Science Wows is all about sparking children’s natural interests in Science!
It is learning while having fun!Whatever the event, whatever the venue it is Hands-on Science for children. Party entertainment, school visits, fun days, corporate events …. there are even local science camps during school holidays.
If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself”
That is (apparently) one of Einstein’s many quotes. It took me a while to realise just how true these words are, but once I did I was able to marry a love of writing with a love of science. I discovered that once I broke things down to their most simple components
Dr. How’s Science Wows was set up by me (Naomi) in 2011. My background is biochemistry with a PhD in Molecular Biology; I have worked in the Medical Diagnostic Industry and lectured at third level colleges but the crux of what I do lies in many years working with children; from two to 20 they all have one thing in common…. curiosity!
I have been focusing on a few negatives lately. Not a good idea and I don’t think I do it often but I did succumb to the stresses and strains of life for the last few days. This morning my husband suggested I try living in the moment a little, take it as it comes and stop worrying about what may never happen. But how often do we take such sound advice? Especially from those nearest and dearest. I nodded and dismissed and went on my worrisome way. And then this happened…
… some simple moments of my day.
Moments
The sun came out and the sky was blue.
I walked a slow mile home from school with my three children.
I watched the camaraderie between my oldest two as they discussed such topics as “would the horror movie chucky really alter your brain if you watched it? Even as an adult?”
I watched as one got entangled in a wayward briar and the other tried to free them, only to get caught up in it themselves. And so it went for a while, with one getting free and the other getting trapped and they laughed gently together – sharing the moment.
I saw the beautiful gift these two have, the gift of sibling love and companionship; not something any parent can give or even orchestrate but oh so wonderful when it arrives as a natural course.
Hazelnuts and smiles
And they share it with their younger brother who today preferred to fill my pockets with the hazelnuts he found, and fill my ears with his tales of school and the general ramblings of a four year old’s day.
And when I stopped to listen those rambling words enchanted with their melody.
For that short walk home time slowed down and I suddenly realised that I was living in the moment, and what a beautiful moment it was.
Moments of nothing in particular and yet full of everything that life requires.
Moments that were fuel for the soul and tonic for the heart.
I wondered, as I watched, could others who passed us see what was there? As they drove by in their car did they get to feel the glow of our moments too? Did it make them stop and live a moment of their own?
Slowly we moved through our moments with each foot fall upon the road until finally we were turning the key in our front door.
I arrived home with a face warm from the September sun and a hand glowing from the touch of a young boy’s hand that reached often and comfortably for mine on that long walk home.
Finally I understood that a moment is not just a short burst of time, moments like these are eternity, for that is how long they stay with you.
How is the back to school phase going for you? Have you started complaining about making lunches yet (tiresome isn’t it?) How about the homework? We have only one day done so far and I have managed not to loose my patience or mutter complaints under my breath. So far so good. There is a lot of stress and strain involved in going back to school and I have a tendency to take it badly and moan and groan about the little things. I often forget to see the bigger picture…
…my three children are getting an education!
Education! We take it for granted, don’t we? We take it as our entitlement within this country and yes, it is an entitlement, but it is one that is not always available!
Focus Ireland has teamed up with Aviva Healthcare to run a wonderful campaign highlighting one important factor often connected with homelessness – the importance of Education. This Education Matters Programme aims to help vulnerable children finish their education or at least stay in school longer than they otherwise would. Lack of education is not the only cause of homelessness, but it is one contributing factor. Did you know, for example that…
…25% of adults experiencing homelessness didn’t progress beyond primary education,50% didn’t complete their secondary education and 8% had no formal education at all*
The campaign kicks off with this short, witty video… featuring a few faces you might know 😉 …
“The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows” (Sydney J. Harris);
Wouldn’t it be nice if education could also add walls, a roof and a warm, safe place to sleep!
Does Education Matter? Yes it does!
Please help to shine a light on this issue by sharing the information or video on social media or anyway you can, you can use the hashtag #EducationMatters
Last week was a busy week here in the Science Wows household, as I am sure it was in many homes across Ireland. We had the back to school for the older two children and the “starting school” for our youngest. It went really well for him, he practically ran in the door without a backwards glance, but let’s just say his parents needed a lot of extra TLC!
In fact it was such a busy week that other little milestones were completely forgotten. One was Science Wow’s 3rd Birthday! I can’t believe it has been three years already. I have learned so much in those three years and still have much to learn! Each year as I renew my work Insurance and order another set of children’s lab coats I like to reflect on how the year has gone and plan what I would like to achieve for the year ahead.
Dr. How’s Science Wows is three years old
I love how the last year has gone for Science Wows. Some highlights for me have included...
…being asked back to do birthday parties for the same families (it is a lovely affirmation for me as well as the pleasure to get to know the family a little more and the fun of preparing new experiments to excite and entertain the children)
…working with Cell Explorers on a new project called “Little Cells” , bringing cell biology into classrooms for children as young as four
… working with The Galway Science and Technology Festival which saw Science Wows bring “The Science of Sound workshop” into 16 different primary schools during the two week festival
… joining in the Galway Food Festival with an interactive workshop with lots of food related experiments; the workshop was scheduled for 10 am on Good Friday (Easter) so we were unsure if anyone would turn up. I was delighted when families after family arrived to join in the fun
…. bringing science to children in Summer Camps this Summer; I particularly enjoyed a recent trip to Birr to join the children of SPEAK Ireland; their enthusiasm was infectious, their knowledge impressive, their energy inspiring (I would have happily stayed all day)
I have many aspirations and ideas for the next year for Science Wows… and I am always open to new ideas and suggestions!
It would seem that this three year anniversary was not the only milestone I over looked this week; I just realised that I posted my 200th blog post last Monday. A small milestone but a significant one non the less. The blog is not three years old yet but it is certainly a project that I hold dear. It has provided me with a platform to develop, explore and express my love of science communication in the written and visual form. The blog too has some highlights for me, this year in particular, so, while I am in a reflective and sentimental mood, I thought I would share a few.
Some of my blog highlight for this year are…
…in February I finally took the plunge and merged my blog and website to a brand new site on word press. It was an exciting and creative project but certainly came with lots of glitches and problems. Some of which I am still ironing out. It has taken me a while to get used to this but finally I can say that I am glad I made the move and love how much I have learned and all I still have to learn.
… I have stopped some regular slots on the blog (Such as the weekly Mystery Creature post) and started some new ones. I have to say, one that I particularly love is the Simple Slice of Science series. I have had great fun creating the graphic side of Dr. Simple and really love the questions from the young and the “not so young” that have come pouring in. The response to the series has been uplifting and I plan to keep writing and developing the series for a long time to come.
… one of the reasons I set up the blog was to create a portfolio of writing and communication and I was delighted that this extended to features on other platforms such as The Journal and even an interview on the radio discussing an article I wrote on “Our earliest memories”
… another highlight of the blog in recent months is finding out that I was nominated in three categories in the Blog Awards Ireland 2014 (Science and Technology, SME and Education) and that I was short listed in all three categories after the first round of judging. Fingers crossed for the next round
All in all I think it has been a great year for Dr. How and my brain is churning in overdrive at the moment planning lots of new projects, ideas, experiments and milestones for the next year ahead.
Thank you all for your support in so many ways, from reading these blog posts, to sharing your comments, ideas and feedback and of course, for inviting Dr. How to feature at your party, school or event.
For those of you who only know me through the blog, I leave you with a little insight into what else Dr. How’s Science Wows is all about!
There is a lovely linky running over on the Mama Courage blog. It invites bloggers to get over any hang ups they may have and let the kids get… well messy. Messy play is great for children as a fun, tactile, interactive activity. We are all for it in this house. I thought the linky would be a great wayto share some of our favourite messy experiments with you all.
I hope that these entice you to roll up your sleeves and get stuck in to some messy play science, just don’t look at me when it comes time to clean up!
Here are three of our favourite “messy” science experiments…
1. Making Slime
Of course this is top of the list… messy and slime are interchangeable really, aren’t they?
This is one of our popular slime recipes…
You will need… two bowls (or cups), borax powder (you can buy this in pharmacists throughout Ireland), water, PVA glue, some stirrers and food colouring of your choice (optional)
What to do…
Add one cup of water to the first bowl and mix in a teaspoon of borax powder until it is all dissolved.
Add a cup of PVA clue to the second bowl; add a cup of water and mix well.
If you would like to colour the slime add a few drops of your chosen food colouring to the glue mixture and mix thoroughly.
Add the borax solution to the glue mixture and start to stir immediately… you will notice that the glue turned to slime almost straight away.
The slime can be stored in an airtight container and will last for years once it is not allowed to dry out.
Time for slime
What is happening?…
Congratulation… you have just made a polymer!! In simple terms a polymer is a substance made up of lots of molecules arranged in long chains. If you imagine that the glue is like cooked spaghetti, it slides and slips around the place quite easily. When we add the borax to the glue it causes some of the molecules in the glue to stick together making the glue more rubbery and less liquid! Imagine if you took those strands of spaghetti and tied them together in places, the strands would not be able to slip and slide around nearly as much! The borax and glue mixture is just like your knotted spaghetti!
2. Making goo (otherwise called Ooblecks)
Messy but fun
This stuff is very messy but oh so much fun. Not just for the kids either, once adults get their hands on this goo their is no stopping them. It makes a great stress reliever… honestly, have a go!
You will need… A large bowl, cornflour, water, a large spoon to mix and food colouring (optional)
What to do…
Mix the cornflour and water together in the bowl (approximately one cup of cornflour to two cups of water). Add a few drops of food colouring if you wish. Once it is well mixed it’s time to get stuck in. First place your hands into the goo and slowly lift them, watching how it runs through your fingers. Now try punching the surface of the ooblecks with your fist, you may be surprised with the result.
Here is an demo from an enthusiastic member of the Science Wows team:
I left him play while I was making dinner but had to take one more video to show how much fun he was having (you’ve got to watch this one)…
What is happening?…
Ooblecks is what we call a Non Newtonian Fluid… meaning that it does not follow the laws of Netonian Physics. When left to rest it looks just like a regular liquid. However when disturbed by strong hitting, shaking or pulling it acts more like a solid. It is a phenomenon worth studying and although still a bit of an enigma, scientists think that the material normally acts as a liquid but can produce a sudden, local reaction to rapid impact and stress, reinforcing the area and briefly solidifying the suspension.
Ooblecks takes it’s name from the green slime that fell from the skies in the Dr Seuss booh “Bartholomew and the Oobleck“.
3. Our version of the ‘Coke and Mentos’ experiment
You have probably all seen the coke and mentos experiment, maybe you have even tried it yourself. The basic idea is that you want to get as many mentos as possible into a bottle of coke as quickly as you can.
Last year I found myself minding two boys who were off “sick” from school. As the day went on it was obvious that they were getting a little less sick and a little more bored. So I decided to give them a challenge (you can read the original post here);
I gave them these …
The props
… and told them to devise their own version of the coke and mentos experiment.
This is what they came up with…. (notice the poor teddies that were strapped onto the front of the skateboard!)
So what is happening?...
Firstly, this is not thought to be a chemical reaction between the coke and the mentos. It is most likely a physical reaction known as nucleation; The coke is full of carbon dioxide gas, to give it its fizz; the mentos are full of tiny little craters on the surface of the sweet, the carbon dioxide gas is able to form bubbles in these “craters” producings thousands of tiny bubbles all at once; these bubbles of gas are under a lot of pressure within the bottle of coke and so come shooting out the mouth of the bottle. If anyone knows anything about Newton and his laws they will know that every reaction has an equal and opposite reaction (Newton’s third law of motion)… so the coke comes shooting out of the bottle in one direction and the force of this propels the skate board forward in the opposite direction. PRETTY COOL!
These are just some of our favourite messy play experiments. Check out what others are getting up to in Mama Courage’s Messy Play Project linky.
We came across one of our favourite animals on holidays this summer… the gecko. They really are fascinating creatures and their ability to holds their own body weight while scaling a vertical wall or even walking upside down, is quite incredible.
These photos show a gecko “sticking” to my husband’s upturned hand. he said it felt like he literally turned on and off the stickiness, and it seems that is exactly what he does.
A “sticky” gecko
How do geckos defy gravity in this manner? This is a topic of great interest and debate among scientists – can you imagine all the positive applications to society if we could replicate this ability?
DID YOU KNOW THAT A GECKO CAN SUPPORT ITS ENTIRE BODY WEIGHT ON ONE TOE?
Firstly, a little look at the science behind HOW THEY DO IT…
The toes of a gecko are covered in hundreds of small ridges called lamellae. Each ridge is covered in millions of hairs called setae. Setae are much thinner that human hair (up to 30 times thinner). Each seta then splits at the top into tiny strands called spatulae – there can be up to 1000 spatulae on one seta (if you think you have problems with split ends, pity the poor gecko!).
So you can begin to imagine how tiny these spatulae are, in fact, they are so tiny that they can bond with the molecules of the surface they are touching. This bonding is referred to as van der Waals interaction!The minute size of the setae and their sheer numbers means that the gecko can get a lot closer to the surface he is climbing, with a really large contact area.
Another great thing about this type of bonding is that it is what is called dry adhesion – it doesn’t require any sticky compounds or leave any messy residue.
This gives us an idea of how the gecko sticks to the surface, but HOW DOES IT UNSTICK?
The adhesion (sticking) process is said to be one-directional…imagine sticking a piece of sticky tape to a surface and then taking hold of one edge and peeling it back to remove it… the gecko does something similar.
The direction of the setae that bond to the surface are very important as they allow a directional force to be applied. A directional force that can be reversed means that the gecko can unstick as quickly as it sticks. It really is like turning on and off a switch.
As well as changing the direction of the setae, geckos’ toes bend in the opposite direction to humans so they can “peel” their toes off the surface from the tip backwards. Add to this the fact that geckos have rotating ankles and you start to understand how they can move in any direction.
All of this combines to a very efficient system that allows the animal travel at great speed across seemingly impossible surfaces.
DID YOU KNOW THAT A GECKO CAN TRAVEL AT 20 TIMES ITS OWN BODY LENGTH PER SECOND?
Gecko technology – what could we do if we had this ability?
With all this amazing ability at its “finger tips” it is not surprising that geckos and their “dry adhesion” are of great interest to the worlds of science, technology and medicine.
Robots that can scale any surface would be great in extreme or rescue situations, right? Or how about a suit we could wear to allow us to climb like a gecko? Geckskin is one of the newest gecko inspired materials where the physiology of the gecko (skin, tendons, bones) is part of the inspiration. Or how about gecko inspired paddles that can support a weight of approximately 115 kg? Maybe the amazing feats of spiderman will no longer be confined to comic books and movie animation.
Did you know that geckos can climb in a vacuum? So now we can start thinking about using this technology in space! Or how about using the technology in bandages? – inspired by the observation that geckos can climb in wet conditions… a bandage that stays on when wet.
It seems, once again that, through the gecko, Nature tempts us with an enticing model and man responds in the inevitable wish to study,imitate and recreate. I find many studies in the areas of bioinspiration and biomimicry fascinating, but I am also reminded of this quote…
We had the Best Summer Ever this year and finished it off with a trip to visit my sister and her three lovely children in South Hampton this week. We filled the sunny few days with trips to many of the lovely parks and greens, which meant a fair few picnics.
Here are a few photos to show how we spent the last few days of our Summer. As the lovely Luara over at the Dairy Free Kids blog is running a blog linky looking at what is inside everyone’s picnic baskets, I thought I might include this post too. If you want to see what people have been picnicking on this summer just click the linky image (picnic basket) at the end of this post to check out all the great posts.
As you can see, we kept it simple but fun. Remember to check out the linky to see what other’s have been putting in their picnic baskets this summer..
Jellyfish have been getting a lot of attention recently for all the wrong reasons.
The news was afloat (pardon the pun) last week of deadly jelly fish off the Dublin shores. Red flags were raised and warnings were put in place on certain beaches as lion mane jellyfish (cyanea capillata) were spotted in the water.
We had our own jelly fish encounter on holidays a few weeks ago. Both my husband and brother got stung on a tiny beach off the south east coast of Mallorca. The culprits were small and innocent looking but still came with a real sting in their tail (puns are really flying today). They were the Mauve Stinger (Pelagia noctiluca) jellyfish and both men got stung on their arms… they managed to bite back the tears but they were definitely in pain. It took most of the day for the swollen ridges to recede.
We were very lucky as these small jellyfish came right to the shore. My brother was stung within seconds of entering the water, in a place that our children had been swimming in just a few minutes before.
Although we encountered these in the Mediterranean, they are, in more recent years, not uncommon in Irish waters. In November 2007 a large swarm of mauve stingers, about 16 km in diameter, completely wiped out more than 100,000 fish from a Salmon farm off the coast of Belfast, Northern Ireland.
HOW DOES A JELLYFISH STING WORK?
Apart from the pain element, the stinging process of the jelly fish is remarkable and quite unique. Many jellyfish have tentacles that contain thousands of tiny nematocysts – these are cell like capsules that contain venom and a hallow, coiled, barbed tube. When triggered the coiled, bard tube is shot into the body of the prey and the venom is released.
WHICH IS THE MOST DEADLY JELLYFISH SPECIES?
Certain species of the Box jellyfish are considered the most deadly in the world, producing a toxin that attacks the heart, nervous system and skin cells. A sting from a Box jellyfish can prove fatal for humans, often due to a heart attack from the shock and pain.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU GET STUNG BY A JELLYFISH?
Leave the water as quickly as possible, preventing the risk of further stings
Pour sea water (preferably warm) on the affected area. DO NOT use fresh water as this may cause further stinging
Use a credit card or similar to remove the stingers. These may be so fine that they are hardly visible. Hold the credit card at an angle of about 30 degrees and run it over the affected area. Do not touch the removed stingers as they can still cause pain
Once the stingers are removed it is then okay to rinse with fresh water
If further symptoms such as heart palpitations, muscles cramping or spasm, panic or stress occur seek medical attention
ARE JELLYFISH THE CURSE OF THE SEA OR AMAZING CREATURES WITH A LOT TO OFFER?
They certainly seem to cause a lot of bother and pain to humans but is there a “good side”? Some of the problems may be due to increased numbers of jellyfish. Is there really an increase in jellyfish swarms and what does this tell us about the seas in which they live?
A KEY TO THE HEALTH OF OUR OCEANS?
There have been a number of large swarms or blooms of Jellyfish reported over the last few years. Scientific studies and surveys are ongoing to determine if what we are seeing are just natural ebbs and flows in the jellyfish population, or an annual and steady increase in numbers. Some feel that factors such as overfishing (removal of natural jellyfish predators) or human pollution of our oceans (increasing algal growth and plankton… jellyfish food) are causing a steady increase in jellyfish numbers. Others feel climate change is a factor. Perhaps what we are seeing is just a natural peak in the jellyfish life cycle. Time, and further research will tell, but the monitoring of jellyfish numbers will give us more insights into the state of our oceans.
A LINK TO THE PAST?
It would appear that jellyfish play an important part in the story of evolution. Genetic sequencing and fossil dating have changed the evolutionary tree somewhat, with suggestions now that the comb jelly (a relative of the jellyfish) may be the earliest divergent animal lineage. These studies put the comb jelly in existence some 600 million years ago. Did we all evolve from a lump of jelly? The question has certainly made the evolutionary tree wobble, shaking a few of it’s branches.
A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION AND INVENTION?
Although jellyfish are carried by currents they can also move propel their bodies upwards in a pulse like motion. The shape and movement have been the inspiration in the design of a new lightweight robot. What is particularly remarkable is that the robot moves through air, not water. Most jellyfish live for about a year, some species have much shorter life spans but there is one, called Turritopsis nutricula, that is effectively immortal. It has am amazing ability to revert back to an earlier phase of it’s life cycle under certain conditions. Commonly called the “Benjamin Button” of the ocean, it has naturally caught the attention of the worlds of science and medicine, inspiring advances in stem cell research and regenerative medicine. Some species of jellyfish, including the Mauve Stinger mentioned above, are luminescent. The gene responsible for this luminescence, and the luminescent protein it encode have been used by scientist and medics in a variety of research areas from crop advancement to cancer diagnosis. You have to admit, this certainly sheds new “light” of the humble jellyfish.
Despite their threat, jellyfish are certainly very interesting, unique and inspiring animals. Are you convinced or does the thought of them still make you quiver??
WHILE YOU MAKE UP YOUR MIND, HERE ARE FIVE FUN FACTS ABOUT JELLYFISH…
I LOVE lavender as many of you will already know. If you need convincing just check out my previous post on “All things Lavender“.
Every year I like to make something new with my little lavender harvest, last year I started making lavender wands and they were such a hit I got a lot of requests to make more this year. It is such a calming activity that I didn’t need much persuading. You can follow this tutorial that I found on line.
Here are my silent snaps to show you how it went …
