HEART ICE NECKLACE
Okay, we've done this activity before, but it's too fun, quick and easy to pass up. Hopefully you have little heart molds somewhere, but if not:
-drop a little raisin into each block of an icecube tray and fill with water to freeze. Call them little love bugs in the ice
-color your icecubes red or pink
-if you are using the long cubes, call them cupid's arrows
Place a few icecubes in a bowl of water. Give your child a piece of yarn (at least a foot long) and have them lay the yarn on top of the ice and count to 20. Then have them lift the yarn to see what happens (nothing will happen...just wet yarn). Have your child lay the string across the icecubes and sprinkle salt on top of the yarn that is lying on the ice. Count to 20 and lift up the yarn. The ice sticks to the yarn like a necklace!
Salt melts the ice around the yarn and the cold water helps the ice refreeze a bit around the yarn so the ice cubes freeze right onto the yarn. It's a fun activity...like magic every time!
CUPIDS ARROW
Okay, this physics activity is going to be super fun and expect to find Q tips all over your house. You need Q tips and a straw that doesn't have a bendy part... or just snip off the short part of the straw to remove the bendy accordian part.
Load a Qtip into the straw so the Q tip is completely in the straw and just the end is at the edge of the straw. Make sure it is at the far, opposite side of where you put the straw up to your mouth. Blow into the straw and launch that puppy across the room!
Now, load a Q tip into the straw and place your lips on the straw so the end of the Q tip is sitting next to your lips this time. Blow! Watch it sail!
Which way sent the Q tip flying farther? Why do you think it mattered what end the Q tip was on?
(more force propelling the Q tip when it is closer to your lips because the Q tip is pushed on by your breath longer.)
By the way, I am using this fun idea for my daughter's upcoming Valentines Party at school. We are going to attempt aiming and shooting Cupid's arrows into decorated Heart bowls for a relay game.
GROWING GUMMY HEART
Goodness! This is fun stuff! Look through your child's Valentine Candy they bring home and see if any of the candy has gelatin in their ingredients. If it's gummy, goomy candy, then it probably has gelatin in it. You can try different candies to determine if gelatin is present with this activity too.
Two candies of the same kind is best so you can compare sizes afterwards. Place one candy into a bowl of water and after some time... you will observe that the candy has GROWN. Have your child pull out the candy from the water and compare the size of the waterlogged candy to the normal size candy.
If you'd like more Smmart Ideas by Lisa Bergantz, please visit her website:
http://www.smmartideas.blogspot.com.
