Australia's Science Forum

We are having our feeder schools year 6 students visiting and would like to do some simple science displays that involve lots of smoke or something that gives an impressive visual display for the students to see. I have seen a few ideas on the net but most involve combinations of toxic chemicals or end up producing chemical cocktails. It needs to be a safe display.
I would appreciate any ideas.
Thanks
Estelle

Hi Estelle
check the Forum under General - easy experimentnts for open nights
Regards juliem

Hi Estelle
check the Forum under General - easy experimentnts for open nights
Regards juliem

One experiment that we quiet often use is the volcano and also slime if you have not these instructions just let me know and ill send them to you.
Anything hands on is good.

Hi Kimmy
I've been experimenting with slime today and I see way back in August you said you had a recipie. Could I get your recipie off you please?

Kathryn

I have the instructins for guar gum slime if you want it

Have fun

Also Water tension is a good one - Just use a petri dish with some full cream milk - add a couple of drops of different colour food colourings into the centre of the Petri dish - then drop a drop of detergent into the middle of the food colouring - and then watch the swirling of colours -


Guar Gum Slime experiment

Equipment – Chemicals
*100ml Water
*5ml Glycerine
*Food Colouring
*1/2 Teaspoon Guar Gum
*10ml borax Solution

Method
*Measure 100ml Water into plastic cup
*Add Glycerine and stir
*Add food colouring to the water mixture
*Add guar gum to water
*Stir until all guar gum is mixed and mixture is thick and no lumps
(About 2 minutes)
*Add 10ml of borax Solution, stir well

The mixture should Gel with a period of two minutes.
Different grades of guar gum may gel differently. If slime does not gel, add an additional 5ml of Borax solution. If the slime is too thin, start over using more guar until the desired consistency is obtained.

To make Borax solution
1 level tablespoon borax powder to 1 cup water

*****It is important to make sure that the Guar Gum is mixed properly before adding the borax solution*****

Thanks for the recipie - I'm sure I'll have alot of fun with it but I have to get hold of some gur gum first.

Kathryn

Hi Kathryn,
Have a go at making slime using borax, water and PVA glue.
I put some PVA (wood glue) into a beaker and stir in some saturated borax solution, it goes stringy and then you get it out and it can be kneaded or when it is put on the bench it sort of spreads out again. We use it to ask the students is it a solid or liquid experiment.
It is trial and error as far as measurments go but start with a couple of tablespoons of PVA and add the sat. borax solution (you don't need much).

Also try adding water to the PVA before adding the borax solution it makes a softer slime and probably spreads out better. Its fun and feel great.
You can get borax at the supermarket and is fairly cheap.
Estelle.

My personal favourite
placing 3 different coloured 'Skittles' in a petri and watching the.....
Diffusion of molecules from an area of high concentration to low. then eventually becomeing equal throughout.... you will learn more when to reach Y7.
you can eat some while you watch!

OR

Chemical reactions and pop some popcorn.