VanCleave's Science Fun

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

Vitamin: Coenzyme

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Some enzymes need a helper called a coenzyme. The job of some coenzymes is to help an enzyme do its job, which can be to put together or take apart molecules. Changes in molecules in your body can be called biochemistry. The diagram models the bonding of two molecules, A and B. 1. The coenzyme […]

Click Beetle

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A live Clicking Click Beetle. Use Discount Code–    AFF20 —-to save 20% on Purchases. Janice VanCleave’s Biology For Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments That Really Work   Janice VanCleave’s Insects and Spiders: Mind-Boggling Experiments You Can Turn Into Science Fair Projects

Click Beetle

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Reading Activity The colorful click beetle is from the cover of Eric Carle’s The Very Clumsy Click Beetle. Eric’s books are very colorful and fun.   This one about beetles would be a great introduction into a study about beetles. Learners of varied ages can compare the characteristics of real click beetles to the characteristics of […]

BUG ID Cards: Insects

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Bug is a term used for all creepy crawlers, including insects and spiders. An easy way to distinguish insects and spiders is called The 3 + 3 Rule. Insects have: three pairs of legs (3 legs on each side of its second body part) three body parts Let’s Get Buggy 1. On index cards, draw […]

Click Beetles

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Elaters, click beetles, snapping beetles, spring beetles and “skipjacks” are all common names for members of the widespread beetle family Elateridae. The following information about click beetles is from AgriLifeExtension website. Scientific Name: Varies Order: Coleoptera Description: Click beetles are elongated, parallel-sided and usually bear backward projections on the side corners of the shield behind […]

Types of Ants

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Ants are insects that live in colonies (groups of the same kind of animals living together). Each colony can contain hundreds or even thousands of ants. There are three basic types of ants: Queens: The “mother” ant that spends her long life of up to 10 to 15 years laying eggs. Queens are usually wingless […]

Pasteuration

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Pasteurization is a process name for French scientist Louis Pasteur , who discovered the process in the 1860s that undesired fermentation caused by bacteria could be prevented in wine and beer by heating it to 135°F (57°C) for a few minutes. The process is still used for sterilization of liquids such as milk, orange juice, […]

Plant Osmosis

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Plant cells are surrounded by rigid walls made of cellulose (plant fiber), but water can still move through these walls to go in and out of plant cells. This movement of water is called osmosis. When water moves into a plant cell, the cell expands, much like a balloon does when inflated. Unlike a balloon, […]

Vertebrate Skeletons

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A vertebrate is an  animal with an internal backbone. The bones of a backbone are called vertebrae Birds, cats, dogs, dinosaurs and you have backbones. Did You Know? Most mammals have seven vertebrae in their neck. This means that you and a giraffe  have the same number of neck vertebrae. Vertebrae are just part of […]