Google Docs

Caramelizing...

Making a caramel pie for the first time was a nerve racking experience because of the way I was told to make it. For a 9 inch pie crust prepared in a pie pan, I needed to boil 2 cans of sweet and condensed milk, not evaporated milk, in a large pot for three hours! Yes, for three hours. So, for my experience I wanted to try a new way so that I could save time and not have to stand over the stove for three hours. I found a website for a recipe that used sweet and condensed milk and put it in the microwave to develop into caramel. So, I decided to use this one!


Materials needed: can of sweet and condensed milk, spoon for stirring, glass bowl, microwave, can opener, and a prepared or homemade pie crust.


Step one: Open the can and pour the can of sweet and condensed milk into a glass container. Use the spoon to get all of the milk out.
As you can see here, the substance is a white, milky color. It is not runny like water. It is kinda thicker than what I expected it to be.

Step two: Begin by putting the bowl into the microwave and follow the recipe given in Google Docs..... Experiment Recipe



As you go by the direction given in Google Docs, you will see that it says about every four minutes to stop the micro wave and stir. As you can see here, about five minutes into the process, the substance is beginning to get some color. Maybe this is going to work!


Or.... Maybe not. As I pulled it out again to stir, the so called white, milky liquid that is suppose to turn into "ooy, gooy" caramel is a little clumpy! I am not sure what is going on here.


I tried this experiment several times, but could not figure it out. About half way through, I decided to stop the microwave and just throw it away before i sat the house on fire. It was not looking anything like caramel. So, I decided until I can find someone who can tell me another way or tell me what I may have done wrong, then I will just stick to making it my old way. I don't know about you, but I don't think caramel is suppose to look like that!!! Go to my Google Docs link to learn more about what I discovered

My "real" caramel pie!. This is what is suppose to look like.

Also, view Tabbatha's blog on making fudge.

Kayla and Tiffany's experiment on "Race with Beads"

Tiffany and I chose to do an experiment on "racing beads." The materials needed for this small, easy experiment is a beaker, butter, a straw, one wooden spoon, one metal spoon, one plastic spoon, and 4 beads.



To start the experiment, you begin by putting a dab of butter on each end of the spoons and the straw. Next, you place all four of the beads onto the butter so that they will stick. The, you place all four of the materials inside the beaker with the beads sicking out.


The next step is to pour in some hot water into the beaker and observe on which of the materials the butter melts the fastest causing the bead to fall to the water.

As you can begin to see in this picture, the butter on the metal spoon is beginning to melt and the pink bead is beginning to slightly run sown the spoon. All the beads on the other two spoons and the straw have not changed any. And of course, as you may have guessed, the bead stuck onto the metal spoon won the race!

These are some observations that were made while testing the experiment.

Meatal is a good heat conductor. As the hot water it added, the metal spoon takes on the heat and causes the butter to melt. The melted butter causes the bead to run down the spoon. The other spoons and straw, plastic and wood, are not as great heat conductors and the hot water isn't absorb into the spoon as fast and doesn't cause the butter to melt as quickly. Metals are the best conducors of heat because the atoms in metals are closely packed together. When the heat touches the meatal spoon, it cause the atoms to viberate faster and faster, causing the heat to transfer throughout the spoon.

More information: http://www.apqj64.dsl.pipex.com/sfa/id81.htm

Standards for a 2nd grade classroom:

GLE 0207.9.1 Use tools to observe the physical properties of objects.
GLE 0207.9.2 Investigate how temperature changes affect the state of matter.

Check out Carla's page for other experiments with heat.

DISCOVERING HIDDEN COLORS
By: Kayla Whitt

Materials Needed: Strips of a paper towel, chalk, or coffee filter, ink/food coloring, jars, a rod, dropper, and some clips.

In separate containers, (I used the lids of the jars) mix some of the inks/food coloring together. Your mixture will turn to a dark color as you mix them. I mixed two colors in two lids and my colors were dark brown and black.

Using the clips, attach the paper towel to the rod, or if you are using chalk, just hold the end of it. I just use a ruler to clip on the paper towels. And in each empty jar, fill it with a little water so that when you lower to paper into the jar, the water can be absorbed by the paper.

On each end of the paper, chalk, or filter, place a drop of your ink mixture and lower the materials down into the jars of water so that it barely touches the ends of the paper, chalk, or filter.

As you pull the strips of paper out of the water, you can watch as the water, along with the ink, absorbs and spreads up the strip of paper.

I tried the same experiment to a piece of chalk and it also did the same thing.

This is after the ink on the paper and the chalk has spread and dried.

Now why does this happen?........

You may ask...

*Why does mixing a lot of colors make black?

*How does black magic work?

*What is chromatography?

*Why does ink spread in water?

All of these questions have answers containing information that takes place in this experiment. There is a new word to learn called "Chromatography". Ink is made of colored pigments and water. When the ink dries, the colored pigment remains on the paper/ chalk. When you dip it into water, the pigments are carried up the paper along with the water and spreads. Different colors carry and travel at different rates. It all depends on the size of the pigment and how strongly it attracts to the paper. When the black touches the water, all the colors that were used to make the black color separates.

Check out my classmates blog for some more pictures and discussion!

Sarah Young

Tonya Estep

Information gathered from:

http://www.science4mykid.com/project_detail.asp?pid=44&offset

http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/black_magic.html

(try this experiment....it is basically the same, but neat)

This experiment would be great for many age levels, but the science standards I found are for fourth grade.

GLE 0407.Inq.2 Select and use appropriate tools and simple equipment to conduct an
investigation.

0407.10.2 Design an experiment to investigate how different surfaces determine if light is reflected, refracted, or absorbed

Checking Your Reaction Time!
BY: Kayla Whitt (and Allison Hayes)

Materials needed for this experiment:

1. White paper
2. 6 crayons/markers
3. pencil
4. glue
5. scissors
6. ruler

Step 1:
On your white piece of paper, use your pencil to trace the ruler. After tracing the ruler, cut out what you traced.


Step 2:
After cutting out your traced ruler, divide the paper ruler into six sections evenly. Color each of those sections a different color. Then glue or tape the colored strip onto one side of the ruler.




Step 3:
Ask a friend to hold one end of the ruler by using his/her finger and thumb. On the other end of the ruler, hold your finger and thumb out, not holding on to the ruler, but prepared to catch it when it falls. When the other person releases the ruler, try to grab it as fast as you can. The color you grab tells you your reaction time. Do you have a fast reaction or slow reaction? Try it!


In addition, I made a graph. Allison and I had talked about even being able to use this science experiment as a math lesson as well. I made it like a bar graph and tested my results 15 times. Then, I tallied how many times I grabbed the ruler on a certain color. Last, I shaded the region showing which color was grabbed more than the other colors. My color was Orange!
So, I have a medium reaction time.





*** Special Note: In my experiment, I didn't have anyone else to drop my ruler for me. I did it myself. So, I knew when I was about to drop it. Therefore, I knew when to grab. Do you agree that this probably made a difference in my reaction time?

Q: Why do we have a sudden tendency to take fast action when we touch something hot or try to catch a fallen object or suddenly jump when we are scared by something?

All of this has to do with our senses. All of us know that we have five senses...seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, smelling. Our senses send signals to our brain which causes us to react differently. Many things can effect our reactions, such as: age, our surroundings, left hand vs. right hand people, and/or if there are any distractions. Psychologist have named three types of reaction times...simple, recognition and choice. Simple means there is one stimulus and one response. For example, when we react to a loud sound. Recognition means that some will respond to the stimuli while others may not. But there is still only one correct response with this type as well. In choice reaction time, a person gives a response that corresponds to the stimulus. This type of reaction has been proven to be the longest of the three. Studies have been made for the mean reaction time of college-aged students and the average is .16 to .19 sec. reaction times.

Grade 1 Standard (reaction, using your senses)
0107.Inq.1- Use senses and simple tools to make observations.

Mini lesson plan

Check out Angela's blog on another way we use our senses.