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Category: Fun Science Activity (Page 55 of 112)

Weekend Science Fun: Birds of the Rain Forest

November 20, 2011 / / 6 Comments

Today we were inspired two bright and colorful books for first graders, Macaws by Cecilia Pinto McCarthy and Rain Forest Life by Janine Scott. These two books would be perfect to accompany a trip to the zoo or a unit on rain forests for the youngest set.

Macaws are from Mexico, Central and South America. Their bright colors and inquisitive natures make them popular with humans.

Facts about Macaws:

  • have colorful feathers
  • can live 50 years or more
  • have strong beaks for eating fruit and seeds
  • males and females pair for life
  • nest in tree cavities
  • travel in flocks

Most macaws live in rain forests. A rain forest is a place with trees that gets a lot of rain. How much rain? Some rain forests get up to an inch of rain per day, or 365 inches per year! Rain forests are often found in warm, tropical regions, but there are also cooler rain forests. An example of a cooler climate rain forest occurs in the west coast of the state of Washington.

Tropical rain forests are home to an abundance of interesting, colorful, and unique birds, in addition to macaws:

Activities:

1. Bird Beaks

Birds use their beaks for many of the same purposes that we humans use our hands. Birds eat with their beaks, build nests with them, and even groom themselves with them. Birds do not have teeth, but they do have tongues.

One of the first things you might notice about the macaws, toucans, hornbills and hummingbirds is how different their beaks are.

(Photograph of hyacinth macaw by Malcolm at Wikimedia)

The macaw’s beak is long and curved on top, coming to a hook at the end. The lower beak is short and stubby in comparison. It looks rather like a can opener.

Check out how these wild macaws use the pointed tip of their beak and their tongue to remove nut meats from nuts. Note: This video has numerous pop-up ads.

The toucan’s beak is so large that you might wonder how it flies. It turns out that the beak is very light. Toucans eat mostly fruit, although they also eat insects.

The hornbill’s beak is also very large. The structure on the top is called a “casque” and it is thought to be involved with calling (sound production). Larger hornbills have a diet similar that of the toucan. Smaller ones are omnivorous (they eat many things), or even carnivorous (eating only meat).

The hummingbird’s beak is long and slender like a needle. Known for drinking nectar from flowers, hummingbirds also eat small flying insects.

Eating like a Bird

1. Food

Gather:

  • various small fruits like blueberries, raisins, nuts, 0-shaped cereals, gummy worms, and small crackers (check about food allergies beforehand and avoid foods with those ingredients). If you don’t want the children to snack on the food afterwards, choose inedible items like un-popped popcorn and packing peanuts.
  • plates or dishes to present the food on
  • variety of equipment to mimic bird beaks, such as tongs, toy pliers, toothpicks, chopsticks, tweezers or forceps, and straws
  • paper cups or similar containers to act as the bird’s “crop” (where the food goes)
  • timer (optional)

Depending on the number of children and the amount of food and equipment you have, you might want to form small groups.  Explain that the children are going to “eat like a bird.” Suggest that they try to put the different food items into their “crops” (cups) using the different tools, but not to use their fingers. Present each child/group with a plate holding an assortment of food items and allow them to freely explore the options. Do some tools work better than others? Brainstorm about what might be other challenging foods that birds might eat. How would you eat an oyster or a snail without hands? How would you eat a fish without dropping it? What other types of tools might be helpful?

Handling time:

Introduce the idea of “handling time,” that is the amount of time it takes to pick up, process and eat a particular food item. Using a single tool and a timer, see how many pieces of a particular food they can get into their crops (cups) in a short period of time, such as a minute. Try other kinds of food for the same length of time. Weigh the amount of each type of food that was gathered to discover which type was most efficient, or resulted in the most food consumed per minute. Graph the results.

Another way to perform this test might be to time how long it takes to pick up a particular number of one type of food item with different tools. For example, how long does it take to pick up 30 raisins with tweezers versus toothpicks?

Fluids:

Have you ever watched a bird drink? Notice how these chickens scoop up water and then tilt their heads back to let the water flow down their throats.

Drinking is also a challenge with a beak. Often the tongue helps. Scientists have recently discovered that hummingbirds have a tongue like a mop that they use to slurp up nectar. If you’ve ever visited a lorikeet exhibit, you might have seen the brush-like tongues they use to lap nectar.

Gather:

  • straws
  • spoons
  • new toothbrush
  • juice
  • shallow bowls

Pour the juice into shallow bowl. Compare how easy it is to drink with a straw or spoon versus try to drink by collecting fluid in the bristles of a toothbrush.

2. Bird Craft

One thing that catches your eye about these tropical birds is their colorful feathers. Make a brightly colored bird.

Gather:

  • craft pom poms (2 sizes, body and head)
  • colorful feathers (available at craft stores)
  • matching color chenille pieces, cut into short lengths for beaks
  • sewing thread
  • white or craft glue
  • scissors

Chose 1 large pom pom for body and one smaller pom pom for the head for each bird. Take a few minutes to study the structure of the feathers. Find two similar feathers for wings and one for a tail. If the feathers are widely different sizes you can trim them with scissors. Choose a section of chenille to serve as a beak. Bend the chenille into a v-shape, if desired, or leave it long to serve as a hummingbird beak.

Glue the head and body together. Set aside to let dry or the head may slip when adding other elements. If you are doing a flock of birds, you can glue some while others are drying. Put a bit of glue on the hard tip of each feather (where it attached to the bird in real life) and insert it into the body on either side to form wings. Add glue to the hard tip of the tail feather and insert it on the opposite side from the head. Finally add some glue to the tip of the chenille and add to front of head, taking care not to move the wings and tail. Allow to dry.

Once dry, tie a length of thread around the body and hang up. You can create mobiles or flocks of birds or use them as puppets.

3. Bird homes and rainforest layers

The rainforest is divided into layers.

The emergent layer consists of the very tallest trees that push up through the canopy.

The canopy is the dense layer of treetops.

Under the canopy there may be little light. Wherever light passes through the canopy, young trees, shrubs and vines can grow. The forest floor is also teeming with life.

Birds like the hoatzin use the trees of the rainforest for homes and food.

Many birds live in the canopy layer of the rainforest, although some nest in the shrubs and vines of the understory. Ant birds follow army ant swarms running over the forest floor, catching insects and other arthropods chased up by the approaching ants.

Project:  Chose a rainforest bird that interests you and find out where it lives in the rainforest. Does it nest in trees in the canopy or shrubs in the understory? Where does it find food?

Prepare a short report and share what you have found out with others.

Macaws by Cecilia Pinto McCarthy

Reading level: Ages 4 and up
Library Binding: 24 pages
Publisher: Capstone Press (August 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 142966049X
ISBN-13: 978-1429660495

Rain Forest Life by Janine Scott

Reading level: Ages 4 and up
Paperback: 24 pages
Publisher: Capstone Press (August 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1429671521
ISBN-13: 978-1429671521

Books were provided by publisher for review purposes.

See our growing list of children’s books about birds at Science Books for Kids.

Weekend Science Fun: Exploring Light and Its Relatives Part 2

November 13, 2011 / / 0 Comments

How do scientists study objects far out in space? Modern astronomers use a variety of telescopes to capture information about the universe. Some of the telescopes are part of orbiting satellites outside the Earth’s atmosphere; others are right here on Earth. These telescopes monitor light and/or its relatives, that is, light and other forms of radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum.

For example, radar and radio waves were used to investigate the recent asteroid that passed by the Earth.

To help understand how all this works let’s explore the different types of radiation found in the electromagnetic spectrum. We split the activities into two posts because it is rather long. In Part 1 we started an electromagnetic spectrum wall chart, examined waves/wavelengths, and radio waves. Now let’s find out more.

Part 2 Electromagnetic spectrum activities:

1. Microwaves

Because of microwave ovens, microwaves have become a household word. But what are microwaves and how do they work?

Microwaves are a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than radio waves. They are used for all sorts of things, including remote sensing of weather for forecasting, as well as for monitoring space. Some forms are also used for communications.

In the microwave oven, substances containing water molecules absorb microwave energy and heat up.

This simple experiment from Steve Spangler is sure to get kids excited about microwaves.

Physics in the Microwave at Physics Central explains more and has ideas for “expanding” this experiment.

2. Infrared

We can’t see infrared radiation with our eyes, but we can sometimes feel it is as heat. Certain snakes, called pit vipers, have organs on their heads that can detect infrared radiation (as a way to find their prey in the dark).

We can see infrared radiation using special cameras. Check out this online infrared photo album Click on “start” in the upper right hand corner to see real infrared photographs. If you click on the special magnifying lens and then move your mouse over the image, you’ll see the same photograph in visible light. Look at the footprints. Where did they go in the visible light view?

If you have a Macintosh computer, you can fake an infrared photograph using the program Photo Booth. See if you can figure out how the program achieves this effect.

For more about infrared radiation, see:

(Image from NASA)

3. Visible Light

Gather:

  • prism or glass of water

Take it outside on a sunny day and create rainbows by separating white light into its component colors. (See related post for more information and activities).

If you don’t have a prism, Catch The Waves has a color spectrum interactive you can try online.

Demonstration that light waves are a form of energy:

A radiometer can be used to show that light is a form of energy. Place the radiometer in a sunny window and watch the blades/panels inside spin. Energy is the ability to do work, in this case moving the blades.

You can also convert light energy to heat energy by concentrating it with a magnifying lens. Have you ever burned a piece of paper with just sunlight and a magnifying lens? (Only with adult supervision.)

4. Ultraviolet (UV)

Ultraviolet radiation has a slightly shorter wavelength than visible light. Humans can’t see ultraviolet light, but many other animals can, including honey bees and butterflies.

Many flowers have spots we can not see in visible light, but that show under ultraviolet light. Scientists call these spots and patterns “nectar guides” because they are thought to attract bees and other pollinators to the flower.

(Photograph is from Wikimedia Commons.)

Exploring ultraviolet:

a. Obtain or borrow an “black light” (available in many hardware and home supply stores). Black lights produce a type of UV light. Materials, such as florescent posters, glow under a black light. Try out the activities in this glowing chemistry post.

Some items that glow under a black light:

  • Did you know that ripe bananas glow blue under certain ultraviolet lights?
  • Scorpions glow when you shine a black light on them in the dark.
  • Certain minerals also glow under UV.

b. Gather some ultraviolet-sensitive beads (see below for one source) that change colors when expose to ultraviolet radiation. Find out whether you have to be in direct sunlight to be exposed to ultraviolet radiation. (We found that there was enough reflected UV in some shady places to color the beads.)

Saturn’s Rings in ultraviolet light (Image from NASA)

5. X-rays

Have you ever had an x-ray taken, for example at a dentist’s office or if you had a broken bone? X-rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation with a very short wavelength.

X-rays are considered to be “ionizing radiation,” which means its energy levels are high enough that when it strikes a molecule it can remove an electron, thus forming an ion. Because of this property, exposure to X-rays should be limited.

6. Gamma rays

Certain gamma rays have the highest level of energy of all the forms of electromagnetic radiation, as well as the shortest wavelength. Here on earth gamma rays are only produced by lightning, radioactive decay of certain radioactive elements, and nuclear explosions. In space they are produced by high-energy events such as supernovas.

Gamma rays are harmful and helpful because they are used to treat certain cancers and to kill bacteria in food.

Light and its relatives in the electromagnetic spectrum have a lot of uses, including investigating space. Have you used any forms of electromagnetic radiation today? Leave a comment and let us know which ones.

Uv Beads are available through science, educational, and toy outlets.


LEDwholesalers 395 nM 51 UV Ultraviolet LED flashlight Blacklight 3 AA, 7202UV395


(If you purchase an item at Amazon through these links, I receive a small commission that is used to offset the costs of maintaining this website.)

Science Book Week: Electromagnetic Spectrum Part I

October 17, 2011 / / 0 Comments

I am going to do something a bit different this week. On Friday I will be hosting the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Friday book meme here at Growing with Science. To celebrate, I am going to have a post with recently-published science books every day this week.

Our books today are What Do We Know About Stars & Galaxies? by John Farndon and Milky Way and Other Galaxies (The Solar System and Beyond) by Megan Kopp are excellent introductions to all the new discoveries that have been made about galaxies: how galaxies form and how they behave. (See Wrapped in Foil for a full review of the books.)

Illustration from NASA

How do scientists study objects in space? Modern astronomers use a variety of telescopes to capture information about the universe. Often the telescopes are part of orbiting satellites in space. Megan Kopp’s book, in particular, covers the technology that is used to study galaxies. She talks about the Hubble Telescope, the James Webb Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2, affectionately known as the AMS-2.

How do telescopes monitor galaxies? The telescopes capture light or some of other forms of radiant energy, such as radio waves, infrared, or microwaves. These forms of radiant energy are called electromagnetic radiation.

What is the electromagnetic spectrum? It shows range of frequencies of the different forms of electromagnetic radiation. At one end, radio waves have a low frequency (long wavelength) and at the other, gamma waves are high frequency (short wavelength).

(The electromagnetic spectrum from lowest energy/longest wavelength (at the top) to highest energy/shortest wavelength (at the bottom). (Credit: NASA’s Imagine the Universe))

This week we will start with an introductory activity to organize the information, plus discuss radio waves. Next week we’ll investigate more of the different forms of electromagnetic radiation in Part 2.

Activities:

1. Create an electromagnetic spectrum wall chart.

Use a wall chart to record your observations about each type of radiation.

Gather:

  • a roll of paper about five to six feet long (butcher’s paper works great)
  • colored markers
  • tape to fix the paper to the wall (painter’s tape won’t leave a mark)
  • yardstick (optional)
  • an example of the electromagnetic spectrum like the one above (search the internet for “electromagnetic spectrum images”)

Study the example of the electromagnetic spectrum. Write the names of the different types of radiation from left to right across the center of the paper in order of size of wavelength: Radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-rays, and gamma rays. Add information to the chart under each type as you learn more doing the activities.

2. What is a wave?

You may have read that light and its relatives travel in waves. What does that mean?

Think about physical waves, like the waves in the ocean or sound waves. Electromagnetic waves exhibit a similar motion.

See how you can vary the wave with different motions. Gather a jump rope or other heavy rope. Have two children hold each end to the rope tightly. Now have one move the rope up and down while the other stays still. Can you create a wave motion? What happens when you speed up or slow down? How about if you move your arm higher or less?

Now we will look at different types of electromagnetic radiation, starting at the radio waves, which have the largest wavelength and low energy, to gamma rays, which have the smallest wavelength and highest energy.

3. Radio waves

Have you ever wondered how radios work? How does electricity and sound waves become transmitted through the air via radio waves?

Currently the largest telescope to detect radio waves from space is the Arecibo Radio Telescope in Puerto Rico.

Studying the electromagnetic spectrum helps us understand more about astronomy, as well as other fields like communication and medicine and it is really too much for a single post. I will link to posts about microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-rays and gamma rays as they are published.

Edit: Part 2 is now published.

Our books today:

Earth Space and Beyond: What Do We Know About Stars & Galaxies? by John Farndon

Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Raintree
ISBN-10: 1406226289
ISBN-13: 978-1406226287


What Do We Know About Stars & Galaxies? Express version by John Farndon

Reading level: 3 (simpler version for younger children)
Library Binding: 48 pages
Publisher: Heinemann-Raintree (August 1, 2011)
ISBN-10: 1410941620
ISBN-13: 978-1410941626


Milky Way and Other Galaxies (The Solar System and Beyond) by Megan Kopp

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Capstone Press (August 1, 2011)
ISBN-10: 1429672277
ISBN-13: 978-1429672276


Disclosures: Books were supplied by the publisher for review purposes. Also, I am an affiliate for Amazon. If you click through the linked titles or ads and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Proceeds will be used to maintain this self-hosted blog.

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