VanCleave's Science Fun

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

ABOUT THE SOUND PICTURE

With mouth wide open, vibrating air coming up the throat from the vocal chords leaving the open mouth and spreading in all directions. Hi, I am Janice VanCleave, author of 50+ best-selling science experiment books for children ages 4 through high school. I taught science for 27 years and now am creating this science website.   My scream was not staged. The picture was to be of two adult cats, which I was holding. A microsecond before the camera snapped, the two cats dug their claws into my skin as they prepared to leap out of my arms. A picture like this is great for making inferences. Kids could make "guesses" as to why I am screaming. They would be drawing on facts from the photo, such as I look like I am in pain or maybe I am just pretending.

Sound Supplies and Sound Investigations

Educational Innovation Sound Supplies A black and yellow logo for Educational Innovations. A place to find fun science supplies.

The Fastest Moving Plant

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To date, the fastest moving plant is the White Mulberry (Morus alba). The flower of this mulberry tree shoots pollen at speeds around 200 meters per second. The flower is able to shoot pollen so quickly because its stamens work like medieval catapults. How a Catapult Works A catapult is known as a trebuchet, which […]

Why Sunflowers Follow the Sun!

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Sun-tracking or heliotropic flowers face the Sun as it moves across the sky each day. Sunflowers are heliotropic. How do these flowers turn so they face the Sun during the day? Discover for Yourself! Do the stems of twist so that the flowers continue to face the Sun? You can check this out for yourself. […]

Chlelate: Chlorophyll

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Chlorophyll is an organic molecule. The basic  organic molecule is composed of carbon and hydrogen. More complex organic compounds contain carbon, hydrogen, and other elements such as oxygen and nitrogen. A chelate is an organic  compound with a central metal ion. Chlorophyll is one of the most important chelates in nature. In the diagram, the […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]