Creative Science for Kids

• Fantastic plants – seed science with Cassy Polimeni

  Let’s get growing with five fascinating fast facts about seeds, a deep dive into seed banks, an interview with Cassy Polimeni, a children’s author who writes stories featuring science, and a see-through seed growing activity for you to try yourself at home.   Presented by Jenny Lynch and Matilda Sercombe. Written and produced by Jenny Lynch. Music by Purple Planet Music. Sound effects by Pixabay.   https://www.creativescience.com.au   Episode content: 00:00 Introduction and fast facts 03:09 Seed banks 03:47 Cassy Polimeni and ‘The Garden at the End of the World’ 08:33 CD bean plant activity   Cassy Polimeni: https://cassypolimeni.wordpress.com/ UWA Publishing: https://uwap.uwa.edu.au/collections/ella-and-the-frogs-series   CD Bean Plant Activity Instructions: You will need: Old CD case, moist soil or potting mix, broad bean seeds, and a shallow tray. If you can’t find a CD case, you can try using a DVD case or a clear plastic zip lock bag instead. Open the CD case, lay it out flat on a bench and take out the plastic inner part. The inner part is often made from black plastic and it has the round part that holds the CD. At the end of the CD case that doesn’t have the hinge, add some moist soil or potting mix and place up to three broad bean seeds in the middle of the soil. Close the CD case and stand it up in the plastic tray. You might need to lean the CD case against a wall or a box so it stands up on its side with the soil at the bottom. Leave the CD case until the first signs of germination appear, with roots and leaves growing out of the seed, and continue to observe the plant growing over several days. You will need to keep the soil moist by adding a small amount of water through the gap at the hinged end of the CD case. A dry broad bean seed stays dormant until it has the soil and water it needs to grow. The seed has enough energy and nutrients to start growing, but it soon starts making food from carbon dioxide gas in the air and takes up water and nutrients through the roots. As the bean plant grows, the different parts of the plant can be observed through the clear CD case, including the roots, stem, and leaves. The stem grows up and the roots grow down because the plant can detect light and the force of gravity.

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• Freaky forces – rocket science with Jason Sercombe

  It’s time to lift off with five fascinating fast facts about rockets, a quick look at some famous rocket launches, an interview with Jason Sercombe, a scientist who knows a lot about building and launching model rockets, and an easy-to-make rocket for you to launch yourself at home.   Presented by Jenny Lynch and Matilda Sercombe. Written and produced by Jenny Lynch. Music by Purple Planet Music. Sound effects by Pixabay.   https://www.creativescience.com.au   Episode content: 00:00 Introduction and fast facts 04:42 Building and launching model rockets 08:42 Straw rocket activity You will need: a sheet of paper, a drinking straw, scissors, and sticky tape Use the sheet of paper to make a tube that fits over the drinking straw. Place the straw along one side of the paper and cut a rectangle of paper that is about 3 centimetres shorter than the straw and can wrap around the straw. Wrap the rectangle around the straw to form the tube and use sticky tape to hold the tube together. Make sure the tube can slide easily over the straw to ensure a smooth rocket launch. Take the rocket tube off the straw and twist the paper at one end to seal off the end of the rocket. This end is the nose cone. Look at some pictures of rockets and use the paper and scissors to make 3 or 4 fins for the paper rocket. Use sticky tape to attach the fins to one end of the rocket: the end that is closest to the open end of the rocket. Slide the rocket onto the paper straw, aim it at an open space, away from other people, and blow quickly into the straw to launch the rocket. Experiment with holding the straw at different angles and blowing harder into the straw to get the maximum flight time. You can also try making different fin designs.

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• Amazing animals – eel science with Kelly Osterberg

  Let’s get slimy with five fascinating fast facts about eels, an intriguing story about long-finned eels from Kelly Osterberg, an educator who knows a LOT about eels, and a gooey eel activity for you to cook up at home.   Presented by Jenny Lynch and Matilda Sercombe. Written and produced by Jenny Lynch. Music by Purple Planet Music. Sound effects by Pixabay.   https://www.creativescience.com.au   Episode content: 00:00 Introduction and fast facts 02:21 The lives of long-finned eels 09:05 Glass eel noodle activity   WaterNSW Warragamba Dam website https://www.waternsw.com.au/nsw-dams/greater-sydney-dams/warragamba-dam WaterNSW Education website (for Teachers) https://www.waternsw.com.au/education   Glass Eel Noodle Activity instructions You will need: A heat-proof cup, such as a teacup or a small mug, 2 tablespoons of potato starch, 1 tablespoon of boiling water, a metal teaspoon, a small saucepan, a stove, and a strainer. WARNING! An adult must do the steps that use boiling water. WARNING! Glass eel noodles have a very chewy texture. They should not be eaten by very young children or anyone who has trouble with chewing food. Add the 2 tablespoons of potato starch to a heat proof cup, such as a teacup or a small mug. Add 1 tablespoon of boiling water to the potato starch and mix thoroughly using a metal teaspoon. Use your hands to knead the mixture until it forms a smooth dough. Break the dough in half and then divide each half into about 6 equally sized pieces. Roll each of the 12 pieces of dough into a thin eel shape, about 5 to 7 cm long. Boil water in a small saucepan and add the eels to the boiling water, one at a time, so they don’t stick to each other. Boil the eels for about 15 minutes until they are almost completely transparent. Use a strainer or colander to carefully strain the eels and then rinse the eels in cold water.

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• Extreme energy – sunny science

  Things are really going to heat up with five fascinating fast facts about the Sun, a deep dive into Solar radiation, a question about the Sun exploding, some history of solar power, and a sunny science activity for you to try yourself at home.   Presented by Jenny Lynch and Matilda Sercombe. Written and produced by Jenny Lynch. Music by Purple Planet Music. Sound effects by Pixabay.   https://www.creativescience.com.au   Episode content: 00:00 Introduction and fast facts 02:21 Solar radiation 04:19 Is the Sun going to explode one day? 05:59 Solar power 08:01 Tracing shadows You will need: A sunny day, a hat and sunscreen, a small toy, for example a LEGO figure, a pencil, and a piece of paper. You might also need something heavy, like a few rocks, to stop the piece of paper blowing away in the wind.

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• Amazing animals - sea slug science

  Let’s get slimy with five fascinating fast facts about slugs, a deep dive into sea slug adaptations, a question about why slugs have slime, a look at a sea slug citizen science project, and a slimy substance for you to make yourself at home.   Presented by Jenny Lynch and Matilda Sercombe. Written and produced by Jenny Lynch. Music by Purple Planet Music. Sound effects by Pixabay.   https://www.creativescience.com.au   Episode content: 00:00 Introduction and fast facts 02:20 Sea slug adaptations 04:26 Why do slugs have slime? 06:10 Sea Slug Census 08:26 Sticky tapioca slime You will need: Help from and adult, a small saucepan, a spoon, a stove, one quarter of a cup of cold tap water, four drops food colouring, and one quarter of a cup of tapioca flour.   iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/ Search for ‘Sea Slug Census’

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