(
On the second Saturday of the month, The Children's Museum's resident "Saturday Scientist," Becky Wolfe, will be sharing her favorite science experiments live on-air with WTHR. Here are Becky's picks for some "sweet" February science experiments that you can try at home with your little Valentines.
FLOATING HEARTS
Is your heart sinking or floating on Valentine’s Day? Use valentine hearts to test properties of liquids through sinking and floating.
Materials
- Conversation heart candies
- A variety of liquids such as corns syrup, water, vegetable oil
- Small plastic cups
Process
- Pour about 2-3 inches of each liquid into a cup.
- Observe the liquids—Are they thick? Do they run?
- Predict what will happen when you place a conversation heart on top of the liquids.
- Observe the results and talk as a family—why did the hearts sink for float?
Summary
The hearts will sink or float depending on the viscosity (or thickness) of a liquid. Viscosity is how well a liquid resists movement. The more vicious or thick a liquid, the less it will flow. It also resists the weight of the candy.
THE NOSE KNOWS
Our sense of smell is important to our ability to taste food. Discover just how important smell is in a chocolate heart taste test.
Materials
- Chocolate hearts (dark and milk)
- Other candies such as gummies
Process
- Have a family member unwrap a chocolate or randomly choose a flavored candy for you.
- Hold your nose with one hand, and place the candy in your mouth.
- Chew with your nose closed for a few seconds, then unplug your nose.
- Tell your family what you experienced!
Summary
Our taste buds aren’t the only part of our body that helps our brain determine the taste of food. Sensors inside our nose pick up the odor of our food as we chew. Our nose sends signals to our brain, when combined with taste buds, tells our brain what the food tastes like.
