science

Felt Marker Chromatography Experiment

October 30, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

_______

This felt marker chromatography experiment uses supplies from the kitchen, has quick results, and can be tailored to a variety of topics. Creativity and center play are easily incorporated. And the experiment is super family-friendly.

_______

Basic Felt Marker Chromatography Experiment

See what colors felt pens are really made up of with this felt pen chromatography experiment.

_______

The simplest version of this experiment is to draw three filled-in circles with nonpermanent felt pens near the bottom of a section of paper towel.

Add a thin layer of water with 2.5 ml salt stirred into a measuring cup or jar. Place the towel with the colored side down into the container. The water level should sit just below the felt pen colors.

Simply watch what happens!

After the color movement stops, remove the paper towel from the container and let it dry flat. Discuss the color changes/new color results.

_______

Felt Marker Chromatography Experiment Scary House

Scary house imaginative play with a felt pen experiment chromatogram.

_______

Although I am not into scary things and don’t do much frightening stuff with my preschool students, this version of the experiment produces a house that bats and spiders might like to inhabit. And here’s where the creative element kicks into high gear.

Draw the outline of a house on a paper towel section with a black nonpermanent felt marker. Trim the edges with scissors. Then add a thin line of black to the bottom of the house with the marker. Pour a little water with a bit of salt added into an ice cream pail. Position the paper towel so it reaches the bottom of the pail but does not slide in. Watch the immediate results. Then check back periodically to note more color changes.

This easy-to-do felt pen chromatography experiment has stunning results.

_______

When the colors have finished spreading, take the paper towel out of the pail, and dry it flat.

The color on my paper towel chromatogram stopped just short of the top of the house. I decided to wet the top a bit so the color filled in completely. That made the design ready to be a placemat for pumpkins, bats, and spiders.

Try this easy-to-do felt pen chromatography "scary house" experiment. It has possibilities for art and imaginaive play.

_______

Two Different Marker Chromatography Experiment

Try this easy felt pen chromatography experiment using a permanent and nonpermanent felt pen.

_______

Using both permanent and nonpermanent black felt markers produces nice results too. For this second version, draw the house on the paper towel with a black permanent marker. Then fill in the thin line of color at the bottom with a nonpermanent felt one. Finish the experiment with the same process as above.

As with the first project, the resulting colors did not spread to the very top of the paper towel house. So I wet the top of this chromatogram too. The color record looks like a house on fire to me, so adding people, pets, firefighters, and orange, black, and clear gems creates another imaginative play invitation.

Sensory and imaginative play with a felt pen experiment chromatogram.

_______

Firefighter diorama created with a felt pen experiment chromatogram.

_______

Interpreting The Felt Marker Chromatography Experiment

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines chromatography as “a process in which a chemical mixture carried by a liquid or gas is separated into components as a result of differential distribution of the solutes as they flow around or over a stationary liquid or solid phase.”

Although each felt marker appears to be just one color, the hues are actually made up of different chemicals called pigments. As saltwater seeps up stationary paper towels, the pigments move up with it. New colors appear because some pigments travel faster than others, and certain colors are less soluble and/or adhere to the paper towel more.

Each color-infused paper towel is called a chromatogram, a graphic record of the separation of colors into different pigments by chromatography.

_______

[Read more…]

Green Huntsman Spider Activities

October 23, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Get to know the webless green huntsman spider through crafts and sensory play activities. Free printable included.

_______

Do all spiders spin webs? And are they all black and brown? Well, the Green Huntsman Spider doesn’t fit this typical mold at all. But its unique look and habits are fascinating and can be readily explored by early learners in spider activities involving sensory and art.

_______

10 Green Huntsman Spider Facts

Indigenous to northern and central parts of Europe, green huntsman spiders live in forest edges and damp woodlands.
A clutch of green huntsman spider eggs is protected in a few leaves stitched together.
40 – 50 spiderlings hatch in about four weeks after the eggs are laid.
The tiny spiderlings are yellowish-brown, and turn green in 18 months.
Eight eyes arranged in an oval shape help green huntsman spiders see.
These showy spiders eat small insects and other invertebrates.
To catch their food, they wait for their prey to come by, and then pounce on it!
Predators of this unique spider are geckoes, birds, wasps, flies, and nematode worms.
The green spiders are camouflaged against leaves, so predators and prey cannot see them.
Green huntsman spiders can live up to two years in age.

An oh-so-green spider sensory tray featuring green huntsman spiders.

_______

Spider Activities

Green Huntsman Spider Sensory Tray

Gather the following supplies for a spidery sensory tray with no web required.

green spider
green spider cupcake toppers
tiny black spiders
green leaves
small logs
wood slices
rocks
green marbles
spinach noodles
metal tray or plastic tub
gold acrylic paint

Loose parts to collect for a green huntsman spider sensory tray.

_______

Break up spinach noodles into small pieces and spread out on the bottom of the tray or tub. Add leaves, logs, wood slices, and rocks. Pick a spot to set the marble “eggs.” Put in the green spider and/or green spider cupcake toppers. If using cupcake toppers, snap off the toothpicks and make sure there are no sharp edges.

Paint the tiny black spiders with gold acrylic craft paint to represent the spiderlings. The acrylic paint will adhere quickly. When dry, add them to the sensory tray.

Green huntsman spider-inspired sensory tray using spinach noodles as a base.

_______

Tip: Split peas or shredded green paper can be used instead of spinach noodles for the base.

_______

Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

_______

Playdough Green Huntsman Spider

Sculpt a green huntsman spider with the best playdough recipe.

________

Make a batch of your favorite playdough and color it green. A basic playdough recipe with green food coloring added works well for this activity.

Invite your early learner to mold some dough into a squished circle or oval. Then your little one can add eight googly eyes to the dough.

Cut three green pipe cleaners into thirds. Invite your little learner to add eight pipe cleaner legs to the plump spider.

Sculpt a green huntsman spider including it's eight eyes!

_______

Green Huntsman Spider Craft

Craft a paper green huntsman spider. The spider won't need a web to be displayed!

_______

Download this template to make a green paper spider. Printing onto cardstock paper works best, but you can also use regular copy paper.

Spider template to cut out and assemble into a green huntsman spider, or to use as a pattern to craft spiders in colors of choice.

_______

Spider Template PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

_______

Invite your early learner to cut out all the circles. Then have your little one glue the smaller circles to the large green circle to make a cute face. Help your child glue or tape on pipe cleaner legs.

_______

Tip: Cutting pipe cleaners into thirds works well for this spider craft.

_______

Spiders In All Colors

After assembling a green spider, your little learner may have fun creating spiders in other colors. Download the template and use the pieces as a pattern for cutting shapes from cardstock paper shades of choice. Have your early learner cut and assemble the circles into bodies of spiders, and add matching or complementary hued pipe cleaner legs.

Craft cheery spiders in your favorite colors. Grab your free template.

_______

The spiders could be hung from strings to provide colorful room decorations.

_______

And finally, you could invite your little one to craft a black and grey spider. Print the above template in black and white. Use black pipe cleaner legs.

_______

[Read more…]

Chinese New Year Sensory Play

January 14, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Chinese New Year sensory tub with red and gold accessories in a dyed chickpea base.

_______

Have you ever dyed chickpeas? I finally gave it a try, and it is soooo addicting! I made the first batch red to use for Chinese New Year sensory play.

In experimenting, I thought the chickpeas looked nice in a combination of dark red, speckled red, and natural hues. All deep red chickpeas seemed overpowering in the sensory tub.

Chickpeas dyed with varying amounts of red acrylic paint.

_______

How To Dye Chickpeas

A quick and easy way to dye chickpeas is with acrylic craft paint.

Supplies to collect:

large bag of chickpeas
red acrylic craft paint
measuring cup
tablespoon
large sandwich bags
plates or trays

Scoop one cup of chickpeas into a large sandwich bag. Add a tablespoon of red acrylic craft paint. Seal the bag well and knead the chickpeas for a few minutes until they are covered in paint.

Open the bag and set it on a table. After ten minutes, pour the chickpeas onto a tray or plate. They will be completely dry in another ten minutes.

Chickpeas dyed with red acrylic paint for sensory play.

_______

To get a speckled paint look, add half a tablespoon of paint to one cup of bagged chickpeas and knead well. Repeat the drying process.

Then color a cup of chickpeas with one-quarter tablespoon paint.

Leave some chickpeas undyed. This will give you four color varieties to add to a tub or bin for Chinese New Year sensory play.

To have enough chickpeas for a group sensory tub, dye more of them!

Note: Acrylic paint washes off hands, tables, dishware, and cutlery easily. If it spatters onto your clothes, wipe the paint off with a wet cloth before washing.

_______

Chinese New Year Sensory Tub

The tub for this sensory activity is a tulip-shaped punch bowl! Up to four children can gather around it to explore the contents. But a bin in any shape will work fine.

You can add undyed chickpeas, all red chickpeas, or chickpeas dyed with different amounts of red paint to the tub. Then look for gold and red items to include.

Red and gold accessories complement this chickpea-based Chinese New Year sensory tub.

_______

This tulip-shaped, chickpea-based tub holds:

chickpeas infused with varying amounts of red paint
red and gold buttons
gold stars
metallic gold pompoms
gold and red bead garland strips
red diamond acrylic gems
wooden ladle
red bowl
chopsticks
small cups with Chinese calligraphy

A chickpea-based Chinese New Year sensory bin.

_______

Your early learners will love scooping, pouring, and manipulating the red and gold pieces in this Chinese New Year sensory play invitation.

Dyed chickpeas in a tulip-shaped punch bowl with red and gold accessories.

_______

[Read more…]

Color Explosion Science Experiment

January 1, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

_______

This dramatic color explosion science experiment is one of the simplest ones you will find. It uses ingredients you probably have in your home, is easy to set up, and shows stunning, instant results.

_______

Supplies To Collect

serving tray
milk
food coloring (1 – 4 colors)
liquid dish soap

Kitchen supplies to carry out the color explosion milk experiment.

_______

Conducting The Experiment

Pour a thin layer of milk into a serving tray placed on a table. I use an inexpensive 12-inch x 12-inch tree-shaped vegetable tray to add interest to the experiment. About three cups of milk will provide a nice layer in a serving tray this size.

Squeeze drops of food coloring in different parts of the tray. Use one, two, three, or even four colors. Primary colors work well.

Squirt a little dish soap in a few color pools.

_______

Pools of food coloring in the color explosion milk experiment.

_______

The food coloring immediately explodes to the tray edges, blending and making new colors.

Try adding a bit more food coloring, and one more squirt of dish soap. I add a little more blue, red, and yellow to the bottom right section because most of the color has moved to other areas of the tray. I squirt a tad more soap on top. There isn’t a noticeable change right away. In fact, after the initial color burst, nothing much seems to happen.

A second dose of food coloring and dish detergent are added in this color explosion milk experiment.

_______

But wait! The experiment doesn’t end here. Leave the tray on the table undisturbed, and check back a few times over the next half-hour. The food coloring slowly moves through the milk and fills the tray.

Each time you look, new color designs are visible on the surface of the milk.

A monster appears in this color explosion milk experiment.

_______

Gradually, the whole tray is color-infused.

Red, blue, yellow, and green colors fill the tray in this color explosion milk experiment.

_______

This color explosion science experiment is perfect for introducing to a group of early learners. At preschool, I like to set it out just before snack time and have students take a second look at what has happened after they are done eating. Then everyone has another look at the tray just before going home.

_______

Related: Pumpkin Color Changing Milk Experiment

_______

Color Explosion Experiment Take Two

In the above demonstration of the science project, I use 2% milk. Below, I show the results of the same experiment done with 1% milk. This time I add drops of color and a squirt of dish soap only once. The food coloring added is generous.

Food coloring pools in the color explosion milk experiment.

_______

In checking back in ten minutes after the initial explosion, the color has moved away from the edge of the tray towards the center.

Bright colors start to spread from the edges of the tray in this color explosion milk experiment.

_______

In twenty minutes the tray looks like this:

Color spreads on the surface of a milk filled tray after dish detergent and fat molecules bond. The food coloring shows the movement of the molecules.

_______

The colors spread further.

Bright colors take over in this color explosion milk experiment.

_______

Finally, they settle in pastel shades.

Pastel colors settle in this color explosion milk experiment.

_______

Tip: Save milk that has expired for this experiment. I successfully use milk five weeks past the expiration day for this second demo.

_______

The Science Behind The Color Explosion Experiment

Although milk is made of mostly water, it also contains fat and protein. These are both sensitive to changes in the milk. When dish soap is added to the tray, it breaks up the surface tension of the milk and is attracted to the fat molecules. The fat molecules try to scurry away but end up bonded with the soap molecules. The movement of the food coloring makes this process visible. As more and more soap and fat molecules bond, the color movement slows down and eventually stops.

Since fat content in milk is super important in this experiment, homo milk works the best. But as seen above, 2% and 1% milk (which I had handy) also show stunning results.

Color-changing experiment using milk, food coloring, and dish detergent.

_______

[Read more…]

Pumpkin Color Activities

November 23, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Pumpkin facts and color activities. Anatomy, color matching, and art activities.

_______

Although orange pumpkins are traditional, and most grocery stores focus on selling them, these dramatic fruits come in many other hues. Diversely colored pumpkins can be scouted out at farmer’s markets and garden centers in autumn. They are intriguing in pumpkin color activities for little learners.

_______

Pumpkin Display

First, set out pumpkins on a shelf for little ones to view. The contrasting colors make a striking display. Discuss pumpkin color, size, shape, and texture.

Pumpkins in mint, cream, black, yellow, and green colors.

_______

Color Matching

Move the pumpkins to a table and invite early learners to add color words.

_______

Pumpkin Anatomy

Display a cross-section of each variety collected, and talk about pumpkin anatomy.

_______

Notice that some pumpkins have larger cavities than others, and certain pumpkins contain more seeds. Study flesh colors together, and invite little learners to feel the pumpkin insides.

Black pumpkin cross-section showing pulp and seeds.

_______

_______

_______

Spider Web Crayon Rubbings

Have children do a spider web crayon rubbing on a uniquely colored paper pumpkin. A few spiders hanging around add excitement to the activity.

Crayon rubbings of spider webs on colored pumpkins. An all-ages art activity.

_______

Pumpkin Painting

Offer tempera paint for little ones to slather on a small pumpkin. Have everyone generously sprinkle on gold glitter for a finishing touch. The decorated pumpkins make showy take-home art, perfect for displaying on front steps or a porch.

Tempera painted pumpkins sprinkled with gold glitter.

_______

10 Fast Pumpkin Facts

Pumpkins are native to Mexico but have been embraced all over the world.
Pumpkin harvest season peaks in October.
Pumpkins come in various shades of orange, but can also be white, black, deep green, light green, yellow, blue, soft pink, cream, striped, or speckled.
Uniquely colored pumpkins have different purposes. White pumpkins are perfect for art projects.
Cinderella, Blue Doll, Baby Bear, Crystal Star, and Midnight Black are some of many creative pumpkin names.
Some pumpkins are smooth. Others feel rough and may have warts.
The world’s heaviest pumpkin weighed 2323 pounds.
Water makes up 90% of pumpkins.
Pumpkins are treated as a vegetable in many recipes but are actually a fruit.
Pumpkins are a source of vitamin A, C, and E, and zinc, folate, potassium, and fiber. They contain antioxidants.

_______

Pumpkin Vocabulary List

Download a list of pumpkin vocabulary words to use with your early learners.

Pumpkin Vocabulary ListDownload

_______

To get more ideas for pumpkin color activities, view a slideshow from Better Homes And Gardens entitled: Types Of Pumpkins.

_______

More Pumpkin Activities

Eye Dropper Pumpkin Art

Pumpkin Painting Process Art

Pumpkin Tablescape Pretend Play

Edible Playdough Pumpkins

Pumpkin Playdough Activities

Pumpkin Collage Art

_______

[Read more…]

Beet Science And Sensory Activities

November 22, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

_______

This fall at a greenhouse a display of golden beets caught my attention. They weren’t on my list to buy, but I couldn’t stop thinking about them after I got home. So on my next visit to the garden center, I purchased golden beets and a red bunch too. The showy vegetable-inspired beet science and sensory activities can be introduced on the fly.

_______

Beet Washing Station

Set one or both kinds of beets in a tray with water and a vegetable brush. Invite your early learner to scrub the beets to make their color shine.

_______

Red and golden beets in a beet washing station.

_______

Size Ordering With Beets

Encourage your little learner to order golden beets from largest to smallest.

Size ordering golden beets from largest to smallest.

_______

Growing Beet Greens

After removing the greens, set two beets upright in a small, clear bowl of water. In the following days, observe the earthy vegetables with your early learner. You will be amazed to see glossy new beet leaves growing, and a tangle of roots!

Science experiment to see if red beets can grow new greens.

_______

New greens and roots growing on beets placed in a container of water.

_______

Beet Recipes

Beets are filled with nutrients such as vitamin C, iron, manganese, folate, and potassium. They are a source of fibre and contain antioxidants that are especially good for the eyes. And… the greens are equally nutritious. After your little one participates in beet science and sensory activities, try the following recipes:

Thanksgiving Beets Recipe

Christmas Beets Recipes

Cooking is science too!

_______

[Read more…]

Fall Scissor Skills Activities

November 12, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

_______

One of the things preschoolers are most excited about when starting school in the fall is using scissors. It’s an activity many early learners have not yet had exposure to, so they are delighted to have permission to cut. Offering beautiful materials with unique textures enhances fall scissor skills activities.

_______

Fall Scissor Skills Supplies

Collect art supplies in yellow, orange, red, and brown hues, and sort them into a tray with compartments.

Fall scissor skills tray with red, yellow, orange, and brown craft supplies. Invitation to cut materials for collage or a sensory base.

_______

Gathered for this tray are:

feathers (yellow, orange, red, and brown)
fluffy yarn
yellow and orange foam pieces
brown tissue paper
red straws
fade-resistant construction paper in fall colors
orange crepe paper
red thin ribbon
gold thick ribbon
orange and yellow pom poms

Round up fall-colored craft supplies you have available for your little learners to cut. Leftover scraps from other crafts are perfect for this activity.

After your charges have had a blissful session of cutting craft supplies into bits, store them in a resealable plastic bag or covered container to use as a base in sensory trays.

Snipped craft supplies for a fall sensory tray base.

_______

Forest Sensory Tray

The cuttings make a rich base for a fall forest-themed sensory tray. Rocks, pine cone trees, and forest animals round out this inviting tray for your little ones to explore.

_______

Related: Scissor Skill Snow Cutting

_______

Fall Scissor Skills Party Tray

Change things up by arranging supplies to cut in a party tray. Fall craft leaves and card cut-outs are the highlights of the tray below.

Scissor skills party tray with fall-themed craft supplies. Invitation to cut materials for collage.

_______

Pumpkin Collage

Energize the offerings with black and green craft scraps. Encourage your early learners to cut shapes and glue them onto a paper pumpkin. The completed collage projects will be striking.

_______

Craft supplies to cut and glue for a pumpkin collage craft.

_______

Pumpkin collage craft with textured green, yellow, orange, and black supplies.

_______

Note: For tips on teaching children to use scissors, view my post “Santa’s Beard Scissor Activity.”

_______

[Read more…]

Flower Theme Activities

November 8, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Flower theme art, sensory, and pretend play activities. Early learners will love the winged creatures (dragons, unicorns, and an angel) featured in the theme.

_______

Last spring I picked up two voluminous begonia plants that had large wing-shaped leaves. One plant was called “dragon wing begonia,” and the other was a double pink-flowered variety with similar wing-like leaves. The vigorous plants inspired dragon and flower theme activities for early learners, and angel and unicorn play.

_______

Nonstop Pink Begonia Flower Activities

_______

Nonstop pink begonia still blooming after Canadian Thanksgiving Day. — Nonstop Pink Begonia

_______

Begonia “Through The Seasons” Sensory Tray

Around Canadian Thanksgiving Day, the nonstop pink begonia was still blooming profusely. At the same time collecting pine cones was on my list of tasks to do. By the end of the week, snow was in the forecast. Our area didn’t get snow, but many places in our province did. The mingling of elements of summer, fall, and winter in that week was the inspiration for this sensory tray for little learners. Included are flower leaves and blooms, pine cones, and cotton ball snow. Rocks, stone eggs, and a show-stopping dragon round out the tray.

Three seasons sensory tub with pine cones, begonia leaves and flowers, and cotton ball snow. A dragon and stone eggs complete the tub

_______

Flower Angel

Puffy begonia flowers and leaves arranged in an angel craft are a pretty way to highlight the blooms of the plant. The angel can be a table decoration and conversation piece during snack or lunchtime.

_______

Flower angel made with nonstop pink begonia blooms.

_______

Mud Kitchen Sensory Table

A piece of cardboard with stove elements drawn on with a black permanent felt pen and crayon works magnificently for flower-themed “indoor mud kitchen” play. Set it out on a table with flowers, leaves, spoons, and a mortar and pestle. Or offer the blooms and accessories outdoors for kitchen play.

Flower-themed indoor mud kitchen. Nonstop pink begonia leaves and flowers, mortar and pestle, pots and pans, and a cardboard stove top complete the play invitation. — Cardboard Stove Top

_______

Flower Petals And Playdough

Offer the leaves and flower petals with scented playdough for your little ones to use.

Coconut and strawberry playdough with nonstop pink begonia leaves and flower petals.

_______

Unicorn Water Play

Float begonia leaves and flowers in turquoise colored water in a tub filled with rubber unicorns and pink and white loose parts. The items in this inviting sensory tub are:

begonia leaves and flowers
ice cube flowers and fish
shells
pearl gems
buttons
rubber unicorns

Unicorn and nonstop pink begonia sensory tub. Gem pearls, fish and flower ice cubes, shells, and buttons are part of the water tub.

_______

Related: Sunflower Unicorn

_______

Dragon Wing Begonia Flower Activities

Dragon wing begonia plant. — Dragon Wing Begonia

_______

When I saw the plant named “dragon wing begonia,” I knew it was destined for early childhood play. Here are two inviting activities this plant can shine in.

_______

Castle-Themed Sensory Tray

Begonia leaves and flowers, rocks, and stone eggs are included in this flower-inspired tray for little ones. A dragon, king, and princess figurine offer serious play potential in the tray.

Castle-themed sensory bin with a dragon, king, princess, and dragon wing begonia leaves and flowers.

_______

Cardboard Dragon Craft

Dragon wing begonia leaves are the wings in this painted cardboard dragon craft. Flowers accent the mythical creature.

Cardboard dragon with dragon wing begonia wings and flower accents.

_______

Note:

Begonia plants are not poisonous to people. But the plants are toxic to dogs and cats and should be kept in pots out of their reach.

Children require supervision while participating in the activities shown in this post. When play is finished, they should wash their hands with soap and water.

_______

These flower theme activities work well when frost threatens and the growing season is over. They allow early learners to explore the low-maintenance, show-stopping plants with loose parts in art and sensory play.

_______

[Read more…]

Celery Science Experiment

October 14, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky 2 Comments

Celery and food coloring science experiment.

_______

This classic and colorful celery science experiment is easy to do and has quick results. It works well as a “color-changing celery tree” activity in autumn but is awesome to perform at any time of the year. Your early learner will be thrilled with the speedy and dramatic results of the experiment.

_______

Supplies To Collect

leafy celery stalks
glasses or jars
food coloring hues
pitcher with water
knife
cutting board

Celery and food coloring experiment supplies.

_______

Procedure

Cut the bottoms from celery stalks.

Invite your early learner to generously squirt food coloring hues into glasses or jars, and add about 4 centimeters of water to each one.

Have your child place a celery stalk in each container, and use it to stir the liquids.

Set the jars or glasses with celery on a table or windowsill.

Celery xylem are clearly visible in this closeup photo.

_______

Invite your little learner to look at the celery after a couple of hours. There will be a noticeable change in celery stalk and leaf colors.

Observe the celery with your child the following day. The leaves will be a darker shade of the water hue their stalk was set in than the day before. Colored lines running from the bottom of the stalks to the leaf tips will be clearly visible.

Add a little more water to each container if needed. Study the celery together a day or two later. The leaves and lines on the stalks will be a deeper color still.

Try the experiment with other food coloring hues. The leafy inner stalks below are dipped in turquoise, purple, and green-colored water.

Celery and food coloring experiment using turquoise, fuschia, and green colored water.

_______

Admire the transformed celery.

Color change in celery as a result of adding food coloring to the water.

_______

Variation Of The Celery Science Experiment

Cut off the ends of celery stalks, and split the bottom half of the stalks into two parts.

_______

Invite your child to squirt blue, yellow, and red food coloring into glasses or jars, and mix each hue with a bit of water.

Carefully place a section of one split celery stalk in red water, and the other in yellow. Put the bottom halves of another split celery stalk into yellow and blue water.

Celery stalks placed in two different jars of colored water.

_______

Observe the celery with your little one after a couple of hours, the next day, and two days later.

You will see colored lines that extend from the bottoms of the celery stalks to the leaves. Each stalk will have lines and leaves in two different colors.

_______

The Science Behind The Celery Color Change Experiment

Celery stalks lose water through their leaves. More water gets pulled up from their roots to thirsty leaf tips through a network of hollow tubes called xylem.

The normally invisible process of water transport becomes visible when water accessible to celery stalks is colored.

_______

The little dots on these celery slices are xylem tubes.

The colored dots on these celery slices are xylem tubes that transport water.

_______

[Read more…]

Northern Lights Squish Painting

July 22, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Northern lights inspired squish and string painting. Facts about northern lights included. An all-ages art activity to celebrate nature's dazzling light show.

_______

Northern lights, or auroras, are nature’s majestic light shows sent from the heavens to earth. They are spectacular to view and stunning in photographs or art. A northern lights squish painting project celebrates the vibrancy and uniqueness of this natural light display.

_______

Ten Facts About Northern Lights

Northern lights are dazzling neon light shows visible in night skies.
Electrically charged particles from the sun interact with gases in the earth’s atmosphere to produce the auroras.
Charged particle collisions with oxygen in the upper atmosphere cause green dominant auroras; collisions with nitrogen in the slightly lower atmosphere cause blue or purple-red auroras.
Northern lights can also showcase pink, blue, orange, or yellow colors.
The dancing lights are seen over 200 nights a year in northern skies.
There are different kinds of northern lights. They can display as arcs, shooting rays, coronas, or patchy and pulsating lights.
Remote northern places with clear, dark nights are optimum aurora viewing locations.
Yellowknife, NWT, and Fairbanks, Alaska are two prime locations for observing northern lights.
The best time to see auroras is from October to May.
Northern lights can occasionally be seen from airplanes, especially on polar flights.

_______

A squish and string painting art project. An all-ages art activity that is northern lights inspired.

_______

Northern Lights Squish Painting Art Activity

This art activity is inspired by the colors and shapes of northern lights.

Materials To Collect:

12 x 12 pieces of black fade-resistant construction paper
bright green and magenta tempera paints
paint containers
disposable plate
spoons
long pieces of string or yarn

_______

Fold 12-inch by 12-inch pieces of black construction paper in half. Set out bright green and magenta tempera paints.

Invitation to paint northern lights with a squish painting technique.

_______

Invite your child to spoon both paint colors onto the paper.

_______

Ask your early learner to fold over the paper and rub a hand over it.

_______

Encourage your child to open the paper and admire the art. It is always exciting to see the designs created.

A finished squish painting art project ready to let dry. An all-ages art activity that is northern lights inspired.

_______

Offer string to add interest to the art activity.

Invitation to paint northern lights with a squish and string painting technique.

_______

Ask your little learner to drop magenta paint onto the paper, and lay a string in green paint. Pressing over the string with a spoon is helpful to make sure the string is paint-soaked.

_______

Next, ask your child to lay the string on the paper in a serpentine shape.

_______

With one hand lightly on the folded paper, have your child pull out the string slowly and carefully.

_______

The art will be stunning.

Northern lights inspired squish painting with bright paints and a string. An all-ages art activity,

_______

View a Northern Lights Squish Painting video tutorial.

Northern lights inspired squish painting art project with bright green and magenta tempera paints. An all-ages activity to celebrate nature's light show,

_______

Northern Lights Paint Project Variations

The paint colors can be adjusted. A bit of yellow can be added to green paint to add vibrancy, and a drop of white can be added to magenta paint to brighten it.

Paint colors can be varied by introducing turquoise, red, or pink.

A longer string can be used.

Paint can be dripped and paint-soaked string can be applied more than once on each art project.

_______

Northern lights add ambiance to long, dark, cold northern winters. They add excitement to camping trips or backyard wiener roasts. They are a spectacular subject for art projects.

_______

Squish and string painting art projects. This is an all-ages art activity that is northern lights inspired.

_______

[Read more…]