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.

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Home » Insect Craft

Insect Craft

By

Water Walker

Some lightweight bugs can walk on water because
of surface tension, which means the surface of water acts like it has a thin skin on it. This happens because of the attraction that water molecules have for each other.

A bug model that can stand on water can be made with cardboard and craft stems.

DISCOVER FOR YOURSELF

insect-water-walker1

1. Adult Step Cut a 2-inch by 1/2 -inch (5-cm by 1.25-cm) strip from a piece of corrugated cardboard. Make sure the grooves in the cardboard run across the strip as shown.

2. Adult Step Cut 3 3-inch (7.5-cm) long pieces of cotton terry craft stems. NOTE: It is important that you use the cotton terry stems.

3. Use a marker to draw eyes on the head end  as shown.

4. Stick each piece of stem all the way through three grooves in the cardboard in the second section of the bug’s body so that the same amount of stem sticks out on either side. Put one stem at each end of the section and one in the center. The stems will be the legs of the bug.

insect-water-walker3

4. Bend each leg down where it meets the bug’s body. Then, bend about 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) of the end of each leg out to form a foot. Stand the bug on a table and adjust the bends in the legs so that each foot touches the table.

insect-water-walker2

5. Fill a bowl about three-fourths full with water.

6. Slowly lower the bug until its feet touch the surface of the water. Then, release it. The bug will stand on the water’s surface.

Teaching the Fun of Science

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Teaching the Fun of Science to Young Learners

The book is designed to help young students catch the “science bug” 

Teaching the Fun of Science to Young Learners

The book’s 75 lessons and reproducible activities touch on all areas of science and provide the key to a world of science magic and mystery. While kids will have fun doing the activities and learning to love science, they are also being encouraged to develop other skills, including reading, writing, math, and art.

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