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.

Earthworm: Respiration System

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Earthworms Do Not Have Lungs. How Does Oxygen Enter an Earthworm’s Body? Answer: While earthworms do not have lungs, like you, they must have oxygen to live. You have lungs that fill will air when you inhale. In your lungs, oxygen from the air is mixed with blood, and then the blood carries oxygen to […]

Earthworms: Food Web

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Question: What kind of food web are earthworms part of? Answer: Earthworms basically get their nutrition from fungi and bacteria. In turn, earthworms promote the activity of these organisms by shredding and increasing the surface area of organic matter so that it is more available to these small organisms. Earthworms are invertebrates, which means they […]

Earthworms: Recyclers

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Question: Why are Earthworms important? Answer: Earthworms Churn the Soil and Make it Porous As earthworms eat their way through soil, they break up hardened soil. Earthworms Improve Water Infiltration Rates The maze of tunnels create as earthworms eat their way through soil allows water as well as air to better mix with the soil. […]

Earthworms: Eyes

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Question: Do earthworms have eyes? Answer: Earthworms don’t have eyes, but they do move away from light. Earthworms can and do respond to light because they have light-sensitive cells scattered in their outer skin, especially at their anterior (front-head end) These cells send messages to the earthworm’s brain, which specializes in directing body movement in […]

Earthworm: Size

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Annelids (ringed worms) range in size. The Giant Earthworms, of which Michrochaetus rappi is the largest. This worm’s average length is 54 inches (1.36 m) and largest recorded 22 ft (6.7 m) with a diameter of 0.8 inches (2 cm). The smallest Annelid known to science is Chaetogaster annandalai which reaches a length of only […]

Earthworm: Locomotion Model

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A Slinky is a coil that climbs down an incline. The motion of the coils are a good model for the motion of an earthworm. First the front slinky coils stretch forward, and then rear coils are pulled forward. The video shows different ways that a slinky can move. Note that you have to get […]

Earthworms: Locomotion

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Question: How do earthworms move without legs? Answer: First watch the video, and then read my answer and check out the earthworm activities below. Earthworms are invertebrates, which means they do not have a backbone. In fact, they don’t have any kind of bones, legs, eyes, or teeth. They feel wet, slimy, and squishy. While […]

Earthworms: Air Displacement

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Question: Why do earthworms come to the surface after a big rain? Answer: If there is a lot of rain, the rain water not only fills the burrows of earthworms but also fills the spaces between rocks and particles of soil. In other words, the rain water displaces the air between the rocks and soil […]