Fun & Science

Materials: A clean plastic bottle, try to use one with smooth sides

Materials: A clean plastic bottle, try to use one ...

Fill a glass with water. Use a rubber band to hold a handkerchief tightly over the top. Over a sink, quickly turn the glass upside down. The water should stay in the glass. The water didn't flow out of the glass because of a special property of water...

Fill a glass with water. Use a rubber band to hold...

Cut a hole in the side of a plastic container and lay clear plastic wrap over the top. Use a rubber band to hold the wrap in place, then press down in the middle to make the wrap sink a little. Pour water onto the plastic wrap so that it forms a pool...

Cut a hole in the side of a plastic container and ...

Sprinkle some salt and ground pepper onto a plate. Blow up a balloon and rub it against your dry hair. Now slowly bring the balloon close to the salt and pepper. The pepper will leap up and stick to the balloon. Explanation When you rub the balloon, ...

Sprinkle some salt and ground pepper onto a plate....

Stand a plastic bottle on a piece of paper on a sunny sidewalk or driveway. Trace the bottle’s shadow onto the paper. Every hour or two, put the paper and bottle in the same position and trace the shadow again. Notice how the position of the shadow c...

Stand a plastic bottle on a piece of paper on a su...

The flag shown here may look strange. Here’s how to see its true colors. Use a pen or pencil to make a small dot near the center of a blank sheet of white paper. Lay the paper aside. Now stare at the dot near the center of this flag while you slowly ...

The flag shown here may look strange. Here’s how t...

By : Mary Ann Seagraves Art by : Brenda Pepper Snow ... it looks white and sparkling. It feels cold and often fluffy. It smells clean and crisp. But how does it sound? After snow has fallen, the world can seem silent. Everything is quiet except the ...

By : Mary Ann Seagraves Art by : Brenda Pepper Sn...

By : Anne Renaud Pour a tablespoon of vegetable oil into a mug. Add two drops each of red and blue food coloring. Stir until the food coloring breaks up into tiny drops. Pour the mixture into a glass of water and watch what happens. How It Works Thi...

By : Anne Renaud Pour a tablespoon of vegetable o...

By : Harry T. Roman Lay a sheet of notebook paper across two books, and load coins onto the paper. The paper sags. Now bend and place the paper as shown. Will it support the coins? How it Works Shape can make a big difference. The bent paper can hold...

By : Harry T. Roman Lay a sheet of notebook paper ...

Have you ever walked across the room and shocked yourself on a metal knob, shelf, or electronic item? Well, here is a way to find charges of static electricity without getting shocked. An electroscope is a device that detects electrical charges. The ...

Have you ever walked across the room and shocked y...

By : A. B. Brooks Ask for permission to tear a sheet of newspaper. Tear it from the top edge. Then tear it from a side edge. Was one tear straighter than the other? Explanation : Newsprint (the kind of paper used for newspapers) is made by spreading...

By : A. B. Brooks Ask for permission to tear a sh...

By : Ali R. Amir-Moez Have you ever wanted a perfect tic-tac-toe grid? Here's a clever way to divide a square into nine smaller squares of equal size. Start by cutting out a square from a rectangular sheet of paper. Use a pencil to mark the corners o...

By : Ali R. Amir-Moez Have you ever wanted a perfe...

Art by : Len Ebert Two pendulums joined together can have a strange effect on each other. See for yourself with this activity. You will need some string, two tablespoons, and two chairs. Place the chairs back to back about three feet apart, and tie a...

Art by : Len Ebert Two pendulums joined together c...

By : Ali R. Amir-Moez Art by : Brenda Pepper How many times have you heard someone say, "It's possible but not probable"? They mean that something could happen but probably wouldn't. But what does it mean to say that something is probable or not pro...

By : Ali R. Amir-Moez Art by : Brenda Pepper How ...

By : Andy Boyles, Senior Science Editor Art by : Anni Matsick I don't like the screeching of fingernails on a chalkboard. But I can enjoy some squeaks and squawks—if I'm the one who's making them. I discovered my love of annoying sounds after I made...

By : Andy Boyles, Senior Science Editor Art by : A...

By : Rich Latta Fill a jar with sand. Fill a second, identical jar with water. Slowly pour water from the second jar into the sand in the first one. How much water can you pour before water runs over the side of the sand-filled jar? Since the first ...

By : Rich Latta Fill a jar with sand. Fill a seco...

Which materials are best for making a kite? Many store-bought kites are made of nylon or plastic, but kites can also be made from other materials, such as different kinds of paper or cloth. Which material do you think would work best? Why? Test out y...

Which materials are best for making a kite? Many s...

What kinds of dust, dirt, and little creatures move around in your home? Use a simple trap to find out. Make a loop of tape with the sticky side out, and press it onto a piece of cardboard. Lay the cardboard, tape-side up, in a spot where it won't be...

What kinds of dust, dirt, and little creatures mov...

Hold a metal fork between your thumb and index finger. Hit it with a metal spoon. While the fork is still ringing, gently touch the handle to your teeth. What do you hear? Explanation Many solid objects carry sound vibrations better than air does. Ti...

Hold a metal fork between your thumb and index fin...

Look at your eyes in a mirror somewhere that lets a lot of light fall on your eyes. Notice the size of each pupil, which is the black dot in the center of each eye. Next, cup your hands around your eyes to cast a shadow over them. Can you see the pup...

Look at your eyes in a mirror somewhere that lets ...

By : Tony Helies Roll a piece of clay into a smooth ball the size of a marble. Drop it onto a hard floor. Also drop a marble (or any hard object, like a penny or a paper clip). Which bounces higher? Why? Hint: Does the clay ball have a flat spot whe...

By : Tony Helies Roll a piece of clay into a smoo...