Biology for super-grown-ups

LIST OF SUPPLIES & EQUIPMENT FOR EXPERIMENTS

GENERAL:

  1. MEDIUM SIZE FRIDGE with FREEZER
  2. STOVE/OVEN/BURNER
  3. WATER BATH
  4. SCISSORS, CONSTRUCTION KNIVES, MEASURING CUPS 7 SPOONS, WEIGHING BALANCE
  1. Spilling of swollen seeds (*)

2 SEALABLE PLASTIC BAGS per student X 16= 32

1 KILO FRESH BEAN SEEDS

1 SMALL TRAY X 16=16

  1. Home-made sauerkraut production

½ Kg Yogur-CONTAINER with LID x 16

1LITER JAR (OPEN MOUTH and lid or plastic) for group

3 KILOS FRESH GREEN CABBAGE

180 ML COARSE SALT

25 ML GLUCOSE (or table sugar)

  1. MG=POWER OF YOUR EYES: change the direction an AEROPLANE is travelling. (© compilation and adaptation from various sources-LD’2005)

LARGE GLASSES X 8

BLACK MARKER & WHITE FLASH CARDS

  1. Why the sun becomes bigger and red-orange at dusk In this experiment ordinary house items are used to re-construct a sun setting atmospheric scenario. The optical effect of light refraction on dense materials is explained.
  1. Cellular Diffusion It seems complicated, but the physics and chemical diffusion phenomenon in animal and plant cells is a simple concept that can be observed and demonstrated using paper towels, dyes and plant stems. The coloring of fresh flowers that students maybring will wrap-up this activity

FRESH CELERY STALKS X 16= 16

FOOD DYE, RED, BLUE, YELLOW

HEAVY ABSORBENT PAPER X16 SHEETS

TOOTHPICKS

  1. The greenhouse effect is different from atmospheric warming (© Luis D’Elia) Misconceptions have been circulating even in schools about the use of the ‘greenhouse effect’ as a metaphor or model for our planet’s increased atmospheric warming. In this experiment, using household elements we will attempt to demonstrate the difference between the two.

INDIVIDUAL “TERRANIA” PREPARED BEFORE X 16

WRAPPING PLASTIC

THERMOMETERS 16 X 2= 32

PLASTIC BAGS LARGER THAN SIZE OF THERMOMETER x 16

  1. MG=CAN YOU COLOR THE EGG SHELL? -(GROUP ACTIVITY) . (© compilation and adaptation from various sources-LD’2005)

FOOD COLORING (10 drops each pair stud)

2 X BOWL (250 ML)

FRESH EGGS X 4

VINEGAR (70ml)

  1. Why meet tenderizers sometimes do not work? (**)

MEET TENDERIZER

UNCOLORED GELATIN (GELLO) PACKS X 16

  1. MG= LIGHTER ORANGE WILL FLOAT BETTER?. (© compilation and adaptation from various sources-LD’2005)

LARGE ORANGES X 3

DEEP BOWL OR TRAY

KNIFE

  1. Producing potable ocean water (*) . By removing the salt from salty water, we can make ocean water more prone to consumption. This experiment will use everyday kitchen elements to remove salt from salty water.

½ Kg COARSE SALT

MEASURING CUPS X 8

MEASURING SPOONS X 8

LARGE TRANSPARENT BOWLS X 8

COFFEE CUPS X 8

PLASTIC FOOD WRAP

SMALL ROCKS X 8

  1. Microscopic beauties(© Luis D’Elia) Beautiful worlds can be seen by magnifying the view of a feather, an onion slice, our skin cells or (already prepared slides of animal organs’ cells)

LIGHT MICROSCOPES X 15

LUIS D’ELIA’S own MICROSCOPIC SLIDES COLLECTION

  1. MG=I CAN HOLD THE WATERS! . (© compilation and adaptation from various sources-LD’2005)

A SMALL CUP

A FULL CUP AND A QUARTER OF NICKELS

  1. Demonstrating tobacco damage in lungs (***) Artificial lungs and trachea/bronchi are made by using plastic bottles, tubing and more. A cigarette smoke that enters the system will leave observable consequences in the lining used to simulate the interior of the lungs. SEE ATTACHED
  1. Power of yeast in wine making (© Luis D’Elia) Wine is a product of a primary fermentation of glucose into ethanol (alcohol) and CO2 (a gas) + water. We will demonstrate the process by reproducing the phenomenon in a small scale

SACCHAROMICES BAYANUS (YEAST) 100 GRAMS

GRAPE JUICE CONCENTRATE X 2 LITERS

TABLE SUGAR ¼ KILO

250 ML-GLASS JARS WITH LIDS X 8

INCUBATOR OR COOLER TO CONTAIN 8 250 ML-JARS OF JUICE

PLASTIC STIRRERS X 8

THERMOMETERS X 8

POT TO HEAT JUICE

  1. Power of yeast in YOGUR making (© Luis D’Elia)

LUIS’INCUBATOR

LUIS’ THERMOMETER FOR LIQUIDS

2% MILK X 2 LITERS

500GR YOGURT NATURAL

PLASTIC WRAP

  1. Balloon Inflator . (© compilation and adaptation from various sources-LD’2005)

The effects of cold and warm temperature in the gases (air)

EMPTY PLASTIC WATER BOTTLE X 8

BALLOONS X 8 +

  1. MG= GUESSING WITH EGG IS HARD-BOILED -(GROUP ACTIVITY) . (© compilation and adaptation from various sources-LD’2005)

HARD-BOILED EGGS X 2

FRESH EGGS X 2

  1. EGG BUBBLES & EGG REDUCTION (© compilation and adaptation from various sources-LD’2005)

1st Part: EGGS X 8

VINEGAR 1 L

GLASS JARS OR LARGE GLASSES (TO FIT EGG) w/ LIDS X 8

2nd part: CORN SYRUP 600 ML

MG= IMPERMEABLE SKIN . (© compilation and adaptation from various sources-LD’2005)

BODY POWDER X 150ML

GLASSES X 8

  1. HOMEMADE HOOVER BOARD

FILM CANISTERS WITH LIDS X 8

BALLOONS X 8

  1. MG= STABBING WITHOUT BLEEDING! . (© compilation and adaptation from various sources-LD’2005)

SMALL PLASTIC BAGS

SMALL BRANCHES OR REGULAR SHARPENED PENCILS

  1. CONFUSING APPLES WITH ORANGES

COTTON BALLS

APPLES

ORANGE EXTRACT

  1. MG=SUPERMAN/WOMAN FINGER: Powering a boat! . (© compilation and adaptation from various sources-LD’2005)

STYROFOAM SHEET APPROX 4cm thick X 15cm long x 6 cm wide

DETERGENT 5 ML

LARGE TRAY

  1. TORNADO simulation . (© compilation and adaptation from various sources-LD’2005)

2-LITERS TRANSPARENT POP BOTTLES –x 2

FOOD COLORING

TAPE

  1. FILTERING waste WATER for washing

(1/3 world donot have water manufacturing a WATER FILTER)

2-LITERS TRANSPARENT POP BOTTLES –x 2 CUT AS INDICATED

STUFFING-COTTON (1/3 of filter) , SAND (5 cm high), CHARCOAL 2.5 cm high), ROCKS (to fill the rest)

FOOD COLORING

  1. MG= LIME BATTERY. (© compilation and adaptation from various sources-LD’2005)

LIMES X 8

COPPER WIRE fine x 2 m

STEEL WIRE X 2 m

WIRE CUTTERS

  1. MG=BALLOON NOT BLOWING IN BOTTLE (demo). (© compilation and adaptation from various sources-LD’2005)

1-LITER-SODA BOTTLE X1

BALLOONS X 2

STRAW or rigid tubbing

  1. MG= FORKS ON THE EDGE . (© compilation and adaptation from various sources-LD’2005)

GLASSES X 7

SPOONS AND FORKS X 7 (each)

MATCHES X 20

  1. MG= EXTINGUISHER (Group demo). (© compilation and adaptation from various sources-LD’2005)

TALL GLASS X 1

FOLDABLE PIECE OF CARDBOARD

MATCHES & CANDLE

BAKING SODA & VINEGAR

  1. MG= TEETER-TOTTER WITHOUT PUSH (Group demo). (© compilation and adaptation from various sources-LD’2005)

10CM-SIDE WOODEN BLOCKS (or 2 medium size glasses) x 2

MATCHES

PINS X 2

A MEDIUM SIZE CANDLE WITH TWO WICK-ENDS

TRAY

  1. MG= BALLOON POWER OVER WATER STREAM(Group demo). (© compilation and adaptation from various sources-LD’2005)

BALLOON

PIECE OF WOOL

SINK with running water

  1. MG= GE (Group demo). (© compilation and adaptation from various sources-LD’2005)
  2. MG= GE (Group demo). (© compilation and adaptation from various sources-LD’2005)
  3. MG= GE (Group demo). (© compilation and adaptation from various sources-LD’2005)

I acknowledge credits for some of the original ideas to

(*) Anthony Fredericks –Sterling Publications 1995

(**) Alberta Education Distance Learning

(***) my colleagues, Mark Mercer and Kerry Kricken (U of A, 1997)

(© references consulted to do compilation: Greey de Pencier books, Ontario, Canada-1982 (“Dr. Zed’s dazzling book of science activities”; Simon & Schuter books, NY, USA, 1982-“More Science Surprises from Dr. Zed”, Gordon Penrose, author-edited by Marilyn Baillie; Van Cleave, Janice.”VanCleave’s 201Awesome, Magical, Bizarre, & Incredible Experiments”. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.: NY, 1994.); Faith Hickman Brynie, “Six-minute Nature Experiments”. Sterling Publishing Co., NY, USA 1999. “Kitchen Science”, Chris Maynard, 2001. DK: London. “Science Smart”- Diehn et al-

Main St NewYork 2003 . Will Reese, Michael T. Caley. 2001. “No Batteries Required”. Bare Bones Publ.: Calgary, Canada. Jim Wiese. “Magic Science”. 1998. John Wiley & Son: NY.

Some of the on-line consultations: (Retrieved March 02, 2005); (Retrieved March 02, 2005);

(Retrieved March 02, 2005);