Hobbies And Interests
Cookie Topography
Cookie Topography is a fun activity that allows kids to expand their knowledge of topographic maps and their lines. One chocolate chip cookie per student, a napkin, a pencil, a metric ruler and one piece of drawing paper per person are required materials. To begin, tell the students to imagine their cookie is a Pacific Island surrounded by water. Their goal is to construct a topographic map of the island. Start by drawing a profile of the cookie, illustrating the changes in elevation. Use a ruler to determine the highest point on the top. Draw a circle around the cookie and use this as the basis for the rest of the map. Represent the landscaping with contour lines and label elevations. Identify three different landforms. Instruct children to consider where they would build a house on their island. Why did they choose that particular spot? Title the map and give it a scale and a legend.
Gummy Worm Stretch
Gummy Worm Stretch gives kids a chance to play with their food while learning new scientific facts. Provide four gummy worms, a ruler, ice cubes, two bowls, two zipper bags, paper and a pen or pencil for each student or team. To begin, instruct students to record the length of each gummy worm as is and label it as "length before." Next, set aside one worm and stretch it as far as possible without breaking it. Record this measurement as "length after." Grab a second worm and roll it between your palms for four minutes, then record that length as "length after hand-warmed."
Now it's time to fill one bowl with hot water and the second with ice cubes. Place the two remaining worms in baggies and submerge one in each bowl, letting them sit for four minutes. Take final measurements and then hold a class discussion about why and how temperature affects gummy worm stretching potential.
Antacid Tablet Race
The Antacid Tablet Race is a fun, fast-paced activity that allows kids to use their scientific knowledge to compete against one another in a fun way. You'll need beakers or plastic jars, antacid tablets, tweezers or forceps, scrap paper, a watch or clock with a second hand and a small block of wood. Find a person to pair up with and set the two beakers next to each other. Fill the beakers halfway with water of the same temperature. One partner will use a whole antacid tablet for the race, and the other will wrap a tablet in its wrapper and crush it with the wood block. Someone says, "Go!" and both competitors drop their tablets in the water. The one whose tablet reaches the bottom first wins. According to the NASA Teacher's Resource Center, this activity "is a similar situation to the way the thrust of a rocket is increased by increasing the burning surface of its propellants."