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Category: Fun Science Activity (Page 82 of 112)

Using Plays to Teach Science

November 8, 2009 / / 0 Comments

Can you combine drama and science? Yes, and you can be sure that it is fun. Of course, these days it’s only a short step from a science project to YouTube fame. Gather some friends and relatives and have a blast!

Tips on how to create a science play:

1. Use simple props to act out a process. See how the students in this video act out how a hailstorm forms. I particularly enjoyed the falling clouds. 🙂

A few other examples:
Metamorphosis – have children pretend to be a molting insect. Put a shirt on backwards (the exoskeleton generally splits down the back) over the street clothes, and then have the child wiggle free. No hands though, because insects can’t use their hands to free themselves.

Chemical reactions of photosynthesis– using tennis balls to represent electrons being passed.

Movement of water through different types of soil –
Tie a bit of blue cloth to one child volunteer, who will represent the water. The rest of children (or children and adults) can be soil particles. First have the soil particles hold out their arms out straight to the sides and form a loose cluster. They are now big sand grains taking up big space. Let the water child try to move through. It should be easy. Then have the soil particles put their hands on their hips and move closer together. Now they are middle-sized silt particles. The water child should still be able to move through, but it will be more difficult. Finally, have the children put their arms tight to their sides and pack together. They are now clay particles. The water child will have a lot of trouble getting through now. If she or he does manage to get in, point out that it is hard to get out again too. Clay holds water tightly once it gets in, sand lets water move through easily.

The water cycle– have people and props to represent rain, clouds, evaporation, condensation, etc.

2. Write a play based on a folktale. Folktales contain a lot of wisdom about how the natural world works. Feel free to embellish and add characters, as needed.

Aesop’s Fables has an extensive list of fables online, for example, the Ant and the Chrysalis

3. Research the life of a scientist and develop a play about significant events in his or her life. Act out the play with friends.

If you need help getting started, Hands-On Nature: Information and Activities for Exploring the Environment with Children by Jenepher Lingelbach (Editor), Lisa Purcell (Editor), and Susan Sawyer (Contributor) has some simple plays that could be done as puppet shows as well.

25 Science Plays for Emergent Readers: Delightful, Reproducible Plays with Extension Activities That Build Literacy and Invite Kids to Explore Favorite Science Topics (Grades K-1) by Sheryl Ann Crawford and Nancy I. Sanders.

You may want to practice a few times and then either make a video, or invite an audience to watch. Just make sure everyone agrees that is what they want to do.

Or spend a few minutes improvising and see what happens.

Be sure to send me a link to your videos!

Goats and Sheep, and… Science?

November 1, 2009 / / 2 Comments

Someone asked me the other day for ideas for a science fair project using goats and/or sheep. Can you mix science and domesticated animals? Here’s a few ideas.

Public Domain Photograph by Jean Beaufort at Publicdomainpictures.net

Goats and sheep are amazing creatures. They were among the earliest animals domesticated by humans, second only to the dog. They occur throughout the world, along with their wild cousins like the mountain goats and bighorn sheep.

How are goats and sheep similar? How are they different? Do some research and create a Venn diagram.

1. Goat and Sheep Basics

Although they look somewhat similar, sheep and goats belong to different genera. The scientific name for sheep is Ovis aries. The scientific name for domestic goats is Capra hircus.

Female goats are called does or nannies.
Male goats are called bucks.
Baby goats are called kids.

Female sheep are called ewes.
Male sheep are called rams.
Baby sheep are called lambs.

Products we may get from goats:

  • Milk – used to make cheese, candy, milk, soap
  • Meat
  • Leather
  • Cashmere
  • Mohair
    Can also be used as pack animals.

Products we may get from sheep:

  • Milk – Yes, there are sheep dairies! – used to make cheese
  • Meat
  • Wool
  • Lanolin

If you are interested in food science, then find some goat and/or sheep milk and make some cheese.  You might compare the products from the two types of milk, or modify the process, for example comparing goat cheese made with lemon juice versus goat cheese made with vinegar.

2. What do goats and sheep eat?

Goats can eat many plants: shrubs, bushes, trees, aromatic herbs, even paper. But they don’t really eat tin cans. Goats eat many weeds and are used for weed control around the world. They even take care of poison ivy and poison oak. Study their diet in your area, and see if there are any differences in different habitats.

Sheep prefer to eat grasses.

Do sheep graze the same as goats? How are the two different?* (Answer at bottom)

3. Compare sheep and goat anatomy:

Sheep and Goats both belong to the Family Bovidae, which are hooved mammals with permanent horns. Horns are bony outgrowths that are covered with a sheath of material that is similar to a human’s fingernails. Horns are permanent, unlike antlers they are not shed. Most goats have horns, but they are usually dehorned while they are young. Most domesticated sheep breeds lack horns, although some rams still have horns. The wild versions of goats and sheep do have horns. The male bighorn sheep are known for their huge horns.

The hooves of goats and sheep grow over time, like our fingernails and so must be trimmed regularly. Although you might think hooves would be slippery to walk on, goats and sheep are remarkably agile. Goats can climb very well. Bighorn sheep can travel up steep mountains with ease.

4. Behavior

There are big differences between how sheep and goats behave. For example although both are herd animals, sheep tend to stick together whereas goats are more independent and curious.

Goats and sheep can also vary in behavior from breed to breed. You’ve probably heard of the specialized breed called fainting goats, which are goats that fall over when they are frightened.

If you have goats or sheep to study, you might want to examine differences in their response to novel stimuli, flocking behavior (like is one of the goats or sheep a leader?) or ability to learn, etc.

5. The Future?

For more futuristic science, check out this video of goats that have been modified to produce spider silk in their milk.

6. Read a Great Children’s Book

For a unit on goats and sheep for the youngest set, try these cute children’s books (covers are affiliate links to Amazon):

Charlie Needs a Cloak, by Tomie dePaola. Published by Simon & Schuster, 1973. From sheep, to yarn to cloak, this easy book follows the process of making cloth from wool.


Farmer Brown Shears His Sheep, by Teri Sloat. Published by Scholastic, 2000. A fast-paced, rhyming version of how wool becomes yarn. “ A yarn about wool.”

The Goat in the Rug as told to Charles Blood and Martin Link. Published by Four Winds Press, 1976. Story of a Navajo woman using goat wool to weave a rug.

*Sheep graze to the ground. Goats are browsers, which means they nibble on plants of all heights (as far up as they can reach).

Bird Migrations

October 25, 2009 / / 1 Comment

Did you know that most songbirds, and many other birds migrate at night? When we went outside on Tuesday night to check the stars and look for meteors, we saw something amazing. We saw a flock of birds flying, eerily silent. At the risk of sounding anthropomorphic, they seemed incredibly focused on their destination as they disappeared into the blackness. It was not what we expected to see.

Science Friday, the radio program, recently had a broadcast about night migrations by birds, and how scientists study bird migration in general. On the Science Friday Tracking Bird Migration page, you can listen to a podcast of the show and find links to the speakers, as well as to other Internet resources on bird migration.

The broadcast raises a number of interesting questions, such as why do birds migrate? The consensus seems to be food. Most of the species that migrate depend on food that just isn’t available during cold winters. The speakers also noted that, unlike the birds we observed, many songbirds do call while they are flying and one way to study the migrations is to record the sounds they make.

Why do birds, normally active during the day, fly on their migrations at night? Several factors may be involved, and different species may fly at night for different reasons. It is thought that the air is calmer at night because the heat of the sun creates turbulence during the day. It also may be possible that fewer flying predators are active at night. Scientists have shown that birds use fixed stars to guide them on their flight, so perhaps they can orient better at night. Finally, it is cooler at night and flight is hard exercise, so perhaps it is easier to fly at night.

Bird Migration Activities:

1. Birdwatching

By watching birds in your area and keeping records of what you see, you can learn a lot about which birds migrate and at what times of year. Younger children can learn to identify common bird species and keep a simple nature journal.

Children might like to go on a bird walk at a park, nature center or garden. We recently watched this flock of lesser goldfinches at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. Birds often feed in flocks to store up energy for long flights.

In addition to keeping your own records, you can participate in national and international bird counts:
Audubon’s 110th Christmas Bird Count, December 14, 2009 to January 5, 2010

The Great Backyard Bird Count February 12-15, 2010

2. Watch Radar

It is possible to monitor bird migrations using radar. Here’s an example of a radar map used to track bird migrations. Radar maps are often available on weather websites. What a great way to reinforce map skills and learn about science, too.

3. Learn about Bird Banding

Scientists place tiny aluminum bands around the legs of birds to help find out where they go. As you will see in this video, you need to be trained by a professional before you should attempt this. It is good to know about it, however, in case you ever find a bird that has been banded.

4. Garden for Birds

Plant native plants in your neighborhood that provide fruits and seeds for birds to fuel their migrations. Check with local birding groups for suggestions.

Be sure to let us know what you find out.

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