Morgan's Birthday Party

For his 6th birthday, Morgan wanted to have a party and do some science experiments. We had a lot of fun putting it together, as you can see in the video below! We'll add a description of the experiments we did and a brief explanation of what is happening below, as well (not all of the experiments are shown in the video). Morgan (and Emma) had a good time with the friends he invited over.




Making Gak
Solution A (mix until completely dissolved):
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 2 cups white glue
- food coloring

Solution B (mix until completely dissolved):
- 4 teaspoons borax (available in laundry aisle)
- 1 1/3 cups warm water

Pour solution A into Solution B. Do not try to thoroughly mix! Lift the Gak out and knead it into shape.

What’s happening:
The molecules in white glue are long, straight chains of polyvinyl acetate. Borax (sodium borate) causes reactions between these molecules and ends up hooking the chains together to make a big, rubbery network.

Invisible Ink
Use a toothpick to write with lemon juice on a piece of paper and allow it to dry. Apply heat to the paper using an iron, hair straightener, or other method. Heat will cause the invisible ink to turn brown.

What’s happening:
The lemon juice is an acid that weakens the molecules in the paper and causes that area to turn brown (or burn) more easily than the rest of the paper. You may also notice that areas of your skin that have touched lemon juice will be sunburned more easily.

Volcano in a Bottle
Mix baking soda and vinegar in a bottle and watch it bubble and froth!

What’s happening:
Baking soda (a base) reacts with vinegar (an acid) to form carbon dioxide (a gas).

Invisible Fire Extinguisher
Immediately after mixing baking soda and vinegar together in a bottle, “pour” the gas in the bottle over a candle (try to keep the baking soda and vinegar in the bottle, or at least keep it just far enough away from the candle flame that no baking soda or vinegar are poured on the flame). The flame will go out!

What’s happening:
The carbon dioxide formed from the reaction between the baking soda and vinegar is heavier than air and can be “poured” onto the candle flame, extinguishing it as oxygen needed for the candle to burn is displaced by the carbon dioxide.

Wild Wacky Colors
Pour a small amount of milk in a pan (just enough to cover the bottom). Add a few drops of different colors of food coloring near the middle of the pan. Add a couple of drops of dish detergent to the middle of the pan and watch the colors instantly spread out!

What’s happening:
The detergent breaks the surface tension of the milk and causes the food coloring to spread out.

Burning Candle in a Jar
Set a burning candle in a pie tin full of water and place a glass jar upside down over the candle. The candle will burn for a few seconds before the flame is extinguished and water is sucked up inside the jar.

What’s happening:
The candle needs oxygen to burn. Once the oxygen in the air inside the jar is used up, the flame goes out. While the candle is burning, the flame is heating the air in the jar and making it expand (you will probably see bubbles come out the bottom of the jar through the water as some of it escapes). Once the flame is out, the air in the jar begins to cool again, causing it to contract. The air pressure outside the jar forces water up into the jar.

Turning a Glass of Water Upside Down
Fill a glass with water, and place a piece of thin cardboard (could be cut from a cereal box) over the entire top opening. While holding the cardboard in place, carefully turn the glass upside down. The cardboard will hold the water in the cup!

What’s happening:
Placing the cardboard over the top of the glass leads to only a very small area of water (around the rim of the glass) to be exposed to the air when the glass is turned upside down. The surface tension of the water keeps any air from getting into the cup. The pressure of the air on the bottom of the cardboard holds it up and prevents it and the water from falling down.

Blowing on Paper
Create two stacks of books on a table a few inches apart and a few inches high. Place a sheet of paper over the two stacks and blow through the tunnel between the paper and the table. Rather than being blown upward, the paper will be sucked down. Next, cut a strip of paper about an inch wide and several inches long. Hold it between your fingers and blow over the top of the paper, making the paper lift up.

What’s happening:
What’s happening here is the same thing that makes airplanes able to fly. Faster moving air creates an area of slightly lower pressure than in areas of slower moving air. This area of lower pressure causes the paper to be sucked down or up, respectively. The front edge of an airplane wing is shaped in such a way as to force the air moving over the top of it to move faster, creating an area of lower pressure above the wing and lifting the airplane.

The Bouncing Aluminum Ball
Make a marble-sized ball of aluminum foil at the end of a piece of thread that is several inches long. Tape a piece of aluminum foil (a few inches square) to the screen of a CRT television. Hold the thread so that the aluminum foil ball is hanging against the aluminum foil on the TV, and turn the TV on. Slowly move a finger of your other hand closer to the aluminum foil ball until it begins to bounce rapidly back and forth between your finger and the aluminum foil on the TV.

What’s happening:
A CRT (cathode-ray tube) TV works by shooting electrons at the screen. The aluminum foil on the screen collects the electrons, making it negatively charged. The aluminum foil ball becomes negatively charged when it touches the foil on the TV and is repelled (like charges repel). Your finger (because of the high water content in your body) acts as an electrical ground. When the foil ball touches your finger, it is discharged and is once again attracted to the foil on the screen. When it touches the screen, it is attracted to your hand again. If the TV is turned off, the foil ball will continue bouncing back and forth between your finger and the foil on the TV screen until all the static electricity is transferred.