface. When you put the card on the shaving foam the colour is easily transferred across. You could experiment with different colours, or by adding water or oil to the surface of the shaving foam and see how this changes the paper marbling effect.

The video tutorial for this activity is available to watch on the Surrey Libraries Facebook Page or the Surrey Libraries YouTube Channel

Swish and Swirl...

  For our next science activity we are going to be experimenting with paper marbling!

We will be releasing this activity on the Surrey Libraries Facebook page on Thursday 22nd October at 4:30pm. 

For this activity you will need:

• A piece of Card
• A plate
• A spoon
• Shaving Foam
• A pair of scissors
• Food Colouring
• A lolly stick
• A cocktail Stick
• Kitchen Roll

For more information watch this short introduction video.

Follow Surrey Libraries on Facebook and Twitter for the latest information and don't forget to visit Science Club on the Surrey Libraries YouTube Channel

Flower Press

 With appropriate care pressed flowers can last for hundreds of years! There are examples of pressed flowers dating from the late 17th century in the Natural History Museum. 

The first thing that you are going to want to do is collect some flowers to press. Have a look in your garden or when you go outside but be careful not to pick too many. It's best not to choose really thick flowers like roses as these can be difficult to press, but have a look and see what you can find

Once you have found some flowers you are going to get a book and then lie some sheets of newspaper on top, and then some kitchen roll on top of this

You can then carefully arrange your flowers on top of the kitchen roll. Make sure that the flowers don't overlap and that there is space between the flowers

You can then put a layer of kitchen roll on top of the flowers followed by a layer of newspaper and then a book on top. If you can put a big pile of books on top. 

Check on the flowers every day to make sure they are OK and after about a week they should be ready. As the flowers dry the kitchen roll and newspaper absorb the moisture from the flowers and prevent it from decaying but the dried flower keeps most of the pigments that produce colour.

The video tutorial for this activity is available on the Surrey Libraries Facebook page or the Surrey Libraries YouTube Channel

Fabulous Flowers

 

 For our next science activity we are going to be pressing flowers!

We will be releasing this activity on the Surrey Libraries Facebook page on Thursday 15th October at 4:30pm. 

For this activity you will need:

• Some Newspapers
• Some Kitchen Roll
• A Stack of Books
• Flowers

For more information view this short introduction video.

Follow Surrey Libraries on Facebook and Twitter for the latest information and don't forget to visit Science Club on the Surrey Libraries YouTube Channel

Make a Model Solar System

There are 8 planets in the Solar system. These are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. A Mnemonic to remember their order is - My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles. 

The first thing that you are going to need to do is colour in the planets from the Worksheet found on the Shining Mom blog. 

We are now going to cut 8 strips from the piece of black card. You want to try and make the strips about the same thickness if you can.

You first need to cut out the Sun and starting with the planet furthest away from the Sun - and that is Neptune so we will cut it out and glue it to one of the strips of card

We are then going to push a split pin through the centre of the Sun and through the end of the strip of back card that is attached to Neptune

You now want to cut out the 7th planet from the Sun - Unanus. You are going to stick this to a strip of black card and then cut a small amount off the end of the strip as it is nearer to the sun than Neptune. You can then push the end through the split pin in the centre of the Sun

You are going to need to repeat this step for the other planets moving in towards the sun from Saturn to Mercury, each time you will need to gradually shorten your strip of black card as the planet moves closer to the Sun

You can now close your split pin and move your planets around the Sun at the centre!

The video tutorial for this activity is available on the Surrey Libraries Facebook Page or the Surrey Libraries YouTube Channel

Explore the Planets...

For our next science activity we are going to be making a moving model of the solar system!

We will be releasing this activity on the Surrey Libraries Facebook page on Thursday 8th October at 4.30pm. 

For this activity you will need:

• An A4 piece of Black card
• A pair of scissors
• A glue stick
• A split pin
• Some colouring pens/ pencils and crayons

You will also need to print this template which can be found on the Shining Mom blog onto white card.

For more information watch the short introduction video.

Follow Surrey Libraries on Facebook and Twitter for the latest information and don't forget to visit Science Club on the Surrey Libraries YouTube Channel

Make a Pinball Machine

 In a Pinball Machine there are 3 different forces acting on the ball inside. The pinball machine is kept at an angle so gravity causes the ball to roll downwards towards the flippers. When the ball hits the flippers, or any of the obstacles in the pinball machine, contact force will cause the ball to change direction and then the third force that is acting on the ball is friction. The friction between the ball and the cardboard box causes the ball to roll rather than slide across the surface.

The first thing that we are going to do is make the flippers for your pinball machine. To do this we are going to cut a small slit out of each side of the show box. We are then going to cut a rectangle of card from some thick corrugated cardboard. You should be able to get this from some packaging. You want to make sure that the corrugations are facing downwards along the long side of the rectangle. We are then going to use a cocktail stick and push the cocktail stick through the corrugation and then into the slit in the side of the shoebox. You can then tape it in place

You should be able to move these cardboard flippers twisting on the cocktail stick. The next thing that you are going to do is start to design the obstacles inside the pinball machine. To do this you may like to use a range of different things. You may want to play around with different designs. You can use the milk bottle tops, straws, lolly sticks and card to make some obstacles inside your pinball machine. You can also use your colouring pens/ pencils/ crayons to decorate your pinball machine.

You are now ready to drop in your marble and test your pinball machine. I hope that you have fun!

The video tutorial for this activity is available on the Surrey Libraries Facebook Page or the Surrey Libraries YouTube Channel