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Ep180: Simple Science Experiments · Kidcast Daily

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  Spin the wheel, let's take a ride.
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  Sports and science bursting from inside a world of wonder.
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  Open wide. Come on kids, let's amplify kid
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  cats. Daily starts yours.
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  Welcome to Kick Ass Daily, where we bring news, trivia, fun
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  facts, and more just for curious kids like you.
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  Today, we're going to have a blast exploring the world of
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  simple science experiments. Science experiments are a
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  fantastic way to learn about the world by actually doing things
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  and seeing what happens. You don't need a big laboratory
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  or fancy equipment. With just a few things you can
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  find at home, you can discover some of the coolest scientific
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  ideas. First, let's talk about what a
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  science experiment actually is. A science experiment is a way to
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  test an idea or answer a question using careful steps.
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  Scientists call this the scientific method.
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  The scientific method has a few basic steps.
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  Ask a question, make a guess or prediction, which scientists
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  call a hypothesis. Do an experiment, watch what
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  happens, and then share what you learned.
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  You can use the scientific method for all kinds of
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  questions, like what makes a plant grow fastest or what
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  happens if I mix two things together.
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  Now let's get started with some easy and safe experiments you
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  can try at home. Remember, it's always a good
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  idea to have an adult help you, especially if you're using
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  things from the kitchen or anything sharp.
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  One of the most popular simple experiments is the baking soda
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  and vinegar volcano. This experiment is all about
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  chemical reactions. A chemical reaction happens when
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  two or more things mixed together to make something new.
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  For this experiment, you'll need baking soda, vinegar, a small
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  container like a cup, and a tray to catch any spills.
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  Here's what you do. Put a few spoonfuls of baking
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  soda into the cup, then slowly pour in some vinegar.
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  Watch what happens. You'll see bubbles and fizzing
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  and maybe even foam overflowing from the cup.
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  That's because when baking soda, which is a base, meets vinegar,
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  which is an acid, they react and make a gas called carbon
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  dioxide. The gas forms bubbles in the
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  liquid, which creates the fizzing and foaming.
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  Did you know that the same gas, carbon dioxide, is what makes
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  soda fizzy? So every time you see bubbles in
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  a soda, you're seeing a little chemical reaction.
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  Let's try another experiment that shows how plants drink
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  water. This one is called the celery
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  and colored water experiment. For this, you'll need a stock of
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  celery, a glass of water, and some food coloring.
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  Add a few drops of food coloring to the water.
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  Then put the celery stock in the glass.
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  After a few hours or overnight, check the celery.
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  You'll notice that the leaves and the top of the celery have
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  changed color. That's because the celery is
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  pulling the colored water up through tiny tubes inside its
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  stem. This process is called capillary
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  action. Plants use capillary action to
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  move water from the ground up to their leaves.
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  If you look closely, you might see little colored lines inside
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  the celery. That's where the water traveled.
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  Here's a fun experiment with only water and a little bit of
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  soap. It's called the pepper and soap
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  experiment. Fill a shallow bowl with water
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  and sprinkle some ground black pepper over the surface.
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  The pepper will float on top. Now dip your finger in some
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  liquid soap and touch the middle of the water.
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  Watch as the pepper quickly moves away from your finger.
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  This happens because of something called surface
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  tension. Water molecules like to stick
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  together, which creates a sort of skin on the surface.
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  When you add soap, it breaks that surface tension and the
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  pepper scatters. Did you know that insects like
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  water striders can walk on water because of surface tension?
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  This experiment helps you see how powerful it can be.
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  Let's talk about another cool experiment, making a homemade
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  lava lamp. For this, you'll need a clear
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  plastic bottle, water, vegetable oil, food coloring, and a fizzy
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  tablet like an antacid. Fill the bottle about 1/3 with
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  water, then add some food coloring.
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  Next, pour in vegetable oil until the bottle is almost full.
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  Wait a minute and you'll see the oil and water separate into two
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  layers. The oil always floats on top of
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  water because it's less dense. Now break the fizzy tablet into
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  a few pieces and drop them in the bottle one at a time.
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  You'll see colorful blobs floating up and down, just like
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  a real lava lamp. That's because the fizzy tablet
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  makes bubbles of carbon dioxide gas, which rise up through the
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  oil carrying colored water with them.
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  When the bubbles pop at the top, the colored water falls back
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  down. This experiment is a great way
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  to see how liquids can have different densities.
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  Here's a simple experiment that shows how air pressure works.
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  You'll need a glass of water and a piece of stiff paper or a
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  playing card. Fill the glass almost to the top
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  with water. Place the card over the opening,
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  making sure it covers the whole top.
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  With one hand holding the card in place, carefully flip the
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  glass upside down over the sink, then slowly let go of the card.
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  You'll see that the card stays in place and the water doesn't
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  spill out. This works because air pressure
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  outside the glass pushes up on the card, holding it against the
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  glass and keeping the water inside.
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  Did you know that air pressure is also what helps airplanes fly
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  and what makes weather change? This simple experiment gives you
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  a tiny look at how powerful air can be.
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  Have you ever wondered why some objects float and others sink?
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  You can test this with a sink or float experiment.
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  Fill a bowl with water and gather some small objects like a
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  coin, a plastic spoon, a grape, and a small piece of wood.
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  One by one, drop each object into the water and see what
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  happens. Does it float or sink?
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  Objects that are less dense than water will float, and objects
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  that are more dense will sink. For example, a grape might
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  float, while a coin will sink. Did you know that huge ships
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  made of metal can float because they are shaped so that their
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  overall density is less than water?
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  Now let's try an experiment that lets you see sound in action.
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  For this, you'll need a metal spoon and a piece of string
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  about 50 centimeters long. Tie the string tightly around
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  the middle of the spoon. Then wrap the ends of the string
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  around your fingers and press your fingers gently into your
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  ears. Don't put them inside your ears,
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  just press them against the outside.
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  Now let the spoon hang down and gently hit it against a table or
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  chair. You'll hear a loud bell like
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  sound. That's because the sound waves
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  travel up the string and into your ears.
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  This experiment shows how sound can travel through solids, not
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  just through air. If you like rainbows, you'll
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  love this next experiment. You can make a rainbow with just
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  a glass of water, a piece of white paper, and sunlight.
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  Fill the glass with water and place it on a table near a sunny
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  window. Hold the paper so the sunlight
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  passes through the glass and shines onto the paper.
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  You'll see a rainbow appear on the paper.
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  This happens because the water bends the light, splitting it
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  into different colors. This is called refraction.
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  Did you know that real rainbows in the sky happen when sunlight
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  passes through raindrops, which also bend and split the light?
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  Let's look at another experiment that shows how crystals form.
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  You can grow your own salt crystals with just water, salt,
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  and a piece of string. Heat some water until it's warm.
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  Ask an adult for help with this step.
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  Stir in salt until it won't dissolve anymore.
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  That means the water is saturated.
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  Tie the string around a pencil and rest the pencil across the
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  top of a glass. Let the string dangle into the
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  salty water. Leave it for a few days and
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  watch what happens. You'll see tiny salt crystals
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  start to form on the string. This is because as the water
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  slowly evaporates, the salt comes out of the solution and
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  forms solid crystals. Crystals have a special shape
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  because their molecules are arranged in a repeating pattern.
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  Now let's talk about why these experiments are important.
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  Simple science experiments help us see and understand the basic
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  ideas that make the world work. They show us that science is
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  everywhere, not just in textbooks or laboratories.
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  You can see science in your kitchen, your backyard, or even
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  your bathroom. By doing experiments, you're
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  thinking like a scientist. You're asking questions, making
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  predictions, testing ideas, and learning from what you see.
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  Did you know that many famous scientists started out by doing
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  simple experiments at home? For example, Isaac Newton
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  learned about gravity by watching apples fall from trees.
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  Marie Curie was curious about rocks and minerals when she was
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  a child. Every big scientific discovery
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  begins with curiosity and simple questions.
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  Let's recap what we learned today.
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  Science experiments help us answer questions and discover
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  how things work. You don't need fancy equipment.
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  Just everyday items can show you amazing things.
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  We learned about chemical reactions with baking soda and
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  vinegar, saw how plants drink water with colored celery,
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  explored surface tension with pepper and soap, made a homemade
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  lava lamp to see how gases and liquids mix, and tested air
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  pressure with a glass of water and a card.
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  We also learned about density with a sink or float test, how
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  sound travels with a spoon and string, how to make rainbows
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  with water and sunlight, and how crystals grow with salt and
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  water. Remember, the most important
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  part of science is curiosity. If you ever wonder how something
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  works, try to find out with a safe experiment.
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  Always ask for help from an adult if you're not sure.
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  Science is fun and anyone can be a scientist, including you.
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  Thanks for joining us on Kid Cast Daily.
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  Keep asking. Grab your breakfast.
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  Feeling fine? Adventures waiting?
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