WARNING: Ages 4-8 Adult Supervision Required. CHOKING HAZARD-Small Parts. Not for children under 3 years. Included in Your Kit: You get it: Item #4130

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1 Ages 4-8 Adult Supervision Required Item #4130 Welcome to the AMAZING world of science and nature. You are about to discover how wonderful the world around you is full of beautiful plants, unseen colors and shapes and beautiful crystals. The kit is designed to introduce young children ages four to eight to science. Each activity is accompanied by a designation as to its type of science (Earth, Physical or Life) and the area of science it addresses (Chemistry, Physics, Biology, etc.) as well as which specific skills the child will use in performing the activity. Have great fun learning and exploring the wonders of science with My First Super Science Kit! Included in Your Kit: Instruction book Large plastic storage bag Two jumbo test tubes with lids and rack Three large test tubes with lids and rack 9 Compartment mixing tray Color wheel Blue measuring scoop Pipette True Colors coloring tablets Energy Stick Growing starfish Giant red magnifying glass Super jumbo water balls Tiger Eye Beads Insta-Snow Powder 2-oz. plastic cups Growing spider Plastic popper Superabsorbent Crystals Energy beads and yarn Filter paper Magic crystal growing dog sponge You get it: Common kitchen items Rubber band Sunscreen Sun glasses Food coloring White Coffee filters Baking soda Straw Potting soil (1/2 cup) Sand Marble Seeds of grass, beans, radishes or any fast growing plant Common craft supplies Mirror Dry erase marker such as Vis-a-Vis WARNING: This set contains chemicals that may be harmful if misused. Read cautions on individual containers carefully. Not to be used by children except under adult supervision. WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD-Small Parts. Not for children under 3 years. Salt Lake City, UT Be Amazing! Toys

2 Type Of Science: Physical Area Of Science: Physics And Optics Science Skill: Observation, Classification Activity # 1 Meet Your Giant Magnifier Discovering your magnifying glass From the kit: Giant red magnifying glass You probably already know what a magnifying glass is, but before you look through it, let s make some discoveries by looking at it. 1. Turn the magnifying glass sideways. The clear part that you look through is called a lens. What do you notice about the lens? Is it flat or curved? Is it thicker in the middle, or toward the edges? It might help to feel the lens with your fingers. Record your observations in your notebook. You can also draw pictures of your observations. Type Of Science: Physical Area Of Science: Physics And Optics Science Skill: Observation, Classification Activity # 2 Lens Learning Learning about a giant magnifying glass From the kit: Giant red magnifying glass 1. Lenses can be different shapes. A lens that is thicker in the middle than it is on the sides is called a Convex lens. A lens that is thicker on the outside than it is in the middle is called a concave lens. A lens that is flat is called a plano lens. Can you figure out what kind of lens your magnifying glass has? Here are some pictures that might help: Science Skill: Predict, Experiment, Observation Activity #70 Playing hot and cold See what makes your Tiger Eye Beads grow best From the kit: Tiger Eye Beads (already soaked from the last experiment, or soak some more!) Jumbo Test Tube and cap with rack Water Ice Note: This experiment involves growing Tiger Eye Beads in water again, so go back to your water-safe lab! In this experiment you will grow a couple of Tiger Eye Beads in warm water and a couple in cold water. Do you think one will grow faster than the other? Write down your hypothesis here, or in your notebook: I think my Tiger Eye Bead will grow faster in water (cold/warm) 1. Fill one Jumbo Test Tube with warm (not hot) water and one Jumbo Test Tube with cold water and a couple of pieces of ice. Put both Test Tubes into the rack. 2. Put a couple of Tiger Eye Beads in each of the Jumbo Test Tubes. Let them soak for a couple of hours then take them out and compare them. Which is growing faster? Put them back in the water and record your observations in your notebook. 3. After another hour take the beads out again and compare them. How do they look now? Again record your observations in your notebook. Keep repeating this step until you are sure of your experiment answer. Was your hypothesis correct? Superabsorbent polymers grow in water because water wiggles inside and gets held there. Warm water wiggles a whole lot faster than cold water so the superabsorbent polymers fill with water more quickly. That is also the reason you should use warm water to wash your hands instead of cold water--it is better at wiggling off the dirt! A magnifying glass is also called a hand lens. It is used to make things look bigger so that they are easier to see. A magnifying glass works because (as you discovered, you smart scientist, you) it has a curved lens. A convex lens bends the light that goes through it so that when you look through the lens, things look bigger than they really are. People have used magnifying lenses for a long time. The first record we have of people using them was from 400 BCE (that s over 2500 years ago!) Type Of Science: Physical Area Of Science: Physics And Optics Science Skill: Experiment, Observation, Classification Activity # 3 Near and Far Figure out what your magnifying glass does best From the kit: Giant red magnifying glass Here is a science mystery for you to solve: some kinds of lenses, like telescopes, are good for looking at things that are far away. Some, like microscopes, are good for looking at things that are close. What does your lens do best? 1. Hold your magnifying glass up to your eye and look at something far away, like a clock on the wall on the other side of the room, or a house or sign outside of your window. How does it look? 2. Now hold your magnifying glass up to your eye and look at something close, like your other hand. How does it look? 3. So what do you think? Is your magnifying lens better at looking at things that are close or far away? Write down your answer here (or draw some pictures) in your notebook. My magnifying glass is best for looking at things that are. (nearby or far away)

3 Type Of Science: Physical Area Of Science: Physics Science Skill: Experiment, Observation Activity # 68 B-B-B-Bounce! Discovering more of the Tiger Eye Beads tricks From the kit: Tiger Eye Beads (already soaked from the last experiment, or soak some more!) Note: This experiment involves bouncing the Tiger Eye Bead on the ground, so make sure you choose a spot that won t suffer from a little bit of water. Don t leave the grown Tiger Eye Beads on the ground, as someone could slip on them. Here is another science question for you to think about. Do soaked Tiger Eye Beads bounce? Write your hypothesis here, or in your notebook: I think my soaked Tiger Eye Bead will bounce/not bounce 1. Hold a soaked (grown) Tiger Eye Bead over a hard surface (like a kitchen counter or linoleum floor) and let it drop. What happens? Did it bounce? Were you right? 2. Test other surfaces, like a carpet or rug (GET YOUR ADULT ASSISTANT S PERMISSION FIRST) or grass. Which creates the better bounce, hard or soft surfaces? Why does the Tiger Eye Bead bounce? The Tiger Eye Bead bounces because it has something called elasticity. That means that If you pinch or pull the marble (not hard enough to break it, of course) it will change its shape (flattten) but once you let it go, it will pop! back to its usual shape (a ball or sphere.) Elasticity means that an object wants to spring back to its original shape, like a balloon or rubber ball. Something that doesn t have a lot of elasticity (like a piece of clay) won t spring back to its original shape if you flatten it. When you dropped the marble it started falling to the ground. All the energy from falling made the ball squish to the ground when it hit--if you could take a picture of the Tiger Eye Bead at the moment it hit the ground it would actually look squashed. But it doesn t want to stay squashed! Because it has elasticity, it PULLS itself back into a ball (sphere) shape with so much energy that it actually jumps (BOING!) back into the air. Science Skill: Experiment, Observation, Mearsure Activity # 69 Bounce and Rebound? Turn a bounce into an experiment From the kit: Tiger Eye Beads (already soaked from the last experiment, or soak some more!) You get it: Ruler, paper, notebook and pencil so you can write down or draw pictures of your observations and discoveries Assistant with good eyes wall-safe tape (optional) Note: This experiment involves bouncing the Tiger Eye Bead on the ground, so make sure you choose a spot that won t suffer from a little bit of water. Don t leave the growntiger Eye Bead on the ground, as someone could slip on them. You know thetiger Eye Bead can bounce, but how WELL can it bounce? Let s find out! 1. Have your assistant help you measure how well the marble can bounce. Find a spot with hard ground (like linoleum or tile) next to a wall. Attach a couple of pieces of paper to the wall using a paint or paper safe adhesive like painter s tape or sticky tack (or just have someone hold a large piece of paper to the wall.) 2. Use the ruler to measure about one yard off the ground and put a mark on the paper. Hold thetiger Eye Bead next to that mark and then let it go. Have your assistant with good eyesight make a mark on the paper for the highest point that the ball bounced. How high was it? Did it bounce up as high as the mark for where you dropped it? Why didn t it bounce as high? So why didn t it bounce as high as the mark from where you dropped it? The original energy that made the ball bounce on the ground came from holding it up in the air. But you lost some of the energy during the bounce. Where did it go? Hold the ball up again and listen very carefully when you drop it. Did you hear anything when it hit? Maybe a little thump? Some of the dropping energy became NOISE energy. And some (although you wouldn t be able to notice unless you had a VERY sensitive thermometer) became HEAT energy, as the marble and the floor are actually both a little warmer after the bounce. Amazing, right? You are a physicist now! When you tried to look at something through your magnifying glass that was far away, what did it look like? Pretty blurry, right? How about when you looked at something that was near the lens? Nice and clear, right? Scientists would say that when you looked at something close, the image was in focus. (That means the image was nice and clear and sharp.) Magnifying lenses are used to see things that are close, to make them bigger and easier to see. Great discovery! Type of Science: Physical Area of Science: Physics and Optics SCIENCE SKILL: OBSERVATION Activity # 4 Double Duty Discover the two ways that you can use a magnifying glass From the kit: Giant red magnifying glass There are two ways that you can use your magnifying glass. This activity will show you the two different ways. Which do you like best? 1. The first way to use your magnifying glass is called the monocle. A monocle is like a pair of glasses that someone wears, except that there is just one lens over one eye. To use the magnifying glass this way, hold the magnifying glass up to your eye and then lean forward to look at something through it until the object comes into focus. This way is called the monocle because the magnifying glass is so close to your eye that it is like you are wearing a monocle (half a pair of glasses.) 2. The second way to use your magnifying glass is called the trombone. Do you know what a trombone is? It is a type of musical instrument (a kind of horn) with a slide that you move back and forth with one hand to make different sounds. To use this method, look at the object that you want to magnify, then hold the magnifying glass in between your eye and the object so that you are looking through the lens. Without moving your head, move the magnifying slowly up and down until the object comes into focus. This method of using a magnifying glass is called the trombone because you move the lens back and forth as if you where playing a trombone. Which method do you like best? The monocle, or the trombone? Record your discoveries in your notebook. Type Of Science: Physical Area Of Science: Physics And Optics, Zoology, Botany, Food Science, Anatomy...The Sky Is The Limit On This One! Science Skill: Observation Activity # 5 Draw and Discover Go on a seeing safari, and discover what your magnifying glass does From the kit: Giant red magnifying glass 1. Now it is time to use your imagination. Go ahead and explore your world. What can you think of to look at with your magnifying glass? You can use either the monocle method, or the trombone method. 2. An important part of science is recording your discoveries, both so you can remember what you have done, and so you can share your discoveries with other scientists. You can record YOUR discoveries, too. Get your notebook and draw a picture of what things look like on their own, and next to that, what they look like when you use your magnifying glass. Here are some ideas to get you started: Your fingers: Take a good look-- can you see your finger prints? Apple skin: Is it really just one color? A piece of cold cereal: Is it smooth or bumpy? Salt or sugar crystals: What shape are they? Dirt: What is it made of? Fur or feathers (if you have a pet) Unpainted wood: Do you see any lines? What could those lines be? Flowers or leaves. Are they smooth or fuzzy? The possibilities are as limitless as your imagination! Be sure to record your before and after discoveries in your notebook, as well as any questions that you can think of when you make your discoveries. Great exploring, scientist!

4 Type of Science: Physical Area of Science: Physics and Optics SCIENCE SKILL: Prediction, Observation Activity # 6 Eyeball Explorer Using your science smarts, make a prediction and then do the experiment From the kit: Giant red magnifying glass You get it: Mirror Notebook and pencil so you can write down or draw pictures of your observations and discoveries 1. You know by now what happens when you look at things through the magnifying glass, right? (They look BIGGER!) Now it is time to use your science smarts. What do you think your eye looks like when you look through the magnifying glass? Do you think it looks bigger, smaller, or the same size? Write down your guess here, or in your notebook. I think my eye will look when I look through my magnifying glass (bigger, smaller, or its regular size.) You just made a hypothesis (a guess or an idea that you can test!) That is what scientists do--they use what they already know or have discovered to make a guess about something, and then they test to see if they were right. This is called the scientific method. 2. Now it is time to test your hypothesis. Take your magnifying glass into a room with a mirror, and hold your magnifying glass up to your eye. Move the magnifying glass forward and backward in front of your eye. What did you discover? Was your hypothesis correct? Amazing (and funny, too, right?) Remember, in science it is not as important to be right as it is to discover the truth. So whether your hypothesis was right or not, you just learned something new. Way to go, scientist! Be sure to record your discoveries in your notebook. Type Of Science: Physical Area Of Science: Exploration, Discovery Science Skill: Experiment, Observation Activity # 66 Observe and Record Discover these crazy things called Tiger Eye Beads From the kit: Tiger Eye Beads Giant Red Magnifying Glass Note: The Tiger Eye Bead experiment involves water so it is important to set up a laboratory in a place that won t suffer from a little spilled water. This set of experiments also needs to sit for a few hours (or overnight) so be sure to choose a spot that will be safe from wandering pets, babies and other curious adults. One of the most important parts of science is learning to make and record thorough observations. This is your job now! 1. Pour a few Tiger Eye Beads into your hand. What do you notice about them? Are they hard or soft? What color are they? Are they different shapes or sizes? What happens if you pinch them? How big are they? If you have a metric ruler that can measure milimeters, you can measure how big these are. Hold one over a hard surface and drop it. Does it bounce? Can you guess why they are called Tiger Eye Beads? You might want to use your Giant Red Magnifying Glass to get a closer look. 2. Record all of your observations in your notebook. It might help to draw some pictures. You can also record your observations here: My observations about my Tiger Eye Beads : Type of Science: Physical Area of Science: Physics and Optics SCIENCE SKILL: Measure Activity # 7 Finding The Focal Point Discover and measure the distance to get the best focus From the kit: Giant red magnifying glass, ruler You get it: Adult assistant (or another pair of hands) Notebook and pencil so you can write down or draw pictures of your observations and discoveries, just like a real scientist! You may have noticed that when you are looking at something through your magnifying glass, if you move the magnifying glass too far away, the object looks blurry, but if you move it too close, it doesn t look bigger. How far away should you hold your magnifying glass from something so that it looks bigger and is in focus (not blurry?) The best distance is called the focal point, and you are going to find it! You will need two people for this experiment. 1. Cut out the paper ruler at the bottom of this experiment section (each square is about one centimeter long) or use a ruler of your own (metric is better.) 2. Choose something to look at through your magnifying glass such as a small toy. Put the toy on a flat surface (the floor, or a table.) 3. One person should look through the magnifying glass and move it slowly away from the object until it comes into focus. FREEZE! DON T MOVE--hold the magnifying glass still. 4. While the first person is holding the magnifying glass still, the other person should use the ruler to measure how many squares away the object is from the magnifying glass. The number of squares (number of centimeters) will be the focal length of your magnifying glass (the best distance to hold your magnifying glass from an object so the object will be in focus.) Record your observations in your notebook. It might help to draw some pictures. A magnifying glass works because it bends light that goes through it to make it focus toward a single point, like this: light going through the lens focal length focal point Type Of Science: Physical Area Of Science: Chemistry, Applied Chemistry Science Skill: Predict, Experiment, Observation Activity #67 Super Soaking Science From the kit: Tiger Eye Beads Jumbo Test Tube and Cap with rack You get it: Water Notebook and pencil so you can write down or draw pictures of your observations and discoveries, just like a real scientist! Here is a science mystery for you to solve: For this experiment you will be soaking your Tiger Eye Beads in water. What do you think will happen to them? Write down your idea here or in your notebook. (This is called your hypothesis.) When I soak my Tiger Eye Beads in water they will : (Stay the same? Change? How will they change?) 1. Fill your giant test tube full of tepid (room temperature--not to hot or cold) water, and place a few Tiger Eye Beads into the cup. Let them sit in the cup for about an hour. 2. Use a spoon to scoop some of the beads out. What do you observe? Go ahead and pinch, prod or poke them. How do they feel? Do they look different? Are they a different color? A different shape? When you are done making your observations, put them back in the water and record your observations in your notebook. 3. Leave the Tiger Eye Beads in the water for a few hours or overnight. You can take them out as often as you wish, just be sure to put them back in afterward. After they have been soaking in the water for several hours (or overnight) take them out again and give them a thorough examination. How have they changed? Record your observations in your notebook. NOW can you guess why they are called Tiger Eye Beads? Once they have been soaked they aren t beads any more, are they? Now they are marbles! 4. Look in your notebook and compared your observations for before, during and after the soaking. Wow! Great work--making and recording observations is EXACTLY what real scientists do. The scientific name for the kind of molecules that make up Tiger Eye Beads is cross-linked polyacrylamide polymer gel. It s a big name isn t it? Did you catch the word polymer in there? A polymer is a really big molecule made of lots of little molecules linked together, just like a train is made of many train cars linked together. In fact, the word polymer actually comes from two greek words, poly meaning many, and meros, which means units or parts. So a polymer is a big molecule made of many parts. In polymer science the train cars are called monomers, which comes from the greek words mono (one, or single) and meros again. But why do they grow in water? Superabsorbent polymers are like big nets made of lots of little molecules connected together. Because they are like a net, water can sneak inside through the holes. That is, the beads drink (soak up) water and hold it there. The polymers that make up Tiger Eye Beads belong to a class of molecules called the superabsorbents. That means that the beads are thirsty VERY thirsty! Each bead can hold up to 300 times its weight in water. If you were a Tiger Eye Bead you would be able to drink almost 2000 gallons of water! When the beads meet water, they start drinking. When they soak up the water, they expand (get larger) and soften. In other words, you added water to make amazing squishy jelly balls made of goo!

5 Activity #63 Rhythm Tube Fill the Large Test Tube with an assortment of beads, pebbles, nuts, bolts... you name it. Seal with a cap and start shaking. Experiment with different materials as each will make its own unique sound. The lens of the magnifying glass bends the light that goes through it and makes it focus at a single point, called a focal point. The distance from the lens to the focal point is called the focal length. It is best to hold the magnifying glass just far enough away from an object so that the object is right at the focal point. You can t see the focal point, of course, but you can find it by moving the magnifying glass slowly up and down over an object until it comes into focus. The cartoon below might help you understand. Type Of Science: Weather Area Of Science: Earth Skills: Measure Activity #64 Rain Gauge Use a permanent pen and a ruler to mark off half inch increments on the test tube. Put the tube in an open area outdoor to collect and measure rainfall. Activity #65 Wiggle, Jiggle, Little Starfish From the kit: Growing Starfish You get it: Ruler Water Clear bowl Grow a giant, colorful starfish, simply by adding water! 1. Use the ruler to measure the size of your Growing Starfish and record the information in your notebook. You may want to draw some pictures of your observations. As before, also record the properties of the starfish such as its color, shape, and texture. Place the Growing Starfish on the middle of a piece of paper and use a crayon to trace around it. You will be able to track the growth of your Growing Starfish as it becomes a super giant! 2. Gently place the Growing Starfish in the bowl of water (make sure it is well-covered with water and has plenty to swim in.) After several hours, take the Growing Starfish out, use the paper towels to pat it dry, and place it on the grid card in the same orientation that you placed it before. Trace around the outside. Is it bigger than before? What else do you notice about the way it has changed? Record your observations in your notebook, and put the Growing Starfish back into its bath. Paper ruler for experiments 7 and 8 3. Wait a few hours more, then carefully dry and trace your Growing Starfish again, and let it swim a little more. Continue to dry and trace your Growing Starfish after letting it soak for several hours. When the Growing Starfish has finished growing remove it from the bowl and give it a thorough examination. Record your observations in your notebook. Has the shape, texture, or color changed? How long did it take for your starfish to stop growing? The activities that you did in this experiment are exactly the kind of work that scientists called marine biologists do. Biology is the study of life, and marine indicates the ocean, so a marine biologist studies things that live in the ocean. Marine biologists study all kinds of things from microscopic phytoplankton to huge whales from tiny organisms that stay on the surface of the water to bizarre-looking fish and huge tube worms that live in the deepest ocean trenches. Marine biologists not only help us discover and learn about cool animals and plants but they help us find food, gather materials useful for research and building and help to discover new cures and treatments for diseases. Wow! Did you know? Neat facts about starfish The world s largest starfish is the sunflower starfish which can grow to over 1 meter in diameter. It starts life with five arms but grows more as it ages, and can end up with as many as 26! It eats sea urchins and even other starfish--it s the tyrannosaurus of the starfish world! The smallest known starfish (only 5mm across), called the paddle-spined starfish, was discovered in 2007 by an Australian builder who liked observing sea life in his spare time. This tiny starfish uses its little sucker feet to pull itself in two creating two new baby starfish. Maybe some day you will discover a new starfish, too! Starfish can re-grow arms that have broken off. In some species, the arm that breaks off can even grow a new starfish! Type Of Science: Physical Area Of Science: Physics And Optics Science Skill: Measure Activity # 8 Magnitude Of Magnification Discover how much bigger your magnifying glass can make things look From the kit: Giant red magnifying glass, ruler, growing star You get it: Notebook, pencil, sticky tape, and calculator (optional) Adult assistant (or a couple of extra hands) You are going to figure out how much bigger your magnifying glass makes things look by measuring something with your ruler, and then measuring how big is SEEMS to be when you look the same thing through your magnifying lens. This is advanced science stuff, but you and your adult assistant can do it, because you are smart and amazing! *Note to the adult assistant: This is a simplified equation for determining magnification. The real number of magnification of an optical system is much more complex, but the important thing here is to get your young genius thinking, comparing, and measuring. Have fun! 1. Use the paper ruler that you cut out for experiment seven or use a ruler of your own (metric is better.) Use your paper (or metric) ruler to see how many squares long your growing star is. Write down the number here: My object is squares long. 2. Attach the ruler to your magnifying glass with a couple of pieces of sticky tape. Using either the monocle method or the trombone method, lift the magnifying glass away from your growing star until it comes into focus. How many squares long does your growing star seem to be? Write your answer here: When I look through my magnifying glass, my growing star seems to be squares long. 3. Now is the time for your science smarts: Let s compare your two measurements. Which is bigger, the length of your growing star as it really is or the length it seems to be when you look through your magnifying glass? If you divide the length it seems to be by the length it really is, you will find out what scientists call the degree of magnification. For example, if you measured your growing star to be two squares long, but through the magnifying glass the growing star seemed to be three squares long, then you would have: (length of object through lens) = 3/2 = 1 ½ (actual length of growing star) This would mean that your magnifying glass made things look one and one-half times bigger! What did you find out?

6 Most magnifying hand lenses can make things look between one and two times bigger than they really are. This sure makes things easier to see, doesn t it? Magnifying glasses are amazing--just like you! Type Of Science: Physical Area Of Science: Physics And Optics Science Skill: Classify, Sort Activity # 9 Sorting Scientist Use your magnifying glass to identify pictures and sort them into categories. From the kit: Giant red magnifying glass, picture page (on this sheet) You get it: Kid safe scissors, or an adult assistant to cut out the images. 1. On this page are some tiny pictures. Use the scissors (or have your adult assistant help) to cut out the images along the lines. 2. Each image is either a food, an animal, or a vehicle (a machine that helps us get from place to place.) Use your magnifying glass to help you figure out what the tiny images are, and sort them into categories. Great Job! Activity #54 Time Capsule Use the Jumbo Test Tube to hide a secret message or as a way to store information that will be opened some time in the future. Hide the Time Capsule Test Tube in a secret place to be opened sometime in the future - a year from now? Activity #55 Make Your Own Twister Fill the Jumbo Test Tube 3/4 full with water and add a few drops of liquid soap. Seal the bottle with a cap and start twisting. The swirling motion of the soap and water will make a twisting, turning vortex. It s your very own pet tornado! Activity #56 Sands of Time Place layer after layer of various colors of sand in the Jumbo or Large Test Tube to make a colorful rainbow. Activity #57 The Marble Challenge Fill the Jumbo Test Tube 3/4 full with sand and place a marble on top of the sand. Seal the Test Tube and try to find a way to move the marble from one end of the bottle to the other as quickly as possible. Make two Sand and Marble Test Tubes and challenge your friends. Activity #58 Flower Holder Fill the Large or Jumbo Test Tube half full with water and use it as a flower vase. (It will stand up if you put it into the lid.) Activity #59 Message in a Bottle Place a message in the Large or Jumbo Test Tube and seal it with a cap to make it water tight. Float the message in a bottle to a friend... across the pool! Type of Science: PHYSICAL, LIFE, EARTH Area of Science: VARIOUS Skills: VARIOUS Activity #60 Pop Goes the Weasel Find a cork that fits snugly in to the opening of the Large or Jumbo Test Tube. Fill the bottle 1/4 full with water. Divide an Alka-Seltzer tablet into quarters and drop one section into the tube. Quickly seal the Jumbo Test Tube with the cork and point the corked end away from anything living and away from anyone s eyes. Pow! The cork goes sailing. Activity #61 Glitter Wand Fill the Large Test Tube 3/4 with water and add an assortment of colored beads, glitter, and Mylar confetti. Top the Large Test Tube off with cooking oil and seal with a cap. Tip the tube back and forth to make your glitter want sparkle. Activity #62 Magnifying Glass Fill the Large Test Tube to the very top with water and seal it with a cap. Hold the Large Test Tube up against newspaper print to magnify the letters. The water magnifies the message.

7 Type Of Science: Life Area Of Science: Botany Skills: All Activity # 48 Let it grow! From the kit: The new Terrarium You get it: Another safe place away from the sun 1. Place your new Terrarium out of the sun and watch to see if any seeds can grow without soil. 2. Write in your notebook what you think will happen. 3. After a few days is there any change in the seeds? Are they becoming tiny plants? Type: Physical Area: Optics Science Skill: Classify, Sort Activity # 10 Sorting Scientist 2--It s as easy as 1, 2, C. Use your magnifying glass to classify numbers and letters, and sort them into the correct order. From the kit: Giant red magnifying glass, picture page (on this sheet) You get it: Kid safe scissors, or an adult assistant to cut out the images. 1. On this page are some jumbled tiny letters and numbers. Use the scissors (or have your adult assistant help) to cut out the cards along the lines. 2. Once you have cut out the numbers and letters, use your magnifying glass to discover what each card has typed on it. Put them in two piles (categorize--is it a letter or a number?) Then sort the two piles into the proper order. Well done, scientist! Type Of Science: Life Area Of Science: Botany Skills: All Activity # 49 Wait a minute! a e 1 4 From the kit: The new dirt-free Terrarium You get it: A sunny place 1. Find a window or other sunny place for your Terrarium 2. Watch to see if the tiny plants continue to grow without dirt. How can they do it? Don t plants need soil to grow? 3. Ask your adult helper to look up hydroponics which is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrients and water, without soil. That s right without soil! 4. Can you see tiny roots growing down through the Jelly Crystals? The roots penetrate each crystal s membrane, soaking up nutrients and moisture stored in water-filled crystals. Amazing! g b 2 h Type Of Science: Life Area Of Science: Botany Skills: All Activity #50 Teeny Tiny Flowers! c From the kit: Jumbo Test Tube and lid You get it: Flower seeds (Baby s Breath or other seeds for small flowers) Potting Soil Water Mixing bowl 1. Repeat steps in Activity #44 2. Move to sunlight when seeds begin germinating. 3. Record your observations. Aren t the teeny tiny flowers just too cute! f 8 7 d Activity #51 Discovery Tube Use the test tube to collect all sorts of goodies on your next nature walk. Use the test tubes to collect dirt samples, leaves, or good ol bugs! Activity #52 Liquid Laboratory Use the test tubes to collect samples of water from ponds and streams to study later using the Giant Red Magnifying Glass or microscope, if you have one. Activity #53 Roots With A View Grow a plant in the Jumbo Test Tube and see the roots sprout. Learn about roots by simply placing dirt inside the Jumbo Test Tube along with a few seeds. Try growing grass, radishes, or whatever you desire to learn how plants develop and the roots search for water and nutrients. Type Of Science: Physical, Life Area Of Science: Chemistry Skills: Observe, Experiment Activity #11 Fizzy Color It seams like magic, but it s better than that- It s SCIENCE! Use chemistry to make water bubble, fizz, and change color, and make a tablet disappear. Before You Begin: True Colors are tub-safe, skin-safe color tablets. However, in high concentrations they can stain skin and fabric. Since this experiment involves water as well as color, it is important to find a place to do the experiment where it is OK to make a mess, because, hey messes are fun! From the kit: 3 large test tubes with lids and rack True Colors coloring tablets You get it: Water Notebook and pencils so you can draw or write about your discoveries! 1. Work with your adult lab assistant to find a safe place to set up your color laboratory. You ll want to find a place where it s OK to spill a little. 2. Fill some cups with water and set them aside for a moment. 3. Open the package of True Colors coloring tablets. There are three colors: blue, yellow, and red. 4. Fill each test tube about 3/4 full with water, and set them in your test tube rack. 5. Put a blue tablet in one test tube, a red tablet in the second test tube, and a yellow tablet in the third. Screw the lids on tightly so the water doesn t leak out. What happens? The tablets fizz, bubble, move around, and change the color of the water as they disappear! Leave the colored water in the test tubes for your next experiment.

8 Your color tablets dissolved. That means that the water pulled them into tiny, tiny, pieces and surrounded each little piece so that you can t see them. Even though you can t see them any more, you know the pieces of the tablet are still there. How do you know that? Because the water changed color! Scientists would say that you dissolved the tablet or made a color solution. You have probably made solutions before. Have you ever stirred lemonade powder into water? You made a solution of lemonade! Wow! You are amazing! Don t let your adult assistant drink your solutions, though. Remind them that good scientists like you NEVER eat their experiments. But why does it fizz? When you put the tablets in water, you created a chemical reaction. That means that you made two things turn into two different things. Although it sounds like you did magic, you actually did something cooler than that- you did chemistry! In this case, you used water to change sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and citric acid (found in citrus fruits and used in cooking) into salts and carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is in the air all around you. In fact, it is what you exhale when you breathe. That s right-you make a chemical reaction with every breath-you are amazing! Since you are making air (scientists would say you were making a gas ) under water, it makes bubbles, which wiggle to the top of the water and escape into the air. Type Of Science: Physical Area Of Science: Physics, Optics Skills: Observe Activity #12 Cross-eyed Colors Mix the colored solutions that you made in the last experiment without opening the lids. How? Get ready for something really cool! From the kit: The three test tubes with the colored water you made in the last experiment. You get it: Rubber band 1. Make sure that the lids are screwed on tightly so that the colored water does not accidentally leak. 2. Hold the blue water test tube up to your eyes and look at the light (or look out of a window if the sun is shining). What do you see? 3. Now hold the yellow water test tube up to your eyes and look at the light. 4. Now for a little color mixing! Put the yellow and blue test tubes together in the shape of an X and hold them up to your eyes. Look at the light. What color do you see? Wow! Write down your discovery in your notebook. If you need help, have your adult assistant write down the name of your color (or draw it with colored pencils or crayons) that you see when you mix yellow and blue. 5. Now you can experiment on your own! What other colors can your make by mixing them with your eyes? Write down or draw your discoveries in your notebook. a. What color do you see when you mix red and blue? b. What color do you see when you mix red and yellow? c. What happens when you try to mix all three colors? What did you discover? The solutions seem to have changed color when you looked through two test tubes at the same time. Did the water really change color? No, but the color of the light did as it traveled through the colored water. Wow! You mixed colors of light! Type Of Science: Physical Area Of Science: Physics, Optics Skills: Observe, Sort Activity #13 Color Chemistry 101 Use the three color solutions that you made in your last experiment to make a rainbow of different colors. Later, you ll use these colors to make a rainbow of snow and ice! From the kit: The red, yellow, and blue color solutions in test tubes that you made in previous experiments or make more! Plastic color mixing tray Pipette Color wheel Test tube rack You get it: Safe place to experiment White paper Notebook for recording your discoveries Cup of water Before you start: Once again, since this experiment involves water as well as color, it is important to find a place to do the experiment where it is OK to make a mess. You may want to wear a lab coat or apron, just like a real scientist does. 1. Set up your color laboratory: a. Set your test tube rack on a stable, safe surface your lab bench! b. Carefully unscrew the lids from the test tubes containing your color solutions, and place the test tubes in the rack. c. Place the piece of white paper on your lab bench, and put the color mixing tray on top of it. The color mixing tray is made of plastic and has nine little indentations called wells for you to experiment with while mixing colored liquids. The white paper will make it easier for you to see the amazing colors that you will be creating! d. Put the color wheel somewhere close by where you ll be able to see it. e. Fill a cup with water and set it on the lab bench. f. Set a pipette next to the cup of water. Now you are ready to begin! Type Of Science: Physical Area Of Science: Chemistry, Weather Skills: Observe Activity #43 Energy Beads and Clouds Take your Energy Beads outside on a cloudy day and see if they still change color. If they do, you ll see why doctors recommend wearing sunscreen even on cloudy days. Type Of Science: Life Area Of Science: Botany Skills: All Activity # 44 Make a real Terrarium (a miniature landscape with living plants) From the kit: Jumbo Test Tube and lid You get it: Fast-sprouting seeds (Chia, grass, sprouts, etc) potting soil or dirt water bowl for mixing 1. Use the lid of the Jumbo Test Tube to measure six caps full of dirt or potting soil, one of water and a teaspoon of seeds in a bowl. 2. Holding the Jumbo Test Tube sideways, carefully pack the soil, seeds & water mixture into the test tube. Screw the lid on tightly. You have now created a genuine teeny tiny terrarium! 3. Stand your Terrarium upside-down, on its lid. Type Of Science: Life Area Of Science: Botany Skills: All Activity # 45 Grow in the dark From the kit: Your new Terrarium You get it: A safe place to put your Terrarium notebook to draw or record your observations 1. Find a safe place to put your Terrarium, out of the sunlight. 2. Keep an eye on it for a few days, checking from time to time. Is anything happening? 3. Record or draw your observations. Type Of Science: Life Area Of Science: Botany Skills: All Activity # 46 Let there be light! From the kit: Your Terrarium You get it: A place where the sun comes into the house 1. After the seeds sprout, move your Terrarium to a closed window or other place that gets direct sunlight 2. Keep observing your Terrarium for several days, and write or draw your observations in your notebook Type Of Science: Life Area Of Science: Botany Skills: All Activity # 47 A new kind of Terrarium From the kit: The other Jumbo Test Tube and lid grown Jelly Crystals from Activity # 13 (make sure they are the color-free kind). You get it: Fast-sprouting seeds (Chia, grass, sprouts, etc) bowl for mixing 1. Add one teaspoon of seeds to bowl. 2. Now add two or three caps full of the grown Jelly Crystals to the bowl and mix with the seeds. 3. Holding the Jumbo Test Tube sideways, carefully pack your mixture of seeds and Jelly Crystals into the tube. Screw the lid on tightly. 4. You have now created a terrarium without any soil or dirt. Will it work? What do you think?

9 #37 Upside Down? From the kit: ClearSuper Jumbo Water Ball from Activity #36 You get it: Notebook to draw or record observation Type Of Science: Life Area Of Science: Optics Skills: Observe Gently hold your clear Super Jumbo Water Ball up to your eye. What do you see? Is it bigger than normal? Is it upside down? Why? The image you see through your Super Jumbo Water Ball is larger than real life because the ball acts as a magnifier (just like your magnifying glass you also have in the kit). If you hold the Super Jumbo Water Ball up to your eye and look through it at something or someone, you will see that they are upside down! This is how our eye works. The image your eye sees is upside down and then the optic nerve inverts it to right side up as you see it with your eye. Pretty Cool! Type Of Science: Physical Area Of Science: Chemistry Skills: Observe Activity #38 The Incredible Shrinking Ball When you re finished you can let the Super Jumbo Water Ball dry out completely and test it again. It s safe to throw it into the trash at any time, but not down the drain or toilet. Type Of Science: Physical Area Of Science: Chemistry Skills: Observe, Measure Activity #39 Energy Bead Bracelet Explore the science of ultraviolet light with amazing white beads that change colors in the sunlight! From the kit: Energy Beads Yarn Thread one end of the yarn through enough Energy Beads to fit around your wrist (make it big enough to slip on and off your wrist to do the experiments). Tie the two ends of the yarn together. You have your very own scientific, color changing, super cool, magic friendship bracelet. Take it outside. Does it change color? If not, why not? Type Of Science: Physical, Life Area Of Science: Chemistry, Biology Skills: Ask, Observe Activity #40 The Power of The Sun From the kit: Energy Bead Bracelet from Activity #39 You get it: Sunglasses Choose a sunny day and take your bracelet for a walk in the sunshine and see what happens. How long does it take for the beads to change color? Type Of Science: Physical Area Of Science: Chemistry Skills: Predict, Observe, Measure Activity #41 Fading Colors Take your bracelet back inside and notice how long it takes the beads to change back to white. Type Of Science: Physical Area Of Science: Chemistry Skills: Observe Activity #42 Test Your Sunscreen From the kit: Energy Beads (just a few loose ones) You get it: Sunscreen Paper plate 1. Take a few of the beads and cover them with a thick coat of sunscreen. (Use sunscreen that is SPF 15 or greater and make sure that it wasn t purchased more than a year ago.) 2. Place the beads on a paper plate and leave them outside on a sunny day. What happens? Did the beads change color or did the sunscreen protect them from the ultraviolet light? Is your sunscreen effective in keeping out harmful sun rays? 2. It is time to practice using the pipette! Scientists use pipettes all of the time to carefully measure different liquids during their experiments. Your adult assistant can help you if you have trouble. Pipettes are very useful, but sometimes it takes a little practice to figure out how to use them. You will first learn how to use it with the cup of water. Here is how: a. Pinch the bulb of the pipette with your thumb and fingers, and keep squeezing. This pushes the air out. b. While you are pinching the bulb, carefully lower the tip of the pipette into the water. c. With the tip of the pipette under water, slowly release your squeeze. What happens? The water is sucked up into the pipette! d. Slowly pull the pipette out of the water. What happens? The liquid stays inside! e. To remove the liquid from the pipette, squeeze the bulb once more and the water will squirt out. f. Practice using the pipette until you feel comfortable using it. Now you are ready to start your color chemistry experiments! 3. Carefully use your pipette to draw up some liquid from the test tube with the blue-colored water. Squirt it into one of the wells in your color mixing tray. Rinse your pipette in the cup of water. Now use your pipette to draw up some liquid from the test tube containing yellow-colored water. Squirt it into the same well. What happens? You made green! 4. Add a few more drops of blue or yellow liquid into the well. What happens? 5. See how many different colors you can make by combining different amounts of red, yellow, and blue. Wow! You must be a color Mixologist! Be sure to record your discoveries and observations in your notebook! When you are finished, don t dump the colors down the drain. Be sure to read the next experiment to learn how to turn your colored water into solid jelly crystals! How Does it Work? Red, yellow, and blue are called the primary colors. By mixing them, you can make all kinds of different colors. Did you discover which two colors combine to make purple? Look at your color wheel that is included in your kit. Here is a hint: which two colors does purple lie between? Use your color wheel to set up other experiments, or to explain color chemistry to your adult assistant. For example, you could point to orange and explain that orange can be made by mixing the two colors that it lies between: yellow and red. If they don t believe you, use your pipette and your red and yellow color solutions to show them! Type Of Science: Physical Area Of Science: Chemistry Skills: Ask, Observe Activity #14 Jelly Crystals Turn your color solutions into gobs of colorful gooey crystals! From the kit: The color solutions you made in Activity 13 in the mixing tray wells Bag of Superabsorbant Crystals You get it: A notebook and pencil to record your observations 1. Once you ve filled your mixing tray wells with colors that you love, add a pinch of jelly crystals (5-8 crystals) to each well. 2. Set the mixing tray aside for about an hour or overnight. 3. While you let the crystals soak look at a couple of crystals that are left over. What do they look like? How do they feel? What color are they? Write about or draw a picture of your observations in your notebook. 4. After at least an hour, check out your crystals. What do you see? How have the crystals changed? Go ahead and touch them. How do they feel? Wow! The crystals soaked up all of the colored water, and turned into big, squishy jelly blobs that are the same colors as the solutions you made! Write about or draw a picture of your experiment in your notebook! The scientific name for your jelly crystals is cross-linked polyacrylamide polymer gel. It s a big name for a little crystal, isn t it? Jelly crystals are made of lots of little molecules hooked together to make little nets. Because they are like nets, water can sneak inside through the holes. That is, the crystals drink (soak up) water and hold it inside. The polymers that make up jelly crystals belong to a class of molecules called the superabsorbents. That means that jelly crystals are thirsty VERY thirsty! Each jelly crystal can hold up to 300 times its weight in water. If you were a jelly crystal you would be able to drink almost 2000 gallons of water! When the jelly crystals meet water, they start drinking. When they soak up the water they expand (get larger) and soften. When the water sneaks inside it takes the dye molecules with it so the crystals turn the same colors as your amazing solutions! In other words, you added water to make huge, colorful crystals made of goo! Type Of Science: Physical Area Of Science: Chemistry Skills: Observe Activity #15 Color Free Crystals From the kit: Superabsorbant Crystals You get it: Plastic Cup Water What color will the crystals be if you make them grow in water that isn t colored? What do you think? Write about or draw a picture of your guess in your notebook. Now try the experiment! Find a plastic cup from your kitchen and fill it with water (about 8 oz. or 1 cup). Use the lid from one of your test tubes to measure a scoop of jelly crystals and pour the crystals into the cup of water. Let the crystals soak for an hour or overnight. After the crystals have had enough soaking time pour them into a large bowl so you can get a good look at them. Were you right?