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.
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Hidden Colors

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Paper Chromatography

Chromatography means to write with colors. Chromatography is a chemical process of separating mixtures of colorants.

Janice VanCleave's Chemistry for Every Kid Book is a basic science experiment book, designed to help kids to learn, and adults to teach the fun of learning chemistry concepts.

Chemistry for Every Kid

Each of the 101 chemistry experiments has a purpose, list of materials, step-by-step instructions and illustrations, expected results, and a science explanation in understandable terms.

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The first video below demonstrates the following Paper Chromatography procedure steps. The video also has a craft idea for making a butterfly using the colored paper filter.
The second video below provides information about paper chromatography as well as more investigation ideas.

Procedure for Paper Chromatography

1. Using a water soluble marking pen, draw a circle about one inch from the center of a paper coffee filter.

2. Follow the steps in the diagram to fold the coffee filter into a funnel.

3. Stand the paper funnel in a glass of water so that only the tip of the funnel touches the water.

Important: You do not want the colored ink circle to touch the water in the glass.

4. Repeat the procedure using different water soluble marker colors.

5. Repeat the procedure using a permanent marker.

Real World Applications

1. Water soluble inks dissolve in water and the different colorants in the ink will spread out through the paper.

2. Permanent ink will not dissolve in water.

3. Paper chromatography is used to discover the content of colored mixtures.

4. ” Purple, Green and Yellow”  by Robert Munsch  is a fun book about washable and permanent markers.

Big Book of Science Experiments

A book of fun informative experiments about astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth science, and physics.

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