VanCleave's Science Fun

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

Earthworm Habitats

By

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

By

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

By

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

By

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

By

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, […]

Slime Science Fair Project

By

Slime is an all time favorite with kids, so I have created a step by step process for a slime science fair project. The photo shows pink slime that was colored with food coloring, but I wonder how colored or even glitter glue would affect the properties of slime. UUM! Sounds like a fun thing […]

Fruit vs. Vegetable

By

What is the difference between a fruit and a vegetable? Parts of a flower develop into a fruit. Seeds develop inside of fruit. For example, an avocado is a fruit with a very large seed inside. Vegetables are any other part of a plant. For example, lettuce is a leaf. People eat different parts of  plants. […]

Science Fair Projects: Plants

By

Gardening Tip: Newspaper keeps weeds away I’ve read this tip before but have never tested to see if it is true. Wet newspaper is suppose to be put in layers around the plant. Then the newspaper is covered with dirt. The newspaper is suppose to act as a barrier to weeds. You could use this […]

Biology: Fruit Ripening

By

Bananas grow in bunches. Like other fruit, ethylene gas produced by ripening bananas speeds up the ripening process. I read that leaving  bananas attached to their stem  speeds up their ripening process.  Is this really true? How could you find out? This would make a great science project. Just make sure that all the bananas […]

Log Book and Topic

By

Science Log Book Question: Help! I need to know what a science fair log book? Answer: This question as well as others that I receive about science fair project has a desperate sound to it. A log book is a science diary with information about your project from start to finish. A binder with dividers […]