VanCleave's Science Fun

Your Guide to Science Projects, Fun Experiments, and Science Research

Archives for 2010

Cloning: Dolly

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Why was the cloned sheep called Dolly named after the Country Western Singer, Dolly Parton? The cells used to clone Dolly came from the breasts of Dolly’s mother. Dolly Parton is known for her large breast, so the scientists named the cloned sheep Dolly. More Information about Dolly Dolly was born July 5, 1996 at […]

Musical Bottles

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Using bottles to make music is fun for kids of all ages. The best presentation I’ve heard were seniors who played “Lean on Me” and along with the music from the  various bottles, one student added  a drum beat by tapping on the lab table. It really was awesome–too long ago for me to have […]

Floating Ball

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Science has a magical appeal for children. While they are entertained by science demonstrations, nothing is as captivating as something they can do themselves. The best TEACHING TIP I have for club directors is to support and encourage children’s inborn gift of curiosity One way is to explore the fun of science TOGETHER. Instead of […]

Mass: Equal-Arm Balance

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Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space. Mass is defined as the amount of matter that an object is made of. YIKES! Matter has mass and mass is made of matter!  This doesn’t  tell me what these terms mean. UUM!! For now, let’s say that  mass is the amount of STUFF that […]

Using Inertia to Measure Mass

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What is Newton’s First Law of Motion?   Newton’s first law of motion is about inertia. While this might sound technical, it’s not. Inertia is a characteristic of an object’s state of motion. Well, this doesn’t sound very easy, so let me try again. Actually, I am writing this so that a special technical reviewer, […]

Complete Flowers

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A complete flower has these four basic parts: The carpel is the bottle -shaped structure in the center of the flower. Its top opening is called a stigma, followed by its neck (style) and rounded bottom (ovule). Stamen Petals surround and protect the carpel and stamen. Sepals are leaf-like structures that surround and protect the […]

Graviton

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Gravity is a force between materials. The greater the mass, the greater the force of gravity, so things that have a lot of mass, such as the planet Earth, pulls things with less mass, such as a chunk of rock, to its surface. As shown in the diagram, the winner of the gravity tug-of-war between […]

Root Systems

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Dandelion and grass represent the two main kinds of root systems, taproot system and fibrous root systems. The dandelion has a tap root system, which consists of a taproot that grows straight down and rootlets branching from the taproot. The grass has a fibrous root system, which consists of a main root that is not […]

Oxidation: Sparklers

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Most people think of fireworks as being explosive and dangerous for children–they are very correct. But many think sparklers are safe for children. NOT TRUE! Some of the forming information is too advanced for young children, but the safety use of sparklers is. Did You Know!! 1. Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit and can […]

Frog Tongue: Model and Game

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Frogs have a long tongue that can extended far out of their mouths. A frog’s tongue is about one-third the length of its body. In the photo, the child’s tongue barely extends past her lips. If were one-third the length of her body, the child’s tongue would touch her belly button. Yikes! How would she […]