June 3rd - Rube Golderberg Machines

It’s time to get creative! This week we explore the wonderful world of Rube Goldberg Machines (RGM).

Classic Rube Goldberg device (Professor Butts and the Self-Operating Napkin (1931))

Classic Rube Goldberg device (Professor Butts and the Self-Operating Napkin (1931))

Reuben Goldberg was a cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer and inventor. He is most famous for his comics the featured outlandishly complicated devices meant to carry out simple tasks.

Today Rube Goldberg is synonymous with delightful unhinged creative feats of engineering.

The weather is fine, so gather up whatever supplies you have (anything, literally anything you can find lying around can be used in a Rube Goldberg Machine) and start building!

Want to learn more about the world of Rube Goldberg? Check out the web site dedicated to his legacy which includes information about contests, activities you can do at home, links to amazing machines and much more.

Learn about the Science behind Rube Goldberg Machines

Types of energy. Explore the ways energy is at play in your Rube Goldberg Machine.

Understanding Energy Transfer in RGMs.

Examples of Rube Goldberg Machines

Small Rube Goldberg Machines (inspiration for parts of your larger machine)

Don’t have a lot of space? Hayfever keeping you inside? Never fear you can use the worlds favorite video game to build COLLOSSAL RGMs. That cow looks like it’s having fun, right?

Legos! Everyone’s favorite building system is a great place to start your wacky Rube Goldberg journey. Check out this RGM build by Lego masters.

Want to start with something a little simpler? Try this tutorial from Tinker Lab.

The Swish Machine - Basketball Trick Shot

Worlds smallest RGM using 1,200 mechanical watch parts

World’s Largest RGM lights a Christmas Tree.

Think RGMs are useless goofs? Not so. See how RGMs can aid in social distancing.

Challenge!

Incorporate these types of energy transfer into your RGM!

  • Electrical Energy (use a motorized device!)

  • Harmonic Motion

  • Light Energy - trip a sensor or burn a string with a magnifying glass (be safe!)

  • Sound! Shake rattle and roll! Use speaker to vibrate your machine into motion

  • Gravity! As they say, what goes up, must come down!

  • Elastic Energy

Step Challenge! Build a machine with 20 steps. Then 40! How many steps can you get?

Time challenge! Build a fast machine with 10 steps or more. Build a slow machine with less than 10 steps.

Build a tiny RGM inside a box

Artistic RGM. Build an RGM with a visual theme. Maybe when you step back the machine looks like an octopus, or maybe a marble travels along the Great Wall! Use your own inspiration.

Build a huge machine that travels through your yard, or home, or the park

May 20th - Optics

Dichroic prism with white light from bottom (right)

Dichroic prism with white light from bottom (right)

Newton may be most famous for his discovery under the apple tree, but he is also the originator of modern optics. This week we offer up some great experiments in optics that will help your young learner better understand how light works.

Pre-K

Explore the tiny world! Get a magnifying glass and look at items around you. How are they different up close? Some suggestions for things to look at:

  • Carpet

  • Plants

  • Skin

  • Ice cubes

  • Hairbrush

  • Food

Don’t have a magnifying glass? Make one using these simple instructions!

Want to take pictures of tiny things? Check out this tutorial on how to turn a phone into a microscope .

Microwave it! Here’s a list of fun stuff to put in the microwave. Be careful with the lgiht bulb and only use incandesent bulbs on a paper plate. Other types of bulbs contain mercury or other dangerous substances. Make sure to have a fire extinguisher on hand if you’re microwaving anything flammable.

Elementary

Check out these great activities from the Optical Society of America.

Kaleidoscope Making

Soap Bubble Spectra

Black is Black, Right?

Even more activities available at Optics for Kids.

Middle

Home made spectroscope

Why do things glow in the dark

Why is the sky blue?

Even more activities available at Optics for Kids.

High School

Make your own Wave Machine

Laser Jell-O lenses

Polariscope

Even more activities available at Optics for Kids.

Camp 2020 - More Information

Based on guidance from the Oregon Health Authority, it looks like we will be able to hold SPICE Camp for the summer of 2020.

Here are a few details about what camp will look like. We’ll know more once the internal UO approval process is complete.

Group Size of 10

Approved day-camps, like SPICE are limited to stable groups of 10 children. This means that we will be splitting our camps in half. Groups will not be allowed to interact, however, we’re working on no-contact outdoor games that will allow interaction between the groups without compromising safety. We do stlll plan to serve the usual full compliment of 120 campers this year with some modifications for safety.

Staffing

As our camps will be divided in half, so will our staff. Each group of 10 will be served by a dedicated senior instructor, junior instructor, and supply coordinator. Additional volunteers will be working with each group of 10. Camp staff will stick with one group of 10 for the duration and will not physically interact with other groups or campers.

Space

All of the classrooms SPICE uses more than meet the criteria of 35 square foot per person in the room.

Safety and Hygiene

Camp this year will feature lots of hand washing, gloves, and sanitizing. Many of our activities already require safety procedures like these, so we are well prepared to implement the state safety guidelines. Campers will not be required to wear masks, per state guidance, but masks and/or face shields will be available and encouraged. Spaces and equipment will be cleaned multiple times per day.

Tracking and Screening

We will be tracking camper and staff contact information and interactions so that in the event that someone becomes ill we will be able to aid in contact tracing. SPICE staff will be taking temperatures for all staff and campers each day and screening for signs of illness. Anyone showing symptoms of illness (excluding chronic conditions like asthma and seasonal allergies) will be required to stay home until symptom free for at least 72 hours.

Check in/Check out

Drop off and pick up of campers will be taking place outdoors in a space with easy access for vehicles. Check in times will be staggered to avoid creating lines and long waits for parents and campers.

We’ll have more information as we get closer to camp. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have questions (spicescience@uoregon.edu). We look forward to a productive and fun summer for our campers and families.

May 13th - Sound

Chladni plates (sand on a metal plate) can visualize sound vibrations.

Chladni plates (sand on a metal plate) can visualize sound vibrations.

Humans use sound to communicate emotions, ideas, and facts. What what is sound? Explore the good vibrations of the sonic world with these activities.

Pre-K

What is sound?

Sound Waves and Pitch Activity

Sound Waves and Propagation Activity

Vibrations and a Kazoo Activity

Check out these great sound science experiments for kids. like the paper cup string phone, the pan flute, and a sound transcriber.

Kazoo’s use your voice to make music

Kazoo’s use your voice to make music

Diagrams of human vocal cords

Diagrams of human vocal cords

May 5th - A Voyage Into Space

This week it’s all astrophysics, astronomy, and astronauts. Try out these fun activities and learn more about life in space.

Solar systems tend to form in flat discs, but some bodies like comets and dwarf plants have orbits tilted compared to the rest of the solar disc.

Solar systems tend to form in flat discs, but some bodies like comets and dwarf plants have orbits tilted compared to the rest of the solar disc.

Pre-K

Women of NASA - Have a great time leaning about Women scientists while you do these fun mazes. Fun for all ages too.

Galactic Slime <<Warning!>> <<Glitter Alert>> - You can make it any color, add whatever sparkles you have around. Old sequins from shirts you’ve outgrown work as well.

Build a Habitat! - You are an astronaut who has landed on the moon. You have to build yourself some place to stay. You only have enough air in your suit for 20 minutes. You will need to build your habitat in 20 minutes!!!! What can you use around your house to build a habitat (couch cushions, blankets and chairs are really fun to use)

What is SPACE? Watch this cool video.

Sun Dance Party - The Sun is a Mass of Incandescent Gas. Learn more while rocking out to They Might be Giants “Why Does the Sun Shine?”

Want more about space? Check out the NASA Kids’ Club

How much a planet tilts greatly impacts it’s climate. The earth has seasons because of it’s relatively mild tilt.

How much a planet tilts greatly impacts it’s climate. The earth has seasons because of it’s relatively mild tilt.

Elementary

Building a Spacecraft - To survive going into space humans have to have air, water, food, and protection from the vacuum of space. Build your own spacecraft!

Use whatever you have around the house. This link has some ideas.

You can also build an edible version and then become a space creature and eat the spacecraft!!!! (This one is my favorite.)

Flying is great!! The landing is the hard part. Build a lander to safely land on the surface of the moon or mars. Here are some great ideas!

In science we are all about testing. Make sure to test your lander. You may need assistance getting the height, so ask an adult for dropping assistance. You will also need to pick a safe landing spot.

Can you make an edible lander and be a creature that eats it!!! Maybe you have a dog and the dog can be a space monster that eats your lander!

How do you land on Mars?

Earth’s Satellite: The Moon

Good Moon Introduction

How did the moon get craters

Why does the moon have Phases?

Make the moon orbit!

Fun Cookie Activity! (You get to eat the phases when you’re done).

Science so good you can eat it!

Science so good you can eat it!

Middle School

The planets of our galaxy!

Our galaxy is called the Milky way

Here is fun and cool stuff about the planets

Pictures of the planets and the locations are often not to scale. Here is a fun example of if our Moon was only one pixel. Can you scroll out to the end of our galaxy?

Eugene has planets you can visit

How do planets get made? (maybe use earth as an example )

Can you make a planet out of edible parts in your house?

Yummy planets!

The planets have inspired many. Here is some information and a link to classical composer Gustav Holst and his compositions “ The Planets”  

How do scientists figure out all this cool stuff about the speeds of the planets?

Check out these cool planetary math problems that help you learn to think like a scientist.

Love to code! Use information from NASA to work on coding skills to interpret data!

High School

Grab your snacks and binge watch these! Ted talks on how we study space and all the cool awesome Science!!!!!

Rockets!!!!

How do we get off the planet? How do we move in space? How do we land on planets?

Rockets!!!

What is a rocket?

How do rockets work?

Soda Straw rockets - Test your science skills with this activity from the Jet Propulsion Lab at NASA. What variables might impact how your rocket flies? Pose questions and devise experiments that will answer your questions using Soda Straw Rockets.

*Pro Tip Wind wrecks havoc with soda straw rockets (and paper airplanes) so try this indoors or an a calm day outside.

Balloon Rocket - How does changing the design of a simple rocket impact it’s flight? Try chaning different variables and documenting how fast/far/smoothly your zipline rocket flies.

 

Bubble rocket - Use chemistry to make your own rocket fuel safely here on the ground.

Rocket and Rocket Launcher 

Mentos and Coke Rocket (Need parent permission for this one)

*Pro Tip Diet soda is prefered because it’s easier to clean up without sticky sugar residue.

Other types of rockets (get approval first)

Matchbox Rocket Launching Kit

Baking Soda and Vinegar Rocket

Stories of Women Rocket Scientists

 Story of 22 year old Rocket Engineer Tiera Guinn

Tiffany Davis on engineering careers for women

Former Rocket Scientists Sylvia Acevedo, now CEO of Girl Scouts talks about teaching girls to code

 Legends of Chemistry whose work saved the US Space Program 

In love with space and think you can only study it if you are a physicist or astronaut. No so!

Thank a look at all these opportunities to study space that Arizona State University has! Very awesome stuff and some really cool science tool!

What did the Hubble telescope see on your birthday!



April 29 - Go Outside!

It’s time to get out!

Spring is here and Summer is around the corner. It’s time to do some science out of doors! This week we offer a wide range of activities suitable for all ages. Adapt to your young learners as needed. Links for more in depth investigation are provided by age category below.

Bairn.JPG

All Ages Activities

Build a Dam

Humans build dams to store water for growing crops and to control where water goes. Beavers build dams to make ponds for their lodges. You can try your hand at building outside.

Is there a spout or small river of rain water near you? Build a damn and see if you can collect the water. How fast is the water moving – drop a leaf where the water comes out and count how long it takes to make it to your dam.

Want a different challenge? Build a bridge over the water!

Check out National Geographic for images and info about other animal architects!

Rainy Days

Humans like to stay inside when it’s raining, but we miss a lot of interesting fun when we do. Next time it rains put on your boots and coat and try these activities.

Rainy Days are Duck Days. Ducks love the rain. So do tropical birds, like parrots. What animals are having fun in the rain near you? Are the slugs out? Any worms? What about a cat? Any turkeys near by? How many insects can you find?

Hide and seek – Some animals hide when it rains. Slowly lift leaves and twigs and see if any critters are hiding underneath

What flowers are open while it’s raining? What color are the flowers you are finding? Can you find all the colors of a rainbow? ROYGBIV – Red orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo and Violet!!! These are the colors we humans can see. What colors are missing? Do you see any plants of those colors when the sun is out? Learn more about plant color in nature here.

Drawing in the rain - Did you know that most chalk can be used in the rain!!! It’s true. Some sidewalk chalk even gets mushy and acts more like finger paint when it’s crushed and mixed with water.

Rain orchestra – when rain hits objects it makes a sound. What do you have in your house that you are allowed to play with that could make a different sound? Try pots and pans, plastic bottles and tubs, get creative!!!

Build a Rain Gage - Sometimes it seems like it rains all the time in Oregon. Find out just how much by building your own rain gauge!

Rain Cloud in a Jar - Simulate your own rain cloud with stuff from around the kitchen.

Mushroom hunting (eyes only)

Can you find different fungi in your yard?  How many mushrooms can you find of each type growing around you

 

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Quarty Tip

Don’t eat the mushrooms you find outside. They can be poisonous (and they have a job to do). This is how mushrooms protect themselves from animals that might eat them.

Check out these fun fungus activities from the Cascade Mycological Society.

Fun with mushrooms for Pre-Middle

 Mushroom Activity for Teens/Adults 

What?! No rain! You can look for animals and flowers and mushroom in the sun too!!!

After you have played outside you can use clay, play dough or other stuff around your house to make your own mushrooms and wildflowers. 

Want to identify plants and mushrooms around you? Check out these resources from Oregon State University’s Oregon Flora Project.

Digging Deeper

Check out resources from these great educators

Whole Earth School

OSU Extension Service

California Native Plant Society

Fungi: Why Mushrooms Are Awesome - Video

Links for Middle School

Amoeba Sisters - Fungi and Protists (video)

Want to identify plants and mushrooms around you? Check out these resources from Oregon State University’s Oregon Flora Project.

Links for High School

Fungi serve an important role in nature. Learn more about decomposers in the video by Crash Course.

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Be a Citizen Scientist!!!

What is a citizen aka community scientist? Watch this and this find out!


April 22 - Electricity & Magnetism

Sparks of Fun!!

This weeks theme is all about electricity and how it works. Our bodies and internet rely on electricity to function. Try these activities with your kids to help them better understand the electricity that powers us and the world around us.

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Quarty Tips!

Always be careful when working with electricity! Make sure to check with an adult before plugging in any devices!

Pre/K Activities

In these lessons your young one will explore the notion of direction in current and basic principles of magnetism.

Inquiry Questions:

  • What is Positive?

  • What is Negative?

  • Why do things attract to each other?

If your learners enjoy the activities below and want more. Check out these 17 crazy ideas from Evil Mad Scientist Labs for fun with magnets. These are the ideas of evil mad scientists, a group not known for much care about injury or property damage! Use your good judgement and stay safe!

Magnet Fun

If your young scientist hasn’t played with magnets, now is a great time!

Many toddler train sets have magnets to link the cars together. See if you can answer these questions: Which refrigerator magnets will work to repel each other? Will a refrigerator magnet be strong enough to pull a train car?

What will magnets stick to?

Use this simple chart to track your child’s observations! Review your findings together and ask your child what the items that stick together have in common.

Bert and Ernie Discover Magnetism

Check out this video where our favorite Sesame Street Characters learn about magnets.

Giant Magnetic Crane

Magnets are not just the small buttons you use to put papers on your fridge. Some magnets are big. We mean REALLY BIG! Check out this video of how humans can use magnets to move really heave objects. How do you use magnets in your house?

Electricity Scavenger Hunt

How is electricity used in your house? Here is a great scavenger hunt for your kids to do!

Thank you, Tom at Trail 4 Success for letting us share this great resource! Look for more of Trial 4 Success at Teacherspayteachers.com

Elementary Activities

These activities focus on putting electrons to fun use. Check out these videos on static electricity.

The Science of Static Electricity

Static Electricity with Bill Nye the Science Guy

Balloon Fun!

Inflate a balloon, rub it on your head and look in the mirror. Can you make your hair stand up? Besides your head, what else can you rub the balloon on to create static electricity? Can you stick the balloon to the wall? To a laboratory assistant (maybe a parent, sibling, or pet) Can you pick anything up with the balloon? (hint try cereal. We recommend Rice Krispies)

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Quarty Tip!

Try things in the kitchen like flour and sugar

Shuffle Sparkle Dance!

Put on some socks, drag your socked feet on the carpet and touch something metal!!! Do you have socks of different material – cotton, wool, fancy dress socks? Do they create different charges on your carpet? What if you use a rug? The couch?! The possibilities are endless!!

Moving water with static electricity!

Turn on a faucet so it a slow steady stream. Take a comb and rub it with some wool (try socks, sweaters, the itchy scarf from winter).  Now hold the comb next to the water. What the heck just happened?!? You moved water! Science Rocks!

Quarty says: Eventually the speed of the water is too fast for the electrons to be attracted to balloon and the water won’t move. Can you find the point where this happens?

Using cereal to test static electricity  

You need some O shaped cereal [only because it’s easier to tie a string too]. Tie the cereal to a string and tape the string to a table so it’s hanging. Many a cat has attacked this experiment. You have been warned. Now get the comb from the previous experiment and either use the wool again or comb your hair with it. Use the comb to try to move the cereal. You can also use a balloon to do this too.

Be the light!

Get a fluorescent light bulb and your comb or balloon. Go into a dark room and use the comb or balloon to see if you can create a spark between it and the light bulb. Incandescent sometimes work.

Quarty says: I have not been able to replicate this with LED lights, but maybe you can?

Middle School Activities

Squishy Circuits!

This activity from Makerspaces is one of our favorites at SPICE camp.Check out this great video from Sylvia’s Mini Maker Show on how to make the dough.

You will need lots of flour and lemon juice for the dough!!

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Quarty Tips

I don’t like heat. I make my conductive dough by adding all the liquids and salt together, stirring for a minute and then adding the dry ingredients.

Wait? How does Quarty stir with no arms?

Did you save the battery pack and/or some LEDs from the toy surgery last week?  No battery pack. SPICE has got your back!!!

Use batteries taped together! Depending on your LEDs you may need more multiple batteries. Quarty had to use 3 AA batteries in series (total of 4.5V) to get theirs to work.

Batty packs have wires. Where can I get wire?!  Have any old charging cables around? They have wire in them that can be used. Cut a 4-6 inches off, strip the outer casing off (this is the hard part) and then separate the wires. Pick two of the wires in the bundle and strip off the ends. [video example with wire strippers] [video example with scissors] [video example with diagonal wire cutters]

Need LEDs? Have any sting lights that use LEDs in the house! Extraction time!  The strand can also be a source of wire!!

Pliers and multi-tools work really well for disassembling lights.

Make sure to ask permission before disassembling your parents electronics!

With a charging cable wire

With a charging cable wire

With a light strand wire

With a light strand wire

SCIENCE ROCKS! Here is Scientist Ben with his Squishy LED Caterpillar!

Quarty Says: Use your creativity to make your Squishy circuits into creative shapes and creatures!

Helpful hints:

Make sure the conductivity dough doesn’t touch both sides of the wires or LEDs.

Quarty Says: If it’s not working reverse the polarity by switching where the positive end is and where the negative end is. I found it easier to leave the wires and turn the LEDs.

Have fun!!!!

Sticky Tape Electroscope

Test out this handy technique for detecting charge!

High School Activities

Make a battery from Pennies!!!

This Instructable shows you how to make a battery from the loose change in your pocket and a little lemon juice.

  •  Can you make a circuit and power multiple LEDs?

  • Need LEDs check in the middle school activities for ideas

  • Can you make the squishy circuit (above) and power your creation with your penny batteries?

  • Do other coins work as well?

  • What happens if you don’t sand the battery? Try sanding different amounts and see what happens.

Build a simple motor!!!!!

Electric motors are shockingly simple devices. You can make your own from stuff lying around the house. Check out this blast from the past explaining how electric motors work with Mr. Wizard.

If you have any old toys with motors in them, take them apart and see just how simple they are inside.

 Quarty says: I see what you did there. Shockingly simple.

Build a charge Detector!

This handy little tool can help compare the intensity of charge between objects.

Build a flashlight!

Use this lesson to build your own flashlight. This lesson calls for a particular bulb and holder. These bulbs can be found at hardware and automotive stores. They are often used as indicator bulbs and you may be able to scavenge one from an old electronic device.

Build a BEAM bot

Check out these tutorials for building tiny bots. BEAM bots are small “dumb” bots that do not require any complex circuitry. BEAM stands for biology, electronics, aesthetics, and mechanics. Beam bots take advantage of the physical structure of the materials used to create particular behaviors. The do not require controllers or ships. More advanced BEAM bots can be designed to turn, chase or run away light, or work without batteries using solar panels and capacitors.

(may have to sacrifice an old toy for a motor)

WiggleBot

Turn an old toy motor and simple craft objects into a bot that will make art!

Try playing around with how you distribute the weight on your bot and see how the drawing changes!

BristleBot

These little bots made from a tooth brush are fun to watch skitter around. You can scavenge a pager motor from an old phone or simply add some uneven weight to a toy motor shaft. Try different tooth brushes and/or clipping some of the bristles on your brush to change the bots motion!

 If you enjoyed making these bots you find more advanced tutorials here. 

Build a circuit Interactive

This handy online tool lets you design and test circuits before you build! Great for testing ideas before you get building.

Awesome videos about electricity

Other cool links to learn stuff

https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse

Holly's Tips for Science at Home!

Making Science Rock

Our curriculum coordinator (and licensed science teacher) Holly, has compiled this list of helpful notes for doing science at home with your kids. All have been extensively tested with her own children (ages 2 & 11).

1.     Almost anything can be vacuumed up (shop vacs without the filters work well for small objects) (I think I’m killing the battery on my vacuum. I have even sucked stuff up that I know will get stuck so I can bang the tube on the garbage can.)

2.     Scientist have to keep their work area clean (Use this to inspire them to clean up after themselves)

3.     Turn a shirt into a lab coat. Dress up is fun for all ages. They can put their name on it and even decorate it!

4.     Take pictures and videos, SHARE the SCIENCE!!!!! Being able to communicate what you’ve done is critically important as a scientist. Help your scientist share it out. Use a box to make a poster! Draw pictures! Have the kiddos explain to friends and family what they did and how they did it. Older scientist can share out on social media. (Concerned about the science standards, communicating about science is a major part of the Next Generation Science Standards in schools.)

5.     Breath! Your scientist is learning just by doing the activities and having fun. (SPICE has the research to back this up.)

6.     Don’t give the solution: sit back and ask questions. “What do you think? How would you like to do it differently? I have no idea, where should we look for more information? What’s your guess? You think adding ______ would be better? Let’s try that. Tell me what you want me to do.    

7.     Have fun! These activities are supposed to be fun.

8.     Remember SCIENCE ROCKS!