Monthly Archives

October 2014

BiologyCells and Microbiology

Yeast – Examining Living Cells

Yeast . . . it turns grapes into wine . . . it makes bread rise . . . but did you know it's actually a living one-celled fungus? Yeast provides a safe way for children to observe a few of the life processes of living cells. 1. Living Cells Need Water - Add dry yeast to very warm water to activate them. Explain to children that the yeast must have water in order to…
Cheryl Taylor
October 26, 2014
ChemistryProperties of Matter

Separating a Mixture

A mixture contains two or more substances that are not chemically combined. Each substance retains its original properties, and can be separated by physical means. Challenge your student to design a method to separate a mixture into its separate components. First, you'll need to make the mixture that will be separated. A suggestion would be to mix salt, sand, pebbles, and iron filings. Home improvement stores sell "play sand" which works well for many science…
Cheryl Taylor
October 12, 2014
Earth in SpaceGeology

Take the Pluto Survey!

We all remember learning the nine planets of the solar system when we were in school. And just like that, there were only eight! Poor Pluto! In 2006 the IAU (International Astronomical Union) demoted Pluto to nothing more than a "dwarf planet" when another rocky body, similar to Pluto, was discovered beyond Neptune. But, on September 18 Harvard University hosted a debate about the controversial classification of Pluto and it seems quite a case was…
Cheryl Taylor
October 4, 2014