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Beaker Creatures Planet Experiments!
- Patria Lincoln Posted On Oct 29, 2018 | Science
It's time to experiment and explore! Each Beaker Creature family comes from their own planet, filled with distinct features and environments! Nick Uhas took on the challenge of conducting experiments relating to each of the 5 Beaker Creature planets and is sharing his results with us! Which experiment is your favorite?
PLANET GREEN SPACE
On both the planet Green Space (home of Gnate), AND on planet Earth, plants experience capillary action. Basically, the flowers can drink water even with opposition from gravity! Let’s try it out!
THINGS YOU’LL NEED
White flowers
Food coloring of your choice
4-6 clear containers (depending how many flowers you’d like to make)
Water
WHAT TO DO
Pour water into each of the clear containers, about half full. Drop food coloring choices into the water.
Cut each of the flower stems at a diagonal and pull off the leaves.
Place your flowers into the containers with the water and coloring!
Allow it to sit for at least 24 hrs!
Witness capillary action!
PLANET STARUS
Welcome to the planet of Starus! Here we will learn about the earth’s rotation around the sun by making our own at home sundial!
THINGS YOU’LL NEED
Paper plate
Pencil
Ruler
Playdough
Plastic straw
WHAT TO DO
Place the paper plate face down and stick the play-dough right in the center of the plate.
Write “12” with the pencil on top of the paper plate and, with the ruler, draw a straight line from the 12 to the playdough ball in the center of your plate.
Take the plastic straw, stick it in the center of the playdough and point it towards the 12 right over that line you drew.
Right at NOON, go outside, place your sundial on flat ground and line up the shadow of the plastic straw right on the 12.
Check it every 15 minutes and watch as the shadow moves around the plate!
Enjoy your at home sundial!
PLANET ICE DOME
Welcome to ICE DOME, home of the Frostonions! Ever wonder how to freeze a water bottle on COMMAND?! No, it’s not magic… IT’S SCIENCE! This one is all about timing and temperature, but when done properly, you’ll be able to pour water into the solid form of ice thanks to it’s supercool temperature! When the water is just cold enough but not frozen, there’s the sweet spot.
THINGS YOU’LL NEED
PURIFIED Water (16.9 FL oz bottle, sealed, is easiest)
Freezer
Little bowl
Ice cubes
WHAT TO DO
Take the purified water bottle, unopened, and place it horizontal in your freezer.
Leave the water bottle on it’s side in your freezer for approximately 2hrs and 40 minutes. While the water is freezing, set up your other items.
One small bowl with a few ice cubes in it is great for pouring icicles on top of the cubes. (One of my favorite parts of this experiment) (Also, don’t put the ice cubes out until a few minutes before you’ll remove the water bottle from the freezer.)
Keeping the bottle horizontal, take the bottle out of the freezer and to your designated experiment area.
With the ice cubes in the little bowl, slowly pour the ‘supercooled water’ onto the top and watch icebergs form!
PLANET BIG ROCK
Welcome to Big Rock, home of the Minisaurus! Who doesn’t love watching crystals form
Even better… SUGAR crystals!
THINGS YOU’LL NEED
Jars
Pencil or wooden sticks
Twine
Cane sugar
Food coloring
Pitcher of water
Microwave safe container
Microwave
Hot pads for your hands
WHAT TO DO
Pour three cups of sugar and two cups of water into a microwave safe container. Stir!
Put into the microwave for 2 minutes. Using hot pads, take the hot concoction out of the microwave, and stir again! CAREFULLY remove from the microwave, using the hot pads, and stir again. The sugar water should be near boiling. (If you’d like to add food coloring, you can at this point.)
Once back at your designated experiment location with the mixture, take out your jar and wooden stick/pencil. Wrap the twine around the wooden stick and dip a few inches of it into the sugar water mixture.
Remove the twine and stick and place to dry on the parchment paper.
Pour the mixture into the glass jar. Wait for it to cool to room temperature.Once the mixture is cooled, hang the twine into the jar, the wooden stick acting as a beam to hold it up.
Wait one week and watch the crystals form! (Oh yeah, and you can eat the rock candy too!)
PLANET OCEAN ORB
Welcome to the home of the Oceanites! On the planet of Ocean Orb, we decided to have fun with different liquids’ densities! This one can be messy and is always beautiful.
THINGS YOU’LL NEED
Large glass vase
Honey
Corn syrup
100% maple syrup
Whole milk
Dish soap
Water
Vegetable oil
Rubbing alcohol
Lamp oil
9 cups
Turkey baster
Food coloring
A bolt
A popcorn kernel
A cherry tomato
Soda bottle cap
WHAT TO DO
Set out all 9 cups. Pour the same amount of each of the liquids into each of the cups.
Feel free to add food coloring to the water, rubbing alcohol or dish soap.Set out your large glass vase.One at a time, starting with the honey, slowly and carefully pour in the liquids without getting any on the side.Pour them in, in the order listed above.Once you get to the water, use the turkey baster to gently pour the liquid down the side of the vase.Once all the liquids are in, you will see a rainbow of densities!One by one drop in the objects and see which sink and which float!
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Ultimate STEM Day Activity Bundle! National STEM Day is November 8 – a day designated to the wonders of science, technology, engineering, and math. To help you celebrate STEM in style, we’ve put together three of our very favorite, holiday-themed STEM smarts & crafts activities perfect for your Thanksgiving Day festivities and winter break fun.
Here’s what you’ll do:Blow up one balloon per racer but don’t tie off the ends. Instead, twist the end, then attach a kitchen “chip clip” or binder clip to keep the air from escaping.
Cut your construction paper into feathers, waddles, and googly eyes and tape the pieces to your “turkeys”.
Set up your race course by placing two chairs about 8 feet apart (you’ll need one set of these chairs for each racer). Cut a 9-foot section of string for each racer and tie the loose end of a length to one chair.
Thread a straw through the untied end of the string, then pull the string taught and tie to the opposite chair.
Using tape, attach the top, center of the balloon to the straw. Make sure to line the straw up with the release point of the balloon, for straighter, faster flying.Pull the balloons back so the ends are touching the chairs, pinch the balloons above the chip clips, and remove the clips.
Call “On your marks, get set, GO”, let go of the balloons, and watch as your turkeys race to the finish line!
Let’s talk turkey about physics! Remember that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction (thanks, Newton!). When you blow up the balloon, you are filling it with air. When you release the chip clip, you are releasing the air, creating pressure out of the back of the balloon. This release creates an equal and opposite pressure on the front of the balloon, propelling it forward. 
What You’ll Do:Cut your pipe cleaners in half, then cut some of them in half again.
Twist the pieces together to form one-of-a-kind snowflake patterns, making sure that your snowflakes will fit into your container without touching the sides or bottom. (Trim the ends with scissors if need be.)
Tie one end of the string to the center of your snowflake and the other to your pencil or craft stick and check to make sure your snowflake will fit without touching the sides or bottom of your container.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. For every cup of water you pour into your container, add 3 tablespoons of Borax and stir (this is a job for a parent as the water is boiling hot!). Add more Borax and stir to dissolve, continuing until the water won’t accept any more Borax (it’s okay if there’s some left in the bottom of the jar). Then add a few drops of food coloring and stir.
Hang your snowflake in the water by balancing your pencil or craft stick across the top of the jar. If your string is too long, twist it around your pencil until it keeps the snowflake from touching the bottom.
Leave your snowflake overnight. Carefully pull your snowflake out of the jar and shake off the excess crystals to reveal your crystalized snowflake!
Borax can be beautiful! Hot water molecules are moving really quickly, which leaves room for the Borax to dissolve between them. As the water cools, the molecules move closer together, “squeezing” the Borax out. 
Set out the marshmallows and toothpicks and challenge your busy builders to construct their drawings.
Once they’re done, see if someone can build a snow den, an igloo, or a walled fort. The possibilities are endless (and delicious!).
With snow covering the ground, fewer plants are growing, which means less food for hungry animals like bears, bats, and squirrels. Hibernating slows down these animals’ metabolisms and reduces their body temperatures, which means they need less energy to survive and can go without eating for several months at a time. Hibernating animals need a safe, hidden spot to snuggle down for the winter months, similar to the caves and burrows you just built! 
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Simple Physics Turkey Races
Add some get up and go to your gobble gobble with these crazy-fun turkey races perfect for perking up the party on turkey day!Here’s what you’ll need:BalloonsConstruction paperTapeStringPlastic strawsChip clips or binder clipsHere’s what you’ll do:Blow up one balloon per racer but don’t tie off the ends. Instead, twist the end, then attach a kitchen “chip clip” or binder clip to keep the air from escaping.Cut your construction paper into feathers, waddles, and googly eyes and tape the pieces to your “turkeys”.Set up your race course by placing two chairs about 8 feet apart (you’ll need one set of these chairs for each racer). Cut a 9-foot section of string for each racer and tie the loose end of a length to one chair.Thread a straw through the untied end of the string, then pull the string taught and tie to the opposite chair.Using tape, attach the top, center of the balloon to the straw. Make sure to line the straw up with the release point of the balloon, for straighter, faster flying.Pull the balloons back so the ends are touching the chairs, pinch the balloons above the chip clips, and remove the clips.Call “On your marks, get set, GO”, let go of the balloons, and watch as your turkeys race to the finish line!Let’s talk turkey about physics! Remember that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction (thanks, Newton!). When you blow up the balloon, you are filling it with air. When you release the chip clip, you are releasing the air, creating pressure out of the back of the balloon. This release creates an equal and opposite pressure on the front of the balloon, propelling it forward. Crystal Snowflake Christmas Ornaments
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Turn those cocoa fixin’s into a science lesson about the winter habits of some of your kids’ favorite animals with this tasty activity!What you’ll need:ToothpicksMarshmallowsPaperCrayons or markerSnowy Animal ToysWhat you’ll do:Ask your kids to imagine where they might go to hibernate if they lived out in the wild. Have you kids draw their ideas on paper.Set out the marshmallows and toothpicks and challenge your busy builders to construct their drawings.Once they’re done, see if someone can build a snow den, an igloo, or a walled fort. The possibilities are endless (and delicious!).With snow covering the ground, fewer plants are growing, which means less food for hungry animals like bears, bats, and squirrels. Hibernating slows down these animals’ metabolisms and reduces their body temperatures, which means they need less energy to survive and can go without eating for several months at a time. Hibernating animals need a safe, hidden spot to snuggle down for the winter months, similar to the caves and burrows you just built! HAPPY STEM DAY!
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Good zea mays everta, or popcorn kernels, seem dry and firm in plain sight. But inside each kernel is a tiny droplet of water surrounded by a hard shell called a hull. Popcorn can be heated by hot oil, air, or a microwave.The heat turns that water droplet into steam, building pressure inside the hull. Then – POP! – the hull can no longer keep in the pressure and the kernel explodes. The popping sound you hear is due to the rapid escape of water from the kernel.
Pop your corn any way you choose. Over the stovetop is this household’s choice, but any way will work. If you choose to microwave, 20 cups is about three bags.
Separate your popcorn evenly into how many food coloring choices you want. Here, there are six bowls uniformly distributed in order to make a rainbow.
Combine the corn syrup, butter, powdered sugar, marshmallows, water, vanilla, and salt together over medium-high heat. Keep the mixture moving and bring to a slow boil.
For adults only: Carefully pour the mixture evenly into each bowl of popcorn. The mixture is very hot, so let this one to the grown-ups. Use an ice scream scoop in an effort to keep the proportions even.
Add about 2-3 drops of food coloring to each popcorn/syrup mix.
Stir each bowl with a clean spoon so you don’t mix colors.
Working fast, shape the balls before the syrup mixture cools. Spray your fingers with a non-stick spray to be able to shape each ball. You can make them as big or small as you’d like! Enjoy!
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So What Makes Popcorn Pop?
Good zea mays everta, or popcorn kernels, seem dry and firm in plain sight. But inside each kernel is a tiny droplet of water surrounded by a hard shell called a hull. Popcorn can be heated by hot oil, air, or a microwave.The heat turns that water droplet into steam, building pressure inside the hull. Then – POP! – the hull can no longer keep in the pressure and the kernel explodes. The popping sound you hear is due to the rapid escape of water from the kernel.Why Do Some Kernels Not Pop?
Simply put, there isn’t enough water in the kernel. A water droplet has to be present for that steam pressure to build up. Sometimes kernels are old and stale, or they become scorched during cooking.All this popcorn talk has us hungry.
Below is a playful recipe for colorful popcorn balls to share with your hungry little scientists. As you make them, explain the science behind what makes popcorn pop. You can also teach your little ones basic color recognition with this rainbow treat!You will need:¾ cup light corn syrup¼ cup butter3 cups powdered sugar1 cup marshmallows2 teaspoons water2 teaspoons vanilla1/8 teaspoon salt20 cups of popped cornFood coloring of your choicePop your corn any way you choose. Over the stovetop is this household’s choice, but any way will work. If you choose to microwave, 20 cups is about three bags.Separate your popcorn evenly into how many food coloring choices you want. Here, there are six bowls uniformly distributed in order to make a rainbow.Combine the corn syrup, butter, powdered sugar, marshmallows, water, vanilla, and salt together over medium-high heat. Keep the mixture moving and bring to a slow boil.For adults only: Carefully pour the mixture evenly into each bowl of popcorn. The mixture is very hot, so let this one to the grown-ups. Use an ice scream scoop in an effort to keep the proportions even.Add about 2-3 drops of food coloring to each popcorn/syrup mix.Stir each bowl with a clean spoon so you don’t mix colors.Working fast, shape the balls before the syrup mixture cools. Spray your fingers with a non-stick spray to be able to shape each ball. You can make them as big or small as you’d like! Enjoy!HAPPY POPPING!
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