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STATION EXHIBIT TITLE MATERIALS CHALLENGE SCIENCE BACKGROUND
1 CANISTER ROCKET
Film canister, Vinegar, Baking soda, small amount of water to dampen the baking soda in the canister lid, plastic pipette
Task the learners to have the canister rocket to propel as high as possible
The acid-base reaction between vinegar (acetic acid) and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) produces carbon dioxide gas. Pressure builds inside the canister until the lid pops off, propelling the canister like a rocket. The force of gas pushing out creates an equal and opposite force propelling the canister up (Newton's 3rd Law of Motion)
1 2 SECRET MESSAGE
Baking soda and warm water, Turmeric and rubbing alcohol, paper, Q-tip
Task the learners to write a message secretly that can't be revealed.
message can be revealed by a Turmeric that contains a chemical indicator curcumin which changes color when it encounters the base baking soda
3 STROOP EFFECT Monitor, video of stroop effect
Task the learners to name the color and not read the word as fast as they can.
Reading words is an automatic process in the brain, while naming the ink color requires more conscious control and attention. The conflict between these two mental processes causes cognitive interference, slowing reaction time and impacting accuracy. It highlights how the brain prioritizes familiar and automatic tasks (like reading) over less practiced tasks (color naming), demonstrating limits of mental control and selective attention
1 VORTEX CANNON
Medium plastic bottle, Big Balloon, incense, match
Task the learners to produce perfectly shaped air donuts
vortex cannon involves creating and projecting a toroidal vortex, which is a donut-shaped ring of rotating air. When air is quickly forced out through the opening of the cannon, the edges of the air stream slow down due to friction and curl back, forming a circular rotating pattern around the ring. This rotation creates a stable vortex that can travel through the air over a long distance with minimal loss of shape or momentum.
2 BALL LAUNCHER
2 pencils, 2 platic cups, Cardboard, wooden ruler, scotch tape, small ball, receiver
Task the learners to launch a small ball to a receiver at a long distance.
The launcher typically stores potential energy which converts to kinetic energy when released to propel the ball. Once launched, the ball moves in a curved path under the influence of gravity, with horizontal and vertical components of motion. This path is a parabola characterized by the launch velocity, angle, and gravity creating a projectile motion.
3 POWERED-CAR
Body: cardboard or plastic bottle Wheel: 4 CDs or 4 plastic caps Axles: Skewer or sturdy straws 2 Balloons, 2 drinking straws, rubber bands, paper clips, scissor, scoth tape, glue
Task the learner to have the car travel as far and fast it can by powering it with air
Newton's Third Law of Motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. As air rushes out of a balloon or the rubber band contracts, the force pushing the air or band backward creates an equal force pushing the car forward. Energy Transfer and Conservation: Energy transforms from elastic potential energy (in balloons or rubber bands) to mechanical energy moving the car Minimizing losses (like friction and air resistance)
A BATTERY THAT
MAKE CENTS
Pennies (25 cents), Nickels ( cents), foil strips, multimeter, vinegar, salt, glass plate, filter paper (round)
Task the learners to build a battery out of pennies, soaked in vinegar rounded filter paper, and nickels (voltaic pile) and find out how many coins will make the most electricity
The key to electricity is the movement of particles carrying electric charge. In a voltaic pile, these particles move from one metal to the other through a solution called the electrolyte. An electrolyte is a liquid that contains particles carrying charge. Dissolved salt is an example of a good electrolyte.
The charged particles in the electrolyte react with the metals, causing an electrochemical reaction, a special kind of chemical reaction that makes electrons. Because electrons are particles that carry electric charge, making these electrons all move in the same direction
CHEMICAL GLOW
LIGHT
LED light bulb, tall clear Glass, salt, round magnets, hot water, stirrer
Task the learner to make an LED light bulb glow even brighter on top of salt solution with magnet
chemical glow light activity is based on creating an electrochemical cell that generates electricity. Saltwater as electrolytes and magnets as electrodes. The ions in the saltwater move toward electrodes of opposite charge, enabling electron flow through the circuit that includes the LED light bulb. This completes the circuit, allowing electricity to power the bulb.
3 UNPOPPABLE
BUBBLE
Dish soap, sugar, water, container, bubble wand
Task the learners to make an unpoppabble bubbles.
A soap bubble is a thin film made of a sandwich: a layer of water molecules trapped between two layers of soap molecules. The soap molecules have hydrophilic heads that face the water and hydrophobic tails facing outward, stabilizing the water layer. To make bubbles unpoppable or long-lasting, additives like corn syrup or glycerin are added. These thicken the bubble film and slow down water evaporation, maintaining surface tension longer. Surface tension, a force caused by water molecules sticking together, causes bubbles to form spherical shapes since spheres minimize surface area, making the bubble stable and strong.
(^1) DANCING INKS Full milk, water-based food coloring, dish soap, Q-tip, saucer
Task the learners to create the most vibrant and longest-lasting dancing ink patterns using milk and soap
The soap reduces the surface tension of the milk and reacts with fat molecules, causing the colors to move and swirl in patterns. The movement happens because soap molecules push away fats and create fluid dynamics, resulting in dancing ink effects.
NIPS CHROMATOGRAPHY
Nips, filter paper strips, beakers, paper clips, straws, water, Alcohol or acetone
Task the learners to separate the distinct colors from a coated nips candy
paper chromatography, a technique used to separate and identify the different color pigments in the candy coating. When the bottom edge of the paper strip is placed in the solvent, the liquid moves upward by capillary action, carrying the dissolved pigments with it.Different pigments have different solubilities and affinities for the paper due to their molecular properties such as polarity and size.More soluble and less polar pigments travel farther up the paper with the solvent front, while less soluble or more polar pigments adhere more to the paper fibers and move slower.As a result, the mixture of pigments separates into distinct colored bands, each representing different dye components.
ELECTROSTATIC
BALLOONS
Balloon, air pump, plastic sheet Task the learner to make a plastic sheet bounce higher in air
When you rub a balloon against your hair or fabric, electrons transfer from your hair to the balloon, making the balloon negatively charged. This buildup of static electricity causes the balloon to attract neutral or positively charged objects like small paper pieces due to electrostatic forces. The balloon’s negative charge induces a separation of charges in nearby objects, pulling them toward i
