Creative Science for Kids

It’s time to get to work with five fun and fascinating fast facts about energy, an interview with Lee Constable, a presenter and author of books about sustainability, and an energy transformation activity for you to try yourself at home.

 

Presented by Jenny Lynch and Matilda. Written and produced by Jenny Lynch. Music by Purple Planet Music. Sound effects by Pixabay.

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Episode content:

00:24 Introduction and fast facts

05:37 Interview with Lee Constable

13:14 Energy transformation activity

 

Lee Constable: https://leeconstable.com

 

Energy transformation activity

You will need: an object you can drop, such as a ball or a rolled-up pair of socks, and a rubber band.

Energy cannot be created nor destroyed. This is called the ‘Law of Conservation of Energy’. However, energy can change into different forms. How many energy transformations can you observe in about a minute?

Rub your hands together as fast as you can. You are turning moving energy into heat energy, with help from the force of friction.

Hold the ball or socks high above the floor. What you are holding now has gravitational potential energy, otherwise known as stored energy, let go and the gravitational potential energy turns into moving energy as the object falls to the floor, because of the force of gravity.

Feel the rubber band and notice if it feels cold or hot. Use both hands to stretch out the rubber band over and over again for a few seconds and then feel if the rubber band has heated up. If it has, some of the moving energy has turned into heat energy.

Stretch out the rubber band again so it has lots of stored elastic energy and then aim the rubber band away from you and anyone who is with you. Let go, so the rubber band flings through the air, turning the elastic energy into moving energy.

Look around you and see what other energy transformations you can see, for example, turning on a light.

It’s time for a heart-to-heart with five fun and fascinating fast facts about blood, an interview with Dr Patrick Capon, a science communicator who knows a lot about blood, and a heart pumping activity for you to try yourself at home.

 

Presented by Jenny Lynch and Matilda. Written and produced by Jenny Lynch. Music by Purple Planet Music. Sound effects by Pixabay.

 

Support the podcast to keep it ad-free! https://buymeacoffee.com/creativescience

Join the email list: https://www.creativescience.com.au/contact/

Creative Science: https://www.creativescience.com.au

Facebook: @creativescienceaustralia

Instagram: @creative_science_australia

 

Episode content:

00:19 Introduction and fast facts

04:51 Interview with Dr Patrick Capon

12:34 Heart rate activity

 

Australian Redcross Lifeblood: https://www.lifeblood.com.au 

 

Heart rate activity

You will need something that can measure 30 seconds, for example a clock with a second hand, a stopwatch, or the timer on a smartphone.

Feel the pulse in your wrist by holding two fingers gently on the inside of your wrist. If you can’t feel the pulse, change the position of your fingers and rest them gently until you feel the pulse.

The pulse beats in time with your heart pumping blood around your body, so it can be used to measure your heart rate.

Set the timer to measure 30 seconds and count the number of beats you feel in 30 seconds. If you double this number, that number is your heart rate in ‘beats per minute’. For example, if you count 40 beats in 30 seconds, your heart rate is 80 beats per minute.

Do some energetic exercise, like star jumps or running around, for about one minute.

Find your pulse again, set the timer for 30 seconds, and count the number of beats you feel in 30 seconds. Double this number and you will probably have a higher heart rate this time.

When you exercise, your muscles use more oxygen. A faster heart rate means the blood moves faster around your body and more oxygen can be delivered to your muscles.

Let’s go with the flow with five fun and fascinating fast facts about water, an interview with Kelly Osterberg, an educator who knows a lot about water catchments, and a watery activity for you to try yourself at home.

 

Presented by Jenny Lynch and Matilda. Written and produced by Jenny Lynch. Music by Purple Planet Music. Sound effects by Pixabay.

 

Support the podcast to keep it ad-free! https://buymeacoffee.com/creativescience

Join the email list: https://www.creativescience.com.au/contact/

Creative Science: https://www.creativescience.com.au

Facebook: @creativescienceaustralia

Instagram: @creative_science_australia

 

Episode content:

00:20 Introduction and fast facts

04:45 Interview with Kelly Osterberg

11:08 Water from leaves activity

 

WaterNSW https://www.waternsw.com.au

WaterNSW Education https://www.waternsw.com.au/education

WaterNSW on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WaterNSWvideos

 

Water from leaves activity

You will need: a large clear plastic bag, some string, and a healthy tree with lots of leaves that is in a sunny place.  

Choose a leafy branch hanging down low and bending towards the ground.

Place the plastic bag over the branch so there are lots of leaves inside the bag.

Gather the edges of the bag and hold the edges firmly around the branch. Tie some string around the bag to hold it in place on the branch. Try to position the bag so water will collect in the bottom of the bag without leaking out.

Leave the bag in place for several hours or overnight. After a few hours, you should start to see water collecting in the bottom of the bag.

What’s happening?

The water vapour made by the leaves condenses on the inside of the plastic bag to form liquid water which then flows down and collects at the bottom of the bag. This method for collecting the ‘transpiration’ water from plants is a bush survival skill people can use if they are stranded in the bush with no fresh water to drink, however, you should not drink the water you collected in this activity because it might not be very clean. Maybe you can pour the water back around the bottom of the tree so the roots can soak it up for more transpiration.

Let’s celebrate World Frog Day with five fun and fascinating fast facts about frogs, a chat with some froggy scientists, Dr Jodi Rowley and Dr Rebecca Webb, and a gooey chia seed frog spawn activity for you to try yourself at home.

 

Presented by Jenny Lynch and Matilda. Written and produced by Jenny Lynch. Music by Purple Planet Music. Sound effects by Pixabay.

Image: Green Tree Frog Litoria caerulea (Photo credit: Dr Jodi Rowley)

 

Support the podcast to keep it ad-free! https://buymeacoffee.com/creativescience

Join the email list: https://www.creativescience.com.au/contact/ 

Creative Science: https://www.creativescience.com.au

Facebook: @creativescienceaustralia

Instagram: @creative_science_australia

 

Episode content:

00:00 Introduction and fast facts

03:33 Interview with Dr Jodi Rowley

11:19 Interview with Dr Rebecca Webb

14:51 Chia seed frog spawn activity

 

FrogID citizen science project led by Dr Jodi Rowley at the Australian Museum: https://www.frogid.net.au/

 

Dr Rebecca Webb at the University of Melbourne: https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/962839-rebecca-webb

 

Chia seed frog spawn activity

You will need: cold water, a measuring cup, a tablespoon, 2 tablespoons of black chia seeds, and a spoon for stirring. Chia seeds are small seeds that you might be able to buy at a supermarket, a fruit and vegetable shop, or a health food store.

Wash your hands with soap and warm water.

Add half a cup of cold water to the measuring cup.

Add two tablespoons of black chia seeds to the water.

Stir the mixture and leave it to sit for about 5 minutes.

Stir it again and then leave the mixture to cool down in the fridge for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, take it out of the fridge and stir the mixture one more time.

Make sure your hands are clean before picking up the mixture to play with it.

When you take it out of the fridge, you will have a cup of gooey chia seed frog spawn.

You can also try adding honey or maple syrup to the chia seed mixture to make a tasty snack!

 

What’s happening?

Chia seeds are the seeds of the plant Salvia hispanica which is native to Mexico and Guatemala. When the seeds are mixed with water, a slimy coating forms to protect the seeds until they have time to grow. The slimy coating on the seeds looks a lot like the gooey jelly in frog spawn that protects frog’s eggs until they are ready to hatch.

It’s time to widen your mind with five fun and fascinating fast facts about creativity, an interview with Cristy Burne, a storyteller who knows a lot about science and creativity, and an imaginative paper activity for you to try yourself at home.

 

Written, presented, and produced by Jenny Lynch.
Music by Purple Planet Music. Sound effects by Pixabay.

 

Creative Science: https://www.creativescience.com.au

Facebook: @creativescienceaustralia

Instagram: @creative_science_australia

 

Episode content:

00:00 Introduction and fast facts

04:02 Self-correcting science

05:11 Interview with Cristy Burne

11:14 Piece of paper activity

 

Cristy Burne: www.cristyburne.com

 

Piece of paper activity

You will need: an ordinary piece of paper

This activity starts with a couple of ideas of things to do with a piece of paper and then it will be up to you to come up with something new to do with the paper.

Try rolling up the piece of paper to make a cylinder shape. Stand the cylinder on one end. Is it strong enough to support something? Which way did you roll the piece of paper? Was it a long cylinder or a short cylinder? Try rolling it the other way. Is it stronger now?

Hold the piece of paper high above the ground and let if fall to the floor. Does the paper fall quickly or slowly? If you fold the paper in half, will it fall any faster?

Now it’s your turn. What can you think of to do with the piece of paper? Give yourself a few minutes of thinking time to hold the piece of paper and imagine something to do with the paper that you have never thought of doing before.

What’s happening?

Creativity in science often involves thinking about existing ideas and imagining something new. Taking the time to look at familiar objects in new ways can lead to exciting new thoughts, inventions, and discoveries.