Oil Spill

Oil from ships and tankers can sometimes spill into the sea, causing pollution. This can harm the creatures that live in or around the sea. For example, when a bird’s feathers get covered in oil it can’t fly.

To model an oil spill the first thing that we are going to do is pour some water into our dish or container. We are going to pour some oil in to the container. You will see that the oils sits on the surface of the water as it has a different density

There are three main ways that you can try and deal with an oil spill. The first way is to try and contain it by constructing a physical barrier. To demonstrate this you can try and contain your oil into part of your container using things like lolly sticks, straws, pipe cleaners or other items that you have available

The second way is to try and remove the oil. As the oil has a different density it sits on top of the water and this means that you may be able to remove the oil without removing the water. You may like to try using a spoon or even something like cotton wool to see if you can remove the oil.

The third way to remove the oil is to use chemicals to try and break it down. So we can add washing up liquid or liquid soap to our oil spill model. When you add the soap to the oil and water the soap breaks the oil into small droplets so that it can be rinsed away. This is because it has a special structure, one end that loves water and one end that is repelled by the water molecules

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

Preventing Pollution

 For our next science activity we are going to be learning about oil spills!

We will be releasing this activity on the Surrey Libraries Facebook page on Thursday 27th May at 4:30pm. 

For this activity you will need:

• A large bowl/ dish/ something similar
• Water
• Oil
• Liquid Soap/ Washing up liquid
• Spoon
• Cotton Wool
• String 
• Lolly Sticks
• Pipe Cleaners
• Kitchen Roll
• Straws

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 

Fingerprinting

 
Everyone has a unique set of fingerprints. Even twins who have the same DNA will have different fingerprints (look at the DNA modelling activity to learn more about DNA). Fingerprints develop before babies are born and form one of three types of pattern, these are whorls, loops and arches.

The first thing that we are going to do is take our own fingerprints. You can download and print this worksheet and you will see that there is space for you to put a fingerprint in each of the boxes. You can put your finger on the ink pad and then lightly press it on the paper so that your fingerprint is transferred across.

You can then repeat this with all of your fingers and thumbs. If you don't have an ink pad you could use pencil dust or cocoa powder to make your finger prints. Once you have taken your finger prints you can have a look at the patterns in your prints. See if you can tell whether your prints have loops, arches or whorls and fill it in on the worksheet

You may like to try and look for fingerprints on surfaces. To do this use a large paintbrush to lightly dust some baby powder onto your surface

You can then use some clear tape to try and pick up a fingerprint

You may like to store these fingerprints by sticking them to a piece of paper in a contrasting colour. 

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

Was it You???

For our next science activity we are going to be learning about fingerprints!

We will be releasing this activity on the Surrey Libraries Facebook page on Thursday 20th May at 4:30pm. 

For this activity you will need:

• To download and print this worksheet
• Pen/ Pencil
• Inkpad
• Tissues/ Kitchen Roll
• Large Paintbrush
• Baby Powder
• Clear Tape

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 

Testing Waterproof Materials

 

Different materials have different properties and we use them to make different things. Water cannot penetrate waterproof materials. For this activity we will be testing different materials to see how waterproof they are

The first thing that you need to do is cover the top of your glass or container with one of the materials that you want to test. To do this you will want to securely cover the top of your glass with your different material and then use an elastic band to hold it in place.

You will want to repeat this with all of the different materials you are going to test.

You are now going to measure out some water into your jug

Put your glass into the middle of your tray and pour the water onto the top of the glass, where you have covered it with the material you are testing

Repeat this with the other materials. Make sure that you measure out the same amount of water each time, to make it a fair test.

When you have tested your different materials, remove them from the top of the glasses and check to see how much water has soaked through, into the glass. For this example I used paper, cotton fabric and plastic. You will see that the plastic was the most waterproof.

You may like to use some of these materials I used in this example in your own test or you may like to test some different materials that you can find at home. You may like to test some things like silver foil, toweling material, or anything that you have at home and see what your results are. Remember to keep your results fair by measuring out the same amount of water for each test.

The video tutorial for this activity is available on the Surrey Libraries Facebook Page.

Is it raining???

For our next science activity we are going to be testing some different materials to see how waterproof they are!

We will be releasing this activity on the Surrey Libraries Facebook page on Thursday 13th May at 4:30pm. 

For this activity you will need:

• Some glasses or containers
• Elastic bands
• Water
• Jug
• Tray
• Some materials to test. For this activity I have chosen:
• Cotton fabric
• Plastic 
• Paper

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 

Make Sherbet

 The fizzing in sherbet is caused by a reaction between an acid and an alkali. When you eat sherbet the citric acid reacts with the bicarbonate of soda and bubbles of carbon dioxide are produced that fizz on your tongue. We have seen other activities that work in a similar way to this. To learn more about acids and alkali's look at the Natural Indicators activity or why not try making bath bombs or a volcano

To make the sherbet we are going to measure out 4 teaspoons of icing sugar, 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and 2 teaspoons of citric acid into our bowl.  

We are then going to mix them all together. 

You can now test your sherbet. If it is not sweet enough then you can add a little bit more icing sugar. If it is not fizzy enough then add a little bit more bicarbonate of soda. 

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

Fizz and Pop

 For our next science activity we are going to be making Sherbet!

We will be releasing this activity on the Surrey Libraries Facebook page on Thursday 6th May at 4:30pm. 

For this activity you will need:

• Icing Sugar
• Bicarbonate of Soda
• Citric Acid (Food Grade)
• A Small Bowl
• A Teaspoon

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