Well, here's the deal. We get to oversee three Science Experiments for the Junior High Science Fair. They just sent notice home to parents. Lucky us.
First idea submitted was a volcano with a twist. He wanted to add gasoline and a few accelerants to the mix. Special child!
Second idea submitted was to find out how many times trigger hairs on VFTs could be set off with no prey before the trap died. That would have been fine but the project is due the first week of February and all of the VFTs will still be dormant. Slight oversight on this child's behalf.
Third idea submitted to the panel of parents (me and my husband) was to create mazes for rats to determine which types of foods could be rubbed on the bottom of the mazes to get them to track the best to get to the other side of the maze the fastest. Peanut butter, cheese, and spinach were suggested. Rats are too darn smart and would memorize the mazes after a few trial runs and my husband isn't in the mood to assist making about 20 different mazes out of wood so that the test rats can't forgo the trail in favor of just scurrying on toward the food source. Other issue with this idea is we'd get stuck with pet rats and I truly don't want anything else that breathes over here to care for and I know he'd promise to care for them until he was blue in the face but they'd ultimately end up being my pet rats. I don't want any more pets.
Well, the little rocket scientist with the variation on the classic volcano idea decided that maybe something a little less volatile and considerably less unstable might be more appropriate after we explained that he could do the experiment as long as he understood he would be paying for all property damage out of his own savings account. He's still thinking. Any suggestions for this budding little pyro?
The second little rocket scientist who came up with the idea of triggering the VFTs has decided to switch over to an experiment using different types of lights to see what light tropical CPs will grow best under. He wants to use natural light, a black light, a fluorescent light, a grow bulb, and my metal halide. He also wants to use my Pings for his experiment. That isn't going to happen. Would anyone like to make suggestions here? My pings are out. He does realize he will need to use tropical CPs as well as his own money to purchase them.
Third rocket scientist who came up with the rats and maze idea said that keeping the rats had never crossed his mind (ya right) but decided on his own that building all those different mazes sounded like too much bother so he would like to think of an experiment with CPs also. He was eyeing up my binata and was wondering what he could feed them to make them grow big and strong. I suppose he thinks he’ll get off cheap by using my plants- wrong. Suggestions? I do not want any of them using my plants or my metal halides for their experiments. This particular child is inherently lazy and is somewhat of a scatterbrain. I’d like to see him have to actually put forth more than a minimal effort.
Any parents out there who have had to deal with Science Fairs?
Please put your thinking caps on!
No ideas on the rest of the students ideas but I have a few thoughts on the CP's ( go figure ).
You usually still can find TC VFT's in the chain stores in Feb, throw them under some Fluor lights and you can have an active growing VFT in Feb in no time.
As for the tropical plants seeing which grow better under which lights, seems like to me time would be an issue here. I dont know how long you would have to watch the plants, and to see much difference in growth rate you would need quite a while. Also to be completelty far all the plants in the experiment would have to be genetically identical (no seed grown plants here). An idea though woud be mexi pings. You usually can get a large number of genetically identical mexi pings from leaf pullings. Then it would allow the student to test on pings that were trying to reach mature size.
Just a few thoughts.
Wolf
I don't deal with science fairs, but I do deal with budding pyros. I have LOTS of experience down that road! For example: today my 13 year old son and I made smokebombs from sugar and potassium nitrate. This was our chemistry lesson (I homeschool him). We cooked up the stuff AFTER reading a cool website all about the ingredients needed for pyrotechnics, what they do, and why they are dangerous.
Here's the website: http://www.powerlabs.org/chemlabs/deflagrants.htm
These easy smokebombs satisfy the pyro in him, and the mother in me. Your little pyro could do something where he compares the results of different formulas for smoke bombs and learns a bit about deflagrating reactions at the same time. It certainly sobered my son to learn that with the right chemicals, just the friction of rolling them around to mix them can set them off. You don't say how old your pyro is, but Junior High sounds like anywhere from 11 to 13, the agegroup that love this stuff best.
I'm posting some more websites for you.
Oh, also there is a cool science fair project where you make your own rocket using vinegar and baking soda. Easy, safe, and satisfying. He could do something where he compared the flight vectors of different rocket shapes - aerodynamics and all that jazz.
Believe me, I understand your pain.
http://www.powerlabs.org/
http://www.unitednuclear.com/
(has recipes and experiments for kids-it has the directions for the smoke bombs)
BTW, my son says he came up with the exact same volcano idea as your son, but instead of using gasoline he wanted to use large quantities of gunpowder. Talk about a 'special' child! He spends all of his free time making things that shoot projectiles or simulate explosions. (Since we will not allow any kind of real explosives - or allow him to make real explosives - which he could likely do.)He's a kind and generous, gentle person. But his Y chromosome takes up all the available space in my house. If I had more than one of him, I would never survive.Oh, he also builds medieval seige engines, which then sit in my backyard for years. That's another fun science fair project for you! And, no, my kid has never entered a science project. His whole LIFE is a science project!
Sorry, I'm becoming hysterical.
And tell your son that my son has a plastic lens in his right eye due to his 'special' experimenting without parental permission. He's lucky he still has both eyes and that they both work. Property damage I could live with, blindness and disfigurement would be a bit harder.
Okay, now your kid who loves animals - how about animal behavior modification? If you have a dog, your kid could teach the dog a new trick, recording how many times and under what circumstances the training took place before the dog performed the trick correctly upon command. If you have more than one dog, he could teach each dog the same trick and compare breeds, or whatever. Or he could choose two simple tricks to teach and the variable would be the type of reward. Which enables the animal to learn faster? Food or a clicker?
Here's another website: http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/category0.html
Hope you can keep these kiddos away from your CPs!
Wolf, they'll have 12 weeks. I'd think that should be enough to get some growth that is measurable before they need to submit the projects the first week of February? You have a valid point about clonal plant material. Let's just hope they let a 6th grader and two 8th graders slide on that little detail.
Pixie, you homeschool? Remarkable! A homeschool education is far superior to all others.
The volcano is out. We've already had the front of our house boarded up once because a little rocket scientist watched Bill Nye the Science Guy and learned how to siphon from my gas tank using air tubing from a fish aquarium. We also had to replace a porcelain toilet before that. There's been other property damage around here. I was home all those times and in the kitchen. I get very edgy when it gets quiet and I can't do head counts these days.
We've done the rocketry. Great experiment but they've moved on to bigger rockets now with actual launch pads. We've also gone down the trebuchet road. The one they created out in the backyard can launch a decent sized watermelon over 200'. They entered it in to a competition a few months ago and were the youngest team ever to win. I'll dig up a photo of it so that you will feel my pain. They started with little ones that could launch ping pong balls and moved on to bigger and better from there. Last I heard before the entire device was taken apart was that they were trying to figure out how they could launch the youngest who was only 7. The youngest was really excited and looking forward to getting the chance to be launched. Fortunately, the oldest ran inside and narked on the Three Muskateers. Visions of compound fractures danced through my head. My husband stepped out to put a stop to that. I'll share the links for the smoke bombs with them when they get home. That smoke bomb looks like a keeper idea and the other link should provide some appropriate ideas for the lazy child. Thank you VERY much as we're in desperate need of some sobering experiences over here. I'll let them read what you wrote about your son's eye. One problem is that mine sometimes have to get hit by the mack truck to learn not to cross the road without looking. They're going to live for ever and those things only happen to other people I'm told. I wish for each of these boys to grow up and get married and have five just like themselves. Let's see how long they can parent without going bald.
Yes, we have 3 dogs. Slug, Slugette, and Injectable Amphetamine. All joking aside, two are only interested in napping and their next Scooby Snack and the third has flunked doggie school 3x now but wants the Scooby Snack anyway. Too big to take to school anyway. I'm the one with the Mastiffs and the Great Dane. People are nervous around them and they don't particularly like going for car rides anyway... takes them away from their food source and sleeping mats.
Geez, thought I responded to your last post, but I likely got sidetracked and forgot to hit 'send'.
I feel your pain. I really, really do. Sorry to hear that your guys have graduated from the 'safety' rockets. Mine has too. They don't stay satisfied for long.
If you go the 'smoke bomb' route, you can get the KNO3 sold as Greenlight Stump Killer at Lowes for about 4$. I know it's sold in much larger quantities, but not in my neck of the woods.
My son is of the Mack Truck breed as well, as is evidenced by his injury last year. The thing is, I'm really very proud of how creative he can be, and how he can work through a mechanical problem with one of his 'inventions' until it works. It's hard to be proud and encouraging and scared to death at the same time. Since his accident we've spent more time as parents looking over his shoulder and helping him think through possible consequences of his actions. I know that being able to realize consequences before the fact is a developmental in nature, having to do with brain development and the executive function. I'm just trying to give it a good head start! When my son was younger I always thought I could have had several boys and been happy. Now I realize I would have just been prematurely grey! I have nothing but admiration for people who can raise more than one 'creative' boy and still remain sane.
For your smoke bomb guy, here are some things Andrew has been experimenting with:
Do you get more smoke if the material is packed very firmly? What about the shape of the bomb? Do certain shapes last longer than others?
FYI< today he made one in the bottom of half of a soda can. This made the initial flames go straight up in a column (the shape of the can), but the can basically vaporized except fot the bottom. When the smoke was gone, the can was gone, too. This had a profound 'coolness' value.
Maybe your little guy can do something with that.
The eighth grade pyro child is still thinking. The smoke bombs don't have enough oomph for him I guess. He basically said, thanks but no thanks. Ingrate. He's looking into something with fireworks. Oh joy, I can hardly contain my enthusiasm. This one will dilly dally and mess around until the eleventh hour and then turn the house upside down in a panic when he realizes there's only 4 weeks left until the project is due. This child is a living example of "why put off to tomorrow what can be put off until the day after".
The sixth grader has settled on the lighting experiment. He's researching which Drosera would be the best and where he can purchase 10 of about the same size on line. He wanted to know if he could have my credit card while he was surfing just in case he ran into 10 from the same place. In unsion, my husband and I both said no. Scary thought giving this one a credit card... he still puts his clothes on backwards at times and could care less. Can we say head in the clouds?
Back to rat boy... he now wants to do something with mice. He told me they're much smaller (cheaper to feed) and not as smart as rats (fewer and smaller mazes to construct). He's hooked on the maze deal. He has one major obstacle to overcome and that would be finding a good home for the mice when his experiment is complete. Letting them go in the house is not an option although he suggested it to see if he could get a rise out of me. If he can't swing the mice deal, he announced he's going to try something with lizards. I guess I'm supposed to pick the lesser of the evils between rodents and lizards. Oh joy, I'm having difficulty containing my enthusiasm on this one too.
Not much I can do as these are not my projects. I will not allow them to turn these projects into my projects. Consequences? What are those at this age. Half the time all we parents do is keep them from killing themselves... or each other. You are right though, they won't be developmentally capable of processing properly for another few years. Right now everything is white or black. Gray area? What's that? They know there are expected and unexpected events. They seem to be capable of preparing for expected events but not for unexpected events. Kids at this age are like nail polish. Nothing we can do can speed up their cognitive processes just as nothing we do speeds up the drying of nail polish.
Lauren...
Don't let em mix HTH (powdered pool chorine) and hydraulic fluid. It makes a great big flare that self ignites. I'm rolling in the floor here...I've done a lot of what they're doing now. Thinking back....i was soooo lucky....lol
Eric
Lauren, good for you making sure your kids don't turn in something the parents did! When my daughter was younger and did the whole science fair thing, it used to make my blood boil when so many of the kids turned in projects that had obviously been done by their parents. What made me even angrier is when those kids got the prizes in the science fair. If I had it to do all over again, I would have homeschooled from day 1 with both my kids.
Eric, it's men like you who unwittingly encourage these lads! LOL Why is it that men chuckle knowingly at a boy's folly? I'll never forget our trip up to the University of Washington hospital, after emergency surgery and a 4 day stay at the hospital during which we lived day to day praying for our son to keep his eyesight. We saw an awesome eye surgeon and two young interns. All men. All chuckling with great camaraderie at my boy's escapades! They even traded 'war stories' with him! They guessed his age without looking at the record and thought it was high humor when they were right! "They're always 12 or 13!" they said. Ha haha! I, the traumatized mother, just stared at them open mouthed! Fortunately, in a way, my son was still in the initial trauma shock stage and doesn't remember this visit. He almost slept through it. But no worry there, his uncles picked up where the doctors left off. All the men I know say they all did these things, even my husband, and 'boy were they lucky'! It's simply amazing! I used to play with boys all the time growing up, and I don't ever remember them playing 'chemist'. Maybe I just played with the wrong boys!
In a way, though, hearing that so many men did this as boys gives me hope that my son will survive until adulthood. I'll see to it that Andrew leaves those particular chemicals alone, Eric. Thanks for the tip! :)
Lauren, I suggest you not even let them read Eric's post! It will give them even more ideas! As if they need them!
On a sober note, Lauren, my Andrew's accident occured during the making of 'home made' fireworks. He learned a bit about tensile strength of metal that day. The thought of making anything explosive makes my blood run cold.
Well Eric, did you ever try to launch a little person into outer space? Think about that one for a bit. I have no idea how they sold Jacob on the idea not only agreeing to be launched but actually wanting to be launched from that catapult but they did and... they told him if he went real far they'd let his friends get launched too. Oh boy, space launches in my back yard! That one was in tears because he wasn't going to get to be launched.
Naaa Pixy, what Eric wrote is no harm. My brothers and my Dad as well as a few other Y chromosome well wishers have already been contributing to the delinquency of these minors.
As far as THEIR science fair projects, not my problem. Last time I checked I finished Jr High. I will help them withdraw money from their savings accounts to pay for their projects though. I don't want you to think I am a totally hands off parent. All joking aside, we do help. We get them to stores to be able to purchase their supplies, we make sure they know how to use tools properly, we help them break their projects down to more managable segments so they can stay on track for completion, and we offer suggestions for them to consider. Sometimes they try what we suggest, other times they decide they just want to fly with what they were doing. As far as delusions of grandeur and "setting off the science room" with a fireworks experiment... the kids need approval for their projects from the science teachers. I talked to one yesterday and Pyro Child will get the bad news this afternoon that she's not going to be approving that for him (or any other kid) so I guess he's back to the drawing board. May the force be with him as he selects a project. He's going to be in a foul mood when he gets home from school today. Rat boy is also going to try to get approval for his lame brain mouse experiment today. He'll probably think something is up and the world is against him when the first question out of her mouth will be to ask him what arrangements he has made for the little critters after he is finished with his project. Yup, I got to that science teacher too. I do not want to get stuck with anything else that breathes over here. She laughed and stated all children who want to use animals for experiments must submit a form BEFORE the project get approved that states what will happen to the critter(s) when the experiment is complete. Guess I'm not the only parent who had nightmares of aquariums filled with rodents and reptiles and other things that go bump in the night strategically placed throughout their home.
Back to serious questions, any suggestions on what type of a tropical Drosera to use for the quiet kid who is plugging along toward goal accomplishment? So far all he can find out there in the quantities he needs is D. capensis. Probably not a bad choice as they are a good beginner plant.
Lauren,
I've never tried to launch a little one into space....but the thought of launching my little sis had crossed my mind a time or 2...lol I did decide after getting a haircut, that it was not fair she didn't get her's cut. She had a thick head of red hair...but not after I got done with it. I was 6 and she was about 2 yrs old. Had her sitting in the middle of Mama and Daddy's bed....red hair all over the place. As far as the contributing to the delinquency...I thought that it our (Y-chromosome) job.....lol My son and a classmate's project is to raise some brine shrimp and see if different types of music has any affect on their growth rate and activity levels.
Eric
You cut your sister's curly locks off at age 6? You brut you! Bet you two laugh about that today.
Hmmm, brine shrimp? No matter how well you care for those they don't live long. I could put up with those for a few months and then what ever was still alive could be fed to the angel fish. Perhaps I should share this with Rat boy who was on the phone calling every friend and relative he has this evening to see if anyone wanted some free mice in a few months. No takers so far. Pity.
Pyro child was in a book looking up something or other on dry ice. I have no idea what he is thinking and I wasn't in the mood to ask.
And the third little piggie went to market.... well at least I have one trying to go to market. So far the one plugging along has found D. capensis for $4 a piece plus shipping and handling of $7.50 somewhere on line. He asked me if I knew any place cheaper. My comment, "Nope". I think that was a subtle hint for me to see if any of my friends had 10 to sell to him for cheap. He was on line looking until about 10pm. This one takes money seriously so I suppose he'll keep looking until he can find them for $3 a piece. I'm sure that price is doable. He'll just have to dig a little bit more.
Lauren...
Don't let Pyro pour water on dry ice...it will kinda explode. No fire or anything like that, it'll just crack up explosively. If you're starting to wonder where I get this all this info from....I used to be an Asst. Fire Marshal/Arson Investigator. Also...have 3rd little piggy check Cook's CPs. They have D. capensis for 2.50 bareroot for 3" pot and 3" potted plants for 4.50.
Eric
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh my gawd! I can see it now- splintering dry ice exploding everywhere. How wonderful. I gotta drive to the school right now.
Dry Ice will not explode. Been there, done that. Warm water on it will generate copius amounts of fog. It costs $0.50 per pound. Places that sell gasses also sell dry ice. Buy it quick Halloween is Monday. I currently have liquid CO2 which is more complicated, but lasts forever. Dry Ice only lasts about a week. It does a little better in the freezer.Dry ice sublimes at-109 f. The liquid boils at -109f. DO NOT TOUCH IT!!
You could hook up the exhaust of a vacuum cleaner to the volcano. Then make some rocks nearly spherical and place them in the stream from the vacuum. They will stay suspended. Put grey and brown latex caulking over ping-pong balls, foos-balls, tennis balls to make them look a little irregular. When dried, dilute the latex with water then paint them. The balls need to be different sizes and weights.
Cook's Carnivorous has the plants. First problem is that his site doesn't regularly update quantities available and they don't pick up the phone any more to answer questions like this so you have to put in an order to find out and you may or may not get a response in a timely fashion. Second problem, we'd need them within a very short period of time and shipping them out whenever convenient for him to do so is not going to be accptable this time. Best to pay a little bit more and be assured of getting the quantity the kid needs when the kid needs them.
The problem is that Pyro child is bent on an experiment that blows up or blows something up. He is not in a reasonable mode right now. He wants what he wants and could care less about whether his choice is responsible or not. He's got 1 week to make a responsible selection and if he doesn't, I am calling a teacher conference and he will be provided with three projects from which he will have to make his selection. I'm told there are quite a few other children who may be coming in for project selection conferences so he won't be alone.
Rat boy is coming around. The brine shrimp might actually be in the running. His new thought is to buy little Neps and supplementally feed each Nep a little something different. Koi pellets, fruit flies, pin heads, bloodworms, and 2% milk and one Nep that gets nothing. I would go for this. I don't think he realizes how tiny pitchers are on small Neps but I guess it will be a learning experience for him and he can purchase tweezers to help him feed the Neps. I actually prefer the brine shrimp deal because as mentioned... live critters with no left overs.
UUalace, we've got some dry ice left over here from last weekend. We used it for a cauldron. Nice idea- "You could hook up the exhaust of a vacuum cleaner to the volcano. Then make some rocks nearly spherical and place them in the stream from the vacuum. They will stay suspended. Put grey and brown latex caulking over ping-pong balls, foos-balls, tennis balls to make them look a little irregular. When dried, dilute the latex with water then paint them. The balls need to be different sizes and weights."
""A homeschool education is far superior to all others. ""
It can be. Depends on the teacher.