VanCleave's Science Fun

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

Ratios

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A ratio is the  relationship between two amounts.  A ratio can be expressed as a fraction. What comes to mind is icing cupcakes. If I use one cup of vanilla cake icing to ice 4 cupcakes, and one cup of chocolate icing to ice 2 cup cakes, which cup cakes have more icing on them, […]

Inertia

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What is the difference between these science terms: inertia, mass, weight? Inertia measures how difficult it is to move an object. Mass measures how much material is in an object. Weight measures the force of gravity acting on an object. Often times referred to how heavy an object is. Problem: Compare Freddie (a small stuffed toy) […]

Science Project: Fireflies

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The National Children’s Museum in Washington, DC in collaboration with the Museum of Science in Boston invite kids of all ages to participate in a special science project. Kids are to collect specific data about the  fireflies in their their own backyard.The project launched June 29, 2009 and you may join in anytime. For specifics […]

Jupiter’s Bruise

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This colorful photo of Jupiter, the fifth planet from the Sun, was taken from the Hubble Telescope. Notice the area on the lower right side of Jupiter. This is where fragments from a comet collided into the giant planet in July 1994. This was a thrilling and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for scientist  to watch comet […]

Sparklers

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We in the United States are making preparations for a July 4th celebration. This always brings thoughts of family picnics followed by firework displays. In some areas fireworks are not allowed except by professionals who prepare brilliant, colorful displays. While in other places, even small children are allowed to participate in this pyrotechnic event. If […]

Celebration Pots

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These kids are decorating clay pots, which will be used to celebrate July 4th. The pots will be filled with soil and instead of holding lit sparklers in their hands, the sparklers will be stuck in the soil inside the pots. The pots can be set at a distance from the kids–not too far and […]

Mnemonics

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The human brain can more easily remember meaningful information. This explains why kids can sing every word of a song they like but have a difficult time learning information for a math or science test. But then there are lots of things we might be interested in and cannot seem to have instant recall on […]

Song Birds

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Birds, such as the mockingbird (left)  are born with the ability to sing, but they must learn the songs of their species. If a baby bird is isolated from other birds of its species, it can instinctively sing simple songs, but not the more complex songs of its species. These it must hear and learn. […]

Butterfly Puddling

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Butterflies use their long feeding tube, called a proboscis, to drink the sweet nectar from flowers. While they get the sugar they need, nectar is lacking in some important nutrients needed for reproduction. For these necessary salts and other nutrients, butterflies, mostly males, sip liquids from mud puddles or any moist area where soil might […]