Notes from Janice’s Desk Scientists make observations, identify problems, ask questions, guess at the answer (hypothesis), experiment to test their guess, collect and analyze data, and then make a conclusion stating where the result supported their hypothesis or not. These are the steps for a process called the scientific method. Do scientists always follow the […]
Archives for 2010
Chemistry: Stain Removal
Notes from Janice’s Desk I love blackberries but seem to always drop them on my clothes. Actually, I am worse than a small child when it comes to staining my clothes with the foods I eat.This means that I have lots of clothes that have food stains on them. While researching food stains I discovered […]
Science Fair Project: Alum Crystals
Kids love growing crystals. The crystal shown in the photo appears to have been grown on a colored yarn string. It is interesting that the yarn seems to wind its way through the crystal. I also find the size of the crystal interesting. Determining how to grow large alum crystals could be a great science […]
Displacement
Kids get in trouble for “bird walking,” which means to start thinking about other stuff instead of the teacher’s topic. As a kid, I was very guilty of this. But, I was bad about doing it when I taught and have a hard time with this as a writer. For example, I was studying about […]
How to Start a Science Fair Project
Question: How do I start a science fair project? Answer: This is the one question that I am often asked about science fair projects. To help teachers and kids with Getting Started Ideas, I am developing ideas. At this time, my examples for different topic may vary. This is because with each new topic, I […]
Earthworm Habitats
Question: Do earthworms only live in compost piles? Answer: No, earthworms are found in soil on every continent except Antarctica, where it is too cold for them to survive. Earthworms are found in three basic parts of the soil. For imformation about these locations, see EARTHWORM HOMES. The giant earthworm shown in the video is […]
Worm Composting
Question: How can I start a worm composting bin? Answer: I recently saw the video below on Meet Me At The Corner.com. After watching the video and reading other information on the same website, I ordered one-thousand red wiggler worms from Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm. I chose to get the regular size worms instead of […]
Science Can Be Depended On
Yes, one thing about science is that you can depend on it to be in a constant state of change. About the time you think you have the facts straight someone comes along with a new study that negates something you thought was set in stone. The song, “And Another One Bites the Dust” could […]
Biochemistry:Gelatin
Question: Why is it ok to used canned pineapple but not fresh pineapple when making a gelatin dessert? Answer: Fresh pineapple has protease, which is a chemical that digests protein. Actually, fresh pineapple contains bromelain, with is a combination of two protein-digesting chemicals.Gelatin is made from the meat protein collagen. The bromelain in fresh pineapples […]
Biochemistry: Protease
Question: How does fresh pineapple tenderize meat? Answer: There are a chemical in pineapple called enzymes that digests protein in meat. Digest means that large chemicals are broken into smaller chemicals. Bromelain is a protein digesting enzyme found in pineapple. Actinidin is another type of enzyme found in kiwi fruit. These two enzymes are proteases, […]