VanCleave's Science Fun

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

Science Fair Projects: Gross Experiment

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Notes from Janice’s Desk I was recently told of a science project done by a team of young boys. The boys had excitedly described the event as being the grossest and coolest thing they had ever done. Their gross-cool experiment was chewing a piece of cracker, then spitting it in a container and testing it […]

Hummingbird

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If you have humming bird feeders, you need to hang them out of sight of each other. This is because hummingbirds are very territorial and will aggressively protect nectar sources, be it flowers or your feeders. For such small birds, they are very fast with an average flight speed of about 25-30 mph, and they […]

Song Birds

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Notes from Janice’s Desk We whistle by puckering our lips and blowing. It takes a bit of practice, but some people can whistle beautiful songs. Not me. I make more noise than a pleasing sound. Birds do not whistle songs. One reason is that they don’t have lips to pucker. Instead, birds have a song-making […]

Left Handed Facts

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Notes from Janice’s Desk Are you right or left handed? I write with my right hand and it is the hand that I use the most. So, I am right handed. Scientists at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland wanted to know if cats have a preference to their right or left paw.  They discovered […]

Fermentation

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Notes from Janice’s Desk Wild purple grapes grow in our area. My family loves wild grape jelly. I often pick and cook the grapes, separate the juice, and then store the juice to use later.  If I plan to use the juice in a short time, I store it in the refrigerator. Even with the […]

Altitude Sickness

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Notes from Janice’s Desk August already?? Wow! It is almost time for the official football season to start. While I like football OK, my husband is an avid fan. Like most, we support our state college and professional teams. I don’t have to watch a game to know who is winning. That is always very […]

Squirrels

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Notes from Janice’s Desk I love reading helpful hints. A recent find suggested putting red Cayenne pepper on plants to keep squirrels away.  Have you ever tasted food with a LARGE amount of Cayenne pepper on it? I have and can testify that it might be the answer to keeping all living organisms at bay. […]

Science Fair Projects:Question

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Notes from Janice’s Desk I would like to design a template for science fair projects that provides guidance without producing cloned projects. With this goal in mind, I am going to experiment with different designs and would very much like your input. I’ll work on one part of the project at a time, starting with […]

Coin Classification

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Classification Classification is nothing more than grouping things. The diagram shows a group of COINS. In the group are different kinds of coins and each coin type is identified by a letter. d = dime n = nickel p = penny q = quarter Activity: Make Coin ID Cards 1. Use a picture of a […]