Month: December 2022

This dissolving candy canes activity is a great science activity for before Christmas when the festivities are in full swing or after Christmas to use up any leftover candy canes.

The idea is to place candy canes in different liquids to find where they melt the fastest. We used hot and cold water and vinegar, but different hot chocolate temperatures would also work well.

Dissolving candy canes is an excellent investigation for learning how to set up a fair test! This means you need to think about which variables you change and which you keep the same.

Controlled variables are things you keep the same. In this investigation, the controlled variables are:

• size of candy cane
• time the candy cane is in the liquid
• amount of liquid used

The independent variable is the thing you change. In this experiment, the independent variable

Mexico is the next country in our trip around the World in 50 experiments. Mexico is located in North America and shares a border with the United States. It’s the 14th largest country in the World. Mexico is very hot, with deserts in the north, mountains and canyons in the centre and rainforests in the south.

Mexico is a fascinating country with a long and varied history. It’s full of incredible animals and has many interesting geological features.

Mexico Facts

• Capital city – Mexico City
• Mexico has 31 states and Mexico City which is not part of a state.

• Main language – Spanish
• The national symbol of Mexico is the golden eagle.
• Mexico has over 700 species of reptiles!

• The longest river in Mexico is the Rio Grande which starts in Colorado.

Volcanoes and Earthquakes

Mexico is part of the Ring of Fire, a

The Coriolis Effect refers to how the objects moving on the surface of the Earth appear to follow a curved path due to the rotation of the Earth. It is named after Gaspard Gustave de Coriolis who first described the effect.

The Coriolis Effect influences the movement of wind.

Wind is moving air caused by differences in air pressure. Energy from the sun warms air above land and sea. Warm air is less dense than cold air so it rises creating an area of low pressure. Cooler air moves to where the warm air has risen from creating wind!

Air tries to move from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure.

Wind mostly blows from one direction on Earth. Warm air rises near the Equator and flows towards the Poles where it cools,

This DIY slingshot is very easy to make and only requires a couple of cardboard tubes, elastic bands and a pencil!

When the pom poms are fired out of the launcher they don’t fall straight to the ground, but instead follow a curved path. This is because there are two forces acting on them. Gravity tries to pull them down, while the forward force from the inner cardboard tube pushes them forward.

Remember to only use soft or very light items with your slingshot. We used table tennis balls and soft pom poms.

How to make a DIY Slingshot

What you need:

Thin cardboard tube. If you don’t have a thin one you can cut a toilet roll in half lengthways and roll it into a smaller tube.

Cardboard tube

2 elastic bands

Pencil

Scissors

DIY Slingshot Instructions

Check one of tubes fits easily inside the other.

Ask an adult

If you’re looking for a totally FREE Halloween activity that’s educational as well as fun, you’re in the right place!

Download my spooky Halloween Science Quiz and discover all kinds of fun facts about creepy crawlies, pumpkins and other Halloween themes!

You might also like my Halloween science experiments and Halloween STEM challenges! I’ve got erupting pumpkins, light up haunted houses, a pretend blood recipe and lots more!

Spooky Halloween Science Quiz

Do you know the name for a female vampire?

It’s a Vampiress!

Why do bats sleep upside down?

Possibly so they can make a quick escape from a predator if needed.

Get the Quiz!

Test your knowledge of all things Halloween with this SPOOKY Halloween quiz!

If you’d rather gross than spooky, check out my latest book GROSS SCIENCE, it’s full of icky, sticky science experiments to make you squeal!

Last Updated on October 13,