VanCleave's Science Fun

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

Buoyancy

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Archimedes discovered that fluids, such as air or water, apply an upward force on objects that are partially or totally submerged in the fluids. Such object are said to have buoyancy (the tendency to float when placed in a fluid). The upward force of fluids is called a buoyant force. A buoyant force is equal […]

Hygroscopic

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Wood is hygroscopic, which means it attracts water. When wood fills with water, the wood swells. You can use this physical chararacteric of wood to perform what appears to be magic, but instead ===it is fun science! Discover For Yourself 1. Bend five round wooden toothpicks into a V shape without breaking them apart. 2. Place […]

Shape: Force Distribution

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Janice VanCleave’s Engineering for Every Kid: Easy Activities That Make Learning Science Fun This book contains research for different types of engineering as well as investigations that can be used as exploratory experiments in the design and developing of an engineering project. The Science and Engineering Fair is a contest with two specific types of […]

Strength of Shapes

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Testing the Strength of an Egg Shell Eggs break easily when you hit them against a hard surface. But it’s difficult to break an egg just by squeezing it length-wise in your hands. This is because of the dome shape of the eggshell. The force applied by your hand spreads over the eggshell. The diagram […]

Electric Circuit: Parallel

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Question: What is a parallel circuit? Answer: First, let me define a few words: electricity: Electrical energy circuit: Path through which electrical energy passes. series circuit: A circular path through which electricity passes. parallel circuit: A circuit with branched paths through which electricity passes. A parallel circuit is made of 2 or more connecting circles. […]

Thomas Edison’s Family

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Thomas Edison had always had ear problems, but at 15 while trying to jump on a moving train, a conductor grabbed Edison’s ears to help pull him up. Edison said he felt something snap inside his head, and soon he began to lose much of his hearing. While surgery could have cured his hearing problem, […]

Predators: Wolves

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Question: What is the difference between a predator and a prey? Answer: A predator is an animal that hunts and eats another animal. Wolves are carnivores, which means they are meat eaters. Being carnivores, wolves hunt and eat other animals, which makes them a predator. A prey is the animal being hunted and eaten by […]

Meet Me At the Corner

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Each topic on this page has: 1. A link to a  “Meet Me at the Corner Video” about the topic. 2. A link to an index page where specific information can be found about the topic. Earthworms 1. Meet Me At the Corner-Earthworms 2. Earthworm Index Edison 1. Meet Me At the Corner: Edison 2. […]

Earthworms: Location

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There are thousands of different species of earthworms, but they can be divided into three groups based on their feeding and burrowing habits. Each group is important to maintain healthy soil. 1. Surface soil and litter species – Epigeic species. These earthworms live in or near surface plant litter. They are typically small and being […]

Fishing Fun

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I am a mom, grandmother, and great grandmother– In my spare time I wrote 52 science books for kids. Now I squeeze in time to write this science web site. I also write articles for magazines. A parenting magazine asked me to provide them with  fun activities for very young kids. At the time, my […]