Grade 5 WINTER HOLIDAY Brain Boosting Student Activities

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1 The Straws ATTACK Can a paper straw go through a raw potato? Here's an easy way to learn about inertia and momentum. A raw potato One or more paper straws (Use plastic if you don t have paper) 1. Put a potato on the table or kitchen counter and hold it firmly with one hand, making sure the palm of your hand is NOT underneath the potato.* 2. With a fast, strong push, stab the potato with the straw. 3. What happened? Did the straw bend? Why or why not? The straw should go into the potato. If it didn't, try again with another straw--maybe a little faster or harder. *If the potato is old, soak it in water for about half an hour before trying this activity. An object remains at rest (the potato, in this case) or keeps moving (the straw, in this case) unless it is acted upon by some external force. Polk County Public Schools Page 1 of 7

2 The Power of Soap Have you ever tried using soap to power a boat? This simple activity works because of "surface tension." 1 index card Scissors A baking dish (or sink full of water) Liquid dish detergent 1. From an index card, cut out a boat like this. Make it about 2 1/2 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. 2. Place the boat gently on the water in the dish. 3. Pour a little detergent into the notch in the end of the boat. What happens? If you repeat the experiment, wash out the baking dish carefully each time you use detergent, or your boat won't go. Your boat should zip across the water. Water molecules are strongly attracted to each other and stick close together, especially on the surface. This creates a strong but flexible "skin" on the water's surface that we call surface tension. Adding soap disrupts the arrangement of the water molecules and breaks the skin, making the boat go forward. Polk County Public Schools Page 2 of 7

3 Plants This will take more than one day Plants are the only things on earth that turn sunlight into food. They do it through a process called photosynthesis, which is explored in this activity. Some household plants A book on plant care from a store or the library Grown-up alert! Plant fertilizer Paper Scissors magnifying glass or lens if possible 1. Look in your plant-care book, or ask a grown-up, to find out how much water each plant needs. Some may need to be watered more than others. 2. Take two clippings from one plant. Put one in a glass of water. Put the other one in a glass with no water. Check each day to see how long each one can survive. 3. Water the rest of the plants each week for several weeks. Fertilize some of the plants but not others during this time. Label the ones you fertilized. 4. Record the following in your for those plants that got fertilized and for those that didn't: Did any of the plants start to droop? If so, which one? Did any of the plants have yellow leaves that fell off? If so, why do you think this is happening? Did any of the plants grow toward the light? If so, which one? Photo means light and synthesis means to prepare. Plants use sunlight to turn carbon dioxide from the air, and water into food. Plants need all of these to remain healthy. When the plant gets enough of these things, it produces a simple sugar, which it uses immediately or stores in a converted form of starch. We don't know exactly how this happens. But we do know that chlorophyll, the stuff that gives plants the green color, helps it to occur. Polk County Public Schools Page 3 of 7

4 Making CAKE! Learn about chemical reactions by baking 4 small cakes, leaving an important ingredient out of 3 of them. The ingredients are only for 1 cake, so you'll need to measure and mix 4 times. A small soup or cereal bowl Several layers of aluminum foil A pie pan Cooking oil to grease the "cake pans" Measuring spoons A cup or small bowl for the egg A small mixing bowl Your Ingredients (for one cake) 6 tablespoons flour 3 tablespoons sugar Pinch of salt 2 or 3 pinches baking powder 2 tablespoons milk 2 tablespoons cooking oil 1/4 teaspoon vanilla Part of an egg (Break egg into a cup, beat until mixed. Use 1/3 of it. Save the rest for 2 of the other cakes.) Grown-up alert! 1. Wrap several layers of aluminum foil around the outside of a cereal or soup bowl to form a mold. 2. Remove your foil "pan" and put it in a pie pan for support. 3. Oil the "inside" of your foil pan with cooking oil so the cake doesn't stick. 4. Turn the oven on to 350 degrees. 5. Mix all of the dry ingredients together. Add the wet ones (only use 1/3 of the egg). Stir until smooth and all the same color. 6. Pour batter into the "pan." 7. Bake for 15 minutes. 8. Bake 3 more cakes: Leave the oil out of one. Leave the egg out of another. Leave the baking powder out of the third. Observations Cut each cake in half and look at the insides. What do all three cakes look like? What differences do you taste? adapted from Polk County Public Schools Page 4 of 7

5 Night Sky A clear night sky A pair of eyes 1. Go outside 2. Look at the sky 3. Count the stars you see in the sky and fill-in the chart, include our Sun because it is a star. Answer the following questions in your. How many stars do you see? 4:30pm 5:00pm 5:30pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 4. How many stars do you see? 5. What do you notice about the number of stars as it gets darker? 6. Why can t you see lots of stars during the day? Grown-up alert! **Make sure you have your parents permission when you go outside to observe the sky. Polk County Public Schools Page 5 of 7

6 Plant a Seed What you ll need 4 beans 2 cups Paper towels 1. Put 2 paper towel in a clear cup. If you don t have a clear cup you can use a Ziploc bag. 2. In both cups - put two seeds inside the cup. 3. Water your seed just so that the paper towel around the seed is damp. (Be careful not to drown your seed in water) 4. Place your 1 cup in a sunny window. 5. Place your 1 cup in a cupboard. 6. Watch your plants grow for the next two weeks. 7. Draw the plant every two days. 8. What changes have you noticed about the seedlings in the sunny window? 9. What changes have you noticed about the seedlings in the cupboard? a. Are they still growing? b. What color are they? 10. Is there a difference between the plants? If so, what are they? Polk County Public Schools Page 6 of 7

7 Static Attraction Grade 5 WINTER HOLIDAY Hair or wool (felt or wool sweater) Balloon Bits of paper, pepper, dry rice, or feathers Science notebook 1. Blow up a balloon and tie the end tightly. Rub the balloon in one spot with wool or on your hair. Rub hard and fast for 1 minute. 2. Hold the balloon near some tiny bits of paper, pepper, dry rice, or feathers. 3. Write down what you observed happening. 4. Rub the balloon again. Hold it against the wall and let go. 5. What happened? Curious to see more? Experiment with the balloon and other objects around the house. Write down what you did so you can share it with your classmates. Polk County Public Schools Page 7 of 7