VanCleave's Science Fun

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

Test

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Notes from Janice’s Desk Many people are not good test takers and I am one of them. I seem to go into “brain freeze” when I have to take a test. I am 67 and the only test I get concerned about now is my blood sugar level. But more than two million students this […]

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 […]

Hawaii: Kauai

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Notes from Janice’s Desk My visit to Kauai, one of the Hawaiian islands, was awesome. Like all the Hawaiian islands, there was too much to see in just one visit. A helicopter ride over the island gave me a bird’s eye view of the beautiful sites from the lush tropical forests that cover Mount Waialeale, […]

Why Do Science Projects?

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Too often science fair projects are viewed by students as more stuff to read. From a kid’s point of view, experimenting is fun. It’s all the reading and writing that most object to. But even this can be “less painful” if they start out with a plan. In other words, they have to be organized. […]

Deductive Reasoning

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Notes from Janice’s Desk I am able to control my diabetes with diet. Basically this means that if food tastes good I should spit it out. Nothing made with sucrose (table sugar) , that covers everything that I like–cake, cookies, chocolate candy, chocolate candy and did I say chocolate candy? I have to limit the […]

Scientific Method:Cleaning Kitchen

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Notes from Janice’s Desk I’d like kids to use the scientific method instead of just defining it and listing its steps. The scientific method is a valuable life-skill tool that is used in solving everyday problems. It is especially useful in emergencies.  For example, I got a call from a local TV reporter that she […]

Science Fair Projects:Green

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Notes from Janice’s Desk There are about 500 billion plastic bags produced a year worldwide and it takes up to 1,000 years for some of them to decompose. Daniel Burd discovered a way to make the plastic bags decompose in about 3 months. His idea was considered valid and he won many awards, including a […]

Shapes

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Notes from Janice’s Desk Over the years I’ve collected very valuable pieces of art work, including the one shown. If the work were in a frame with Picasso’s name on it  one might think it was during his basic shape period. But the art is even more valuable to me than any that Picasso might […]

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 […]