12 Days of Science at Christmas #12DOSAC @Oamc Science

12 Days of Science at Christmas #12DOSAC @oamc_science

Within this booklet you will have the opportunity to carry out your own experiments in the comfort of your own home!

You will also consider the skills you are developing along the way and how these skills connect with STEM careers.

There will also be a poster competition where you can win a prize!

Experiment 1: Hot Chocolate Marshmallows Goal: Learn about the effect of temperature on the rate of reaction.

What you will need: 3 x Mugs Water/Milk Hot chocolate mix Spoon Timer Spoon

For the activity to be valid only one variable should change, everything else should stay the same. For this experiment we are changing the temperature of the hot chocolate. We must keep the volume of milk, type of cup, spoonful of hot chocolate powder and marshmallows the same.

Directions: 1) Measure the volume of milk (or water) into three separate mugs. 2) Heat up in microwave. First mug for 100 seconds, second mug for 50 seconds, third mug for 20 seconds. 3) Make observations and answer the following questions at 30 second intervals.

Questions to ask: - How do the marshmallows change as they melt? - Why do you think marshmallows melt faster in the warmer drink? - Do you think the marshmallows would melt faster if you pushed them below the surface?

What is happening? As temperature increases, the rate of reaction also increases. As the temperature of the hot chocolate increases, this causes the particles within the marshmallows to collide faster.

Rate of reaction is the time taken for a reaction to complete. Examples of this in action are cookies bake faster at higher temperatures, or bread dough rises more quickly in a warm place than in a cool one. The goal of any industry is to make as much money as possible, so industries are keen to try and have as fast a rate as possible.

Who uses this in real life?

Understanding the rates of chemical reactions is important for controlling food spoilage in industry. Jobs which consider the rates of reactions including food packaging scientists (to reduce food spoilage), battery manufacturers (to ensure longevity of batteries) and even clothes detergent manufacturers.

Scientists must also consider the rate of reactions when creating make-up, for example when putting on foundation we as consumers want it to automatically match our skin tone.

What skills are developed? - Communication skills as you must be able to work effectively in a team setting. - Problem solving skills as it can be trial and error. - Mathematical skills as you are dealing with various concentrations and volumes.

Remember to share: #12DOSAC @oamc_science

Experiment 2: Wintery Hot Soap Cloud Goal: Learn how air expands when heated!

What you will need: • One bar of Ivory soap (must be ivory soap!!!!) • A shallow dish • A microwave

Directions: Make sure you have permission and supervision from your parent/guardian to use the microwave for this activity 1. Unwrap one bar of soap and place onto a plate in your microwave. 2. Set the timer for 2.5 minutes and “cook” the soap on high. It will only take a few seconds before it starts to swell and grow. 3. The soap will stop expanding after a couple of minutes. The resulting fluffy- looking mass will be hot to the touch and will feel dry and brittle, not soft as one would expect. Use heat resistant gloves to remove plate from microwave! 4. Leave for a few minutes to cool down. Now try crumbling, squishing, and mixing the whole mess with water, chuck the whole thing in the bin. Don’t flush it down the sink because it may clog your drains.

If you don’t have the resources you can watch this video to view the experiment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TN9VLOlThA

Enjoy the superclean smell after you’re done!

What is happening?

When soap is made it is whipped up like icing. This whipping traps a lot of air inside of the soap. When air gets hot it expands – it gets bigger. So, when you put it in the microwave, the air in the soap heats up, expands, and makes the whole bar of soap expand.

Who Uses This in Real Life?

NASA must consider how heat affects air pressure in Earth’s atmosphere when designing rockets. Heating of the Earth during climate change in turn heats the atmosphere. This increase in temperature makes the molecules in the atmosphere move faster.

The Earth's atmosphere is an extremely thin sheet of air extending from the surface of the Earth to the edge of space. NASA must be aware of air pressures as this will impact the ability of the rocket to escape earth’s atmosphere to reach space!

What skills are being developed? - Attention to detail - Problem solving skills - Safety skills

Remember to share: #12DOSAC @oamc_science

Experiment 3: Deck the Halls with Science Goal: Learn how detectives use separation of compounds to solve crimes!

What you will need:  Water-soluble markers - Variety of colours including black  Coffee filters or large filter papers  Use the patterns to make light bulbs  Scissors  White pipe cleaners (cut in half or smaller)  Small cups

Directions 1) Use a marker to make a small circle in the centre of the bulb area. 2) You may use two or more markers, but too many colours will cause the final product to be smeared. 3) One end of a white pipe cleaner should be inserted into the centre of the ink dot. The other end should be placed into a container of water. 4) The filter paper should not touch the water. 5) Allow time for the water to travel through the filter paper and reach the edges (couple minutes). 6) Remove the pipe cleaner and place the light bulbs in an area where they can dry. 7) Once they are dry, tape the light bulbs to a piece of black string to create a string of lights. Decorate your room or hallway! What is happening?

Chromatography is a process for separating components of a mixture. The different components of the mixture travel at different speeds, causing them to separate from one another. The largest molecules of the mixture will travel more slowly while the smallest one’s race ahead.

Who uses this in real life? The Police and other detectives use chromatography when trying to solve a crime Chromatography is used to test evidence such as blood or hair from a crime scene. This allows investigators to understand the crime better and to develop theories on what exactly happened.

We now know of over 60 types of explosive and over 2000 poisons and illicit drugs. Establishing which of these is present in a sample taken from a crime scene typically involves separation using gas or liquid chromatography. Looking at the results can help identify peaks that are characteristic of compounds.

Skills needed: - Problem solving skills as it can be trial and error - Communication skills - Creativity skills to create your own designs.

Figure 1: Example of chromatography from various pens. Separation of colour due to varying size of particle and speed it travelled.

Experiment 4: Cranberry Chemistry Goal: Learn about how berries grow and what you can do with them.

Beyond being a popular treat, cranberries contain anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are pigments that change colour depending on if they are reacting with an acid or a base. Because cranberries are naturally acidic (it is part of the reason they have a somewhat tart taste) the anthocyanin reacts with the acid to make the berries red. However, if you change the acidity, you can change the colour too.

What you’ll need: - Cranberry juice - Baking powder - 2 x Glass (which you can see through) - Lemon juice

Directions: 1. Pour one cup of cranberry juice into the glass. 2. Add a tablespoon of baking soda and observe the reaction. Things to look out for are bubbling, noises, and changes in how the liquid looks. 3. Wait 2 minutes and observe if any changes occur. 4. Add two tablespoons of lemon juice, and again, pay attention to see if there is any reaction.

What’s happening? Baking soda is a base, so it should first foam up a bit when it contacts the acidic juice, and then react with the anthocyanin to turn the cranberry juice from red into a darker purple or blue colour. When you add the lemon juice, which is acidic, it should neutralize the basic baking soda to again react with the anthocyanin and bring the juice back to a redder colour.

You could try baking soda and lemon juice at the same time or use other acids, like vinegar. If you decide to add lemon juice or vinegar with baking soda at the same time, be ready for a foamy mess. It may be best to do this outside.

Who uses this in real life? In the food industry, pH is used to look at the physical and chemical reactions required to produce food and prevent the growth of pathogens.

Jobs in the food industry which use this knowledge include food quality assurers, food quality technicians and food safety technologist.

What skills are being developed? - Practical lab safety skills - Team working skills - Time management skills - Enquiry skills

Remember to share: #12DOSAC @oamc_science

Experiment 5: Magical Ice Cream Goal: Learn about melting points of different substances.

Ice cream is made up of droplets of fat from milk jumbled up with millions of tiny crystals of ice and pockets of air. We are going to use the freezing power of salt and ice to create ice crystals in milk without a freezer!

What you will need: - A large bag of ice - Salt - Milk – we used chocolate milk - A tablespoon sugar and a teaspoon vanilla essence – optional - 2 zip lock food bags

Directions 1) Pour a cup of milk into a zip lock bag. Add the sugar and vanilla essence (or just use flavoured milkshake). Make sure the bag is properly sealed. 2) Half fill a bigger zip lock bag with ice and add a good amount of salt. 3) Put the milk bag into the ice bag and give it a good shake. 4) Keep the milk in contact with the ice as much as possible. 5) Keep rolling the ice over the milk, the ice in the bag will get VERY cold, so put a towel around the bag to protect your hands. 6) Check the milk after 5 minutes, it should be a similar consistency to ice cream, if not keep going for a bit longer.

What is happening? Pure water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius. The addition of salt lowers the freezing point by a few degrees. This means when salt is added to the ice in the outer bag, the ice (which is at 0°C) is above its freezing point, so starts to melt. Melting needs energy which in this case comes from the milk mixture in the inner bag. Heat energy is absorbed from the milk making ice crystals form between the tiny fat molecules. The more salt that is added to the ice, the lower the freezing point. For the ice to melt heat must be absorbed from the surroundings (in this case the milk mixture) causing it to freeze.

Who uses this in real life? Looking at the melting point is a new approach for breaking down and recycling plastics. This could be an important move for cleaning our oceans of plastic waste. Of the 8,300 million metric tons of plastics produced between 1950 and 2015, only 9 percent was recycled.

Currently, plastic materials are difficult to recycle because of the wide variety of plastic types and the various pigments and additives mixed in with them. Most recycled plastic is mechanically ground up and “downcycled” into lower quality, non-recyclable products. . This knowledge of the melting point of plastics can help us to recycle and cut down on plastic waste.

What skills are developed? - Innovative skills - Problem solving and adaptability skills

Remember to share: #12DOSAC @oamc_science

Experiment 6: Christmas Themed Cartesian Diver Goal: Learn about density, pressure, and buoyancy in action as they control their diver’s movements.

What you will need: - Water - Food colouring - Clear plastic bottle - Ball point pen cap (without holes in it) - Putty/playdough/blue tack - Christmas bells (variety of sizes) - Sharpie pens, tooth pick, cup of water

Directions 1. Remove any labels from your bottle so that you can watch the action 2. Fill the bottle to the very top with water, add food colouring. 3. Place a small pea-size piece of blue tack at the end of the point on the pen cap. 4. Slowly place the pen cap into the bottle, blue tack end first. (some water will spill out – that’s okay) It should just barely float. If it sinks take some blue tack away. If it floats too much add more. 5. Now screw on the bottle cap nice and tight. 6. Now for the fun part. You can make your dicer rise and fall at your command. Squeeze the bottle hard – the pen cap sinks…stop squeezing and the pen cap rises. With a little practice, you can even get it to stop right in the middle.

Christmas twist: Practice sinking your diver until it touches a bell every time. Challenge your family and friends to see who can earn the most points after a pre-determined number of rounds.

The point system for our bells was: 1. 5 points for touching one of the two large gold bells. 2. 10 points for touching one of the two medium red bells. 3. 25 points for touching the single small green bell.

What is happening? This experiment is all about density. When you squeeze the bottle, the air bubble in the pen cap compresses (gets smaller) and that makes it denser than the water around it. When this happens, the pen sinks. When you stop squeezing, the bubble gets bigger again, the water is forced out of the cap, and the pen cap rises. Buoyancy In this experiment, buoyancy is the force on the pen cap that makes it move upward in the surrounding water. Density In this experiment, the density of the pen cap is how much space it takes up (its volume) in relation to the amount of matter it has (its mass).

Who uses this in real life? An example of density in real life is in an oil spill in the ocean, the oil rises to the top because it is less dense than water, creating an oil slick on the surface of the ocean. This is handy to know when cleaning up oil spills.

Also, engineers utilise knowledge of density when it comes to engineering ships. Even though ships are made of steel and other heavy materials, they have a lot of trapped air which allows them to be less dense than water.

What skills are developed? - Critical thinking/problem solving skills - Organisation skills

Remember to share: #12DOSAC @oamc_science

Experiment 7: Why do pine cones open and close? Goal: To learn about the effect of heat on seeds.

What you will need: - A variety of opened and closed pine cones - 2 x large glasses or glass dishes - Water - An oven

Directions 1. Fill your glasses with water. 2. Place an already closed pine cone in one glass of water, and an opened pine cone in another glass of water. 3. Then get 2 other pine cones. Place a closed pine cone as well as an opened one on a radiator.

Observation: 4. The pine cones in the water – you will see that the closed pine cone remains closed, but the one that was opened will start to close its “leaves”. 5. The pine cones in front of the heater: The pine cone that is open will remain open, the closed pine cone will however start to open up.

What is happening? The scales of seed-bearing pine cones move in response to changes in humidity. When warm and dry the pine cone opens up to release the cone's seeds. When it is damp or cold, the scales close up. Depending on where you live, this time of year the ground might be covered in snow, ice and, most importantly, pinecones! We see pinecones everywhere during the winter—in wreaths, on trees and in our yards. But did you know that pinecones have a vital job? They keep pine tree seeds safe, and protect them from the freezing temperatures during the winter! To protect their seeds, pinecones can close their “scales” tightly, keeping out cold temperatures, winds, ice and even animals that might eat their precious cargo.

Who uses this in real life? Pine trees reproduce by producing seeds. Pine seeds are located on scales of structures called cones (pine cones). Environmental scientists are extremely important in this day in age, especially as we are currently in the middle of a new era of mass extinction for both plants and animals.

Forestry commissioners are specific jobs related to protecting our natural woodlands and forests. Forestry commission writes “Trees are at the heart of our communities, steeped in history, spread over iconic countryside and making up the forests that energise our bodies and calm our souls”. It is so important that more people are involved in protecting the natural beauty of our planet.

If you want to know more about tree’s and how they reproduce, have a look at this link: https://forestryandland.gov.scot/learn/forestry

What skills are being developed? - Organisation skills - Observation skills - Time management skills

Remember to share: #12DOSAC @oamc_science

Experiment 8: Jumping Tinsel and Static Electricity Goal: Learn about the effect of static electricity What you will need: - Tinsel - Balloons (water balloon size works well) - Other surfaces (e.g. your own clothes, hair, sofa, carpet).

Directions 1. Blow up a balloon to any size you want. 2. Tear up a few flecks off your tinsel- try different size pieces to see if it makes a difference! 3. Rub your blown up balloon on your hair, this builds up static electricity. 4. Hover the balloon over your tinsel and see what happens!

What is happening? When you rub a balloon on your jumper or hair builds up a negative charge on its surface. This is caused by static electricity. Static is more prevalent in the winter time because the air is usually drier than in other seasons.

When the positively charged tinsel is dropped onto the surface of the balloon it is first attracted to it, but is then repelled as it picks up the negative charge. The tinsel can then be guided around the room by moving the balloon. Who uses this in real life?

To tackle climate change, factories use static electricity to reduce pollution coming from their smokestacks. They give the smoke an electric charge.

When it passes by electrodes of opposite charge (electrodes conduct electricity), most of the smoke particles cling to these electrodes. This is a new way of preventing pollution from entering our atmosphere.

What skills are being developed? - Observation skills when being creative. - Design and adaptability skills when using different materials. - Problem solving skills when interpreting your experiment. - Maths skills when looking for patterns.

Remember to share: #12DOSAC @oamc_science

Experiment 9: Grow your own Sugar Crystal ‘icicles’ Goal: To learn about saturated solutions

What you will need: - 4 cups of Sugar - 1 cup of Water - Glass - String with pencil or straw - Food colouring and/or glitter

Directions 1. The day before your experiment, tie a string to a straw and get it wet. Dip the wet string in sugar and let it dry hard overnight. 2. The following day add four cups of sugar and one cup of water to a saucepan and heat until boiling. This will form your supersaturated solution. 3. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Once dissolved fully, pour into jars (old jam jars work well). 4. Lower your string into jars and place the jars in a safe place. This will take about a week. 5. Once a week has passed, pull the string out of the jars and you will have formed sugar crystals!

What is happening?

A crystal is a solid material with a naturally geometrically regular form. Some take millions of years to form, such as diamonds. The sugar crystals we made above take just a few days.

Evaporation – the water evaporates slowly meaning the solution becomes more saturated, so the sugar molecules come out of solution and collect on the string/wire or stick.

Precipitation – the solution we made was very concentrated which means there was too much solute to remain dissolved in the water, therefore it starts to precipitate.

Who uses this in real life?

Breweries use the science behind saturated solutions to make beer. In beer or sparkling juices there is a saturation of carbon dioxide, this is what gives this ‘sparkling’ effect when you open the can/bottle.

Carbonated water is saturated with carbon, hence it gives off carbon through bubbles. Carbonated drinks are made by forcing carbon dioxide into the liquid under pressure and sealing off the container.

What skills were developed? - Innovation skills when creating your own crystals. - Organisation skills when designing and creating this experiment.

Experiment 10: Swimming Gingerbread Man Goal: To think scientifically, as well as drawing on current knowledge to make predictions.

What you will need: - Small gingerbread biscuits - Water - Phone timer - Cups - Measuring cylinder - Cooking oil, vinegar, milk

Make Predictions: Questions 1. How do you think the gingerbread men will change in each substance? 2. Do you think the gingerbread men will get bigger or smaller? 3. Do you think the gingerbread men will change colour?

Directions 1. Place gingerbread men in separate bowls or trays. 2. Submerge them in different substances (try make sure it is the same volume). 3. Make sure one gingerbread man is left plain as a control experiment (nothing is changed). 4. Start the timer and make observation every 10 minutes.

What is happening? You should have found that the gingerbread man in oil changed the least and the gingerbread man in water changed the most. The gingerbread man placed in water should have also lost most of its colour and became very soft.

Biscuits, such as gingerbread men, contain a lot of sugar. When dunked in water, the sugar starts to dissolve which softens them. Eventually they will break apart.

Who uses this in real life? This experiment shows that different substances have a variety of effects, however the importance of this experiment was to ensure your experiment was valid by measuring out volumes.

Toxicology is the study of adverse effects that occur in living organisms due to chemicals. It involves observing and reporting symptoms, mechanisms, detection, and treatments of toxic substances, in particular relation to the poisoning of humans.

When scientists are observing the effects of substances, they must ensure experiments are valid and reliable. Therefore, practising these crucial scientific skills now is so important!

What skills have I developed? - Observation skills - Patience and making predictions - Maths skills when

Remember to share: #12DOSAC @oamc_science

Experiment 11: Snowstorm in a jar Goal: To learn about the forces of attraction

What you will need: - Jar of any size (or empty drink bottle) - Baby oil - Glitter (optional) - White acrylic paint - Alka Seltzer

Directions 1. Fill jar 2/3 with baby oil. 2. Mix water and paint and gently add this mixture to the jar. (Add optional glitter).  The mixture will fizz up towards the top a little bit when you do the experiment, so don’t fill your jar all the way to the top or you’ll end up with quite a mess! 3. Break an alka-seltzer tablet into a few small pieces and drop them in one at a time. 4. Watch your snowstorm!

When you are done with your little jar, simply put the lid back on and store it away for another day. You can keep using it over and over!

What is happening? The Alka Seltzer has sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and citric acid in it. When these two chemicals mix with water, a chemical reaction takes place and bubbles of carbon dioxide gas are released. It all depends on the force of attraction between the molecules in the two liquids. The water-and-remaining gas becomes denser than the oil, therefore the ball of water sinks down through the oil and joins the rest of the water. Changes in density as gas is added to or taken away from water cause it to float up and sink down through the oil (causes this snowstorm effect).

If we were doing this experiment without any oil, all we would have is a fizzing jar and we wouldn’t be able to see those little bubbles rising up and falling down again!

Who uses this in real life?

A lava lamp (which is like what we have made here) is an example of a convection current. Convection currents cause liquids and gases to rise and fall because of changes in their density. There are convection currents all around you, even in the Earth’s crust! Geologists (which are scientists who research the earth) say that convection currents play a big role in the movement of deep ocean waters and contributes to oceanic currents. This movement of water plays a big role in weather changes around the world!

What skills have I developed? - Knowledge of convection currents and density. - Observation skills - Responsibility Remember to share: #12DOSAC @oamc_science

Activity 12: Periodic Table Christmas Message!

Goal: To be creative when using the periodic table symbols.

Last but not least, I would like you to try make a Christmas message using element symbols from the periodic table. This can be whatever message you want- please take a photo of this and share it!

Remember to share: #12DOSAC @oamc_science

STEM Poster Competition During ‘12 Days of Science at Christmas’, you have been introduced to a variety of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) careers.

You have seen how the skills we are developing within the classroom and at home can be transferred to a real- life job.

Your task is to come up with a POSTER which will advertise STEM careers within the science department. This is to get you and your peers thinking about the endless opportunities within STEM. Bring this into school the first week back after Christmas!

Your poster must include: - What is the job called? - Why is this job important? - What does the job involve? - What skills will you need? - Make your poster stand out with colour, pictures, and a cool layout.

Find out more about careers in science, technology, engineering and maths: engineering: tomorrowsengineers.org.uk biology: rsb.org.uk/make-a-difference chemistry: rsc.org/careers/future physics: physics.org/careers maths: mathscareers.org.uk