Pineapple Enzymes

Enzymes are found in living things and they help to speed up reactions. Pineapples contain a large amount of enzymes that are used to help break down proteins.

The first thing that we are going to do is take the pineapple and cut it into pieces. We are going to put some of the pieces into the blender and turn in on so that we can get some pineapple juice. You may need an adult to help with this 

Once you have made some pineapple juice we are going to separate it into 2 of the bowls or containers. And one of the containers we are going to heat in the microwave for about 20 seconds, until the pineapple juice is hot. 

We are going to let the juice cool down a bit and we are then going to add some milk to the 3 bowls/ containers. So we have one with pineapple juice, one with heated pineapple juice and one with nothing in it.  

We are now going to see what happens. You should see that in the container with the unheated pineapple juice you start to get clumps forming in the milk. These clumps are the milk proteins that have been broken apart by the enzymes in the pineapple.

Enzymes can be affected by high temperatures which is why there is no reaction in the heated pineapple juice and is why that container looks the same as the one with no pineapple juice. 

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

Do you like pineapples???

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

We will be releasing this activity on the Surrey Libraries Facebook page on Thursday 18th March at 4:30pm. 

For this activity you will need:

• A pineapple
• Milk
• A knife
• 3 bowls/ glasses/ containers
• A blender (if you have one)

You will need an adult to help you with parts of this activity!

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 a Water Wheel

 

Waterwheels have been used in the past to power machinery, like in Victorian mills, but today they can be used to make electricity. Hydro power accounts for 71% of the world’s renewable energy output. Although not used as much in the UK, where it accounts for only 18% of the country’s renewable energy, it is used more in China, Brazil, Canada, USA and Russia 

You may need an adult to help you with parts of this activity! 

The first thing that you need to do is cut out 2 circles out of thick cardboard. You might want to use something like a plate as a template to help you cut out your circles.

The next thing that we are going to do is get our plastic cups and arrange them evenly around one of the circles. This will help you work out how many cups you are going to need. In this example I have used 8, but you may need more or less depending on the size of your cardboard circle.

You now need to make some holes around the edge of the cardboard circle at equal distances, where the plastic cups are positioned

You now need to make a hole in your plastic cup approximately 2cm down from the top. Make a second hole on the opposite side of the plastic cup and repeat this on each cup. Every plastic cup should have 2 holes, on opposite sides, near the top.

Thread a split pin through the plastic cup and then through the cardboard circle. Repeat this around the entire cardboard circle and make a hole in the middle of the circle

You now need to add the back of the water wheel. Make holes in the second cardboard circle at equal distances around the edge, like you did with the first cardboard circle and make a hole in the centre of the circle. Then thread a split pin through the plastic cup and through the cardboard circle to attach the back. Repeat this through all of the plastic cups

Thread your straw through the centre of the water wheel

Your water wheel is now ready to test!

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