BIG Little Science Centre
Hands-on Labs
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Special Places |
Our Science Teaching Laboratory for Students Our fourth room can be used as a teaching laboratory. Teachers may book this room for an hour, for a morning or an afternoon and bring their classes for a hands-on mini-unit in a special topic such as electric circuits, magnetism, static electricity, chemistry, simple machines or aquatic insects. The room has fifteen 2' x 4' flat tables and 30 chairs, and provide lots of room for visitors to do simple experiments. One of our adult expert volunteers will be on hand to direct students through the experiments. Hands-on Experiments for Visitors
How It All Works Lab detail links: Simple machines, Chemistry, Electricity, Biology, Matter, Light (Shadows and Images), Science of Colour, Dino Detectives, Kitchen Chemistry
Topic 1 Simple Machines (Grades 5 to Adult)
Module A Balancing a Lever Students work with a simple lever and a set of equal weights. They experiment to see what the conditions are for the lever to be balanced. Vocabulary: fulcrum, lever arm, load, torque. Time required: 20 to 30 minutes. Module B Three Kinds of Lever Students work with a metre stick, a weight and a fulcrum (pivot) and experiment to see the differences between first class, second class and third class levers. Vocabulary: fulcrum, first-class lever, second-class lever, third-class lever, load, effort force. Time Required: 15 to 20 minutes. Module C Experimenting with Pulleys In groups of four, students work with four different pulley arrangements to see how pulleys allow us to lift heavy loads with small effort forces. Vocabulary: load, effort, mechanical advantage. Optional: Using a System of Simple Machines. Students combine a pulley with an inclined plane to see the advantage of using a combination of simple machines to move a heavy load up a ramp. Time Required: 15 to 20 minutes Note: When Topic 1 is set up in the teaching room, we always put out an assortment of household items that are simple machines or combinations of simple machines. Examples are available of wedges, wheels-and-axles, pulleys, levers, gears, an hydraulic lift, screws and inclined planes. Topic 2 Chemistry Please note that the BIG Little Science Centre may not be able to provide all combinations of modules, due to complications involved in setting up the experiments in the time frame available to us. Please discuss your preferences with Gord Stewart beforehand. Module A Solids (Crystals under a Microscope) (Grade 4 to Adult) Each individual student is able to work with a microscope, and observe a variety of interesting crystals. We ask students to sketch an example of a well-formed crystal of each of six samples. Using polarizing filters, they observe spectacular colour effects with some of the crystals. They observe iodine crystals forming from a solution of iodine in alcohol. They also watch pure silver crystals forming around a copper wire dipped into a drop of silver nitrate solution. Time Required: 30 minutes Module B Properties of Gases (Grade 5 to Adult) Students observe how air can be shown to have mass (inertia) using a large garbage bag full of trapped air. They experiment with pressure exerted on air enclosed in a pair of joined syringes, and with a ‘test tube submarine’ (Cartesian Diver). They also learn how to use a bag of air to lift a heavy load. Time Required: 15 minutes Module C Properties of a Special Liquid (Water) (Grade K to Adult) Students experiment with water to observe cohesion of water molecules. They add soap to water drops to see how soap reduces the cohesion and makes it possible to have large sheets of water (as in a soap film or soap bubble). They go outside and make very large soap bubbles! Time required: 30 minutes Module D: Chemical Reactions (Grade 6 to Adult) Each pair of students is given a set of chemical solutions in dropper bottles. Each individual student is given a spot plate. The various solutions are reacted with each other in a certain order, and students observe a variety of chemical reactions: colour changes, precipitates, or gas bubbles are evidence that a reaction has occurred. Time Required: 30 minutes Module E: Measuring Mass and Volume (Grade 7 to Adult) Students work in larger groups due to the limited number of balances. Students learn how to use a centigram balance to measure mass. They determine the mass of a variety of small objects (marbles, coins, etc.) They also learn how to measure volumes of solids and liquids. Volumes of liquids are measured directly using a graduated cylinder. Volumes of solids are calculated from their dimensions, or determined by displacement of water in graduated cylinder. Time Required: 60 minutes NEW! Module F: Measuring pH (Grade 7 to Adult) Students experiment with four different acid-base indicators, and measure the pH of approximately 12 samples. The experiment is done using a kit consisting of 2 spot plates and 16 dropper bottles. Time Required: 30-40 Minutes NEW! Module G: Introduction to Electroplating (Grade 7 to Adult) Students electroplate a brass screw using the copper from another brass screw. Time Required: 20-30 Minutes NEW! Module H: Kitchen Chemistry (Grade 1-3)
CHEMISTRY is the way we learn about what chemicals are, how they behave and how they change into different chemicals. OBJECTIVES: “Learn by doing” – in hands-on activities, students will be able to understand what a chemical reaction is, and recognize that a chemical reaction has taken place by using observations
Students role-play to understand the difference between “Mixture” and “Chemical Reaction”. Students discover how we can tell that a chemical reaction is happening by looking for signs - “evidence” - using our senses. Experiments performed by the students include:
a)
Looking for colour changes,
The final activity uses the skills they have learned to solve a ”Chem-Mystery”. Students record their observations on a simple data sheet, an excellent way of assessing what they have learned. This topic fits well with Grade 2 Matter. Time Required: 60-90 Minutes Topic 3 Electricity Module A: Make a Simple Battery (Grade 5 to Adult) Each pair of students is provided with a beaker, some fruit juice, a multimeter, wires and a selection of metal and non-metal ‘electrodes’. Students experiment to see what combination of metals produces a ‘battery’ with the highest voltage. They use their best ‘battery’ to run a wall clock. Time Required: 30 minutes. Module B: Simple Electric Circuits (Grade 4 to Adult) Each pair of students is provided with two 1.5 V cells in battery holders, switches, light bulbs, connecting wires and holders and a small electric motor. We ask them to make one light bulb light at full brightness, then two, and then make the motor work as well using just two cells. Instructions are available, but we find that this activity is very intuitive, and young people ‘catch on’ very quickly. Time Required: 30 minutes. Module C: Experimenting with Permanent Magnets (Enrichment) (Grade 4 to Adult) Students do basic investigations using iron filings, compasses, bar magnets. They can ‘map’ magnetic fields using bar magnets, a sheet of cardboard, and a shaker filled with iron filings. They can test various materials to see which ones are magnetic. Time Required: 60 minutes Module D: Static Electricity (Requires a ‘dry’ day to be effective) (Grade 4 to Adult) Students experiment with a variety of combinations of materials to see which ones produce the most static charge when rubbed together. They experiment with attraction and repulsion of charged objects. They test an unknown object (a balloon) to see whether the charge on it is positive or negative. The hands-on experiment is followed by demonstrations with the Van de Graaff static electricity generator. Time Required: 60 minutes Topic 4 Biology Module A: Stream Bugs (Grade 2 to 4) Each group of 4 students is provided with a basin of stream bugs, some bug collecting tools, a bug sorting basin, a couple of magnifying lenses, a magnifying box and a bug checklist. Students collect bugs from the basin and separate them into groups of similar looking bugs. After the sorting is complete they look at some adaptations of the bugs and use the bug numbers and types to determine if they came from good or bad water. Time Required: 45 minutes. Module B: Stream Invertebrates (Grade 5 to Adult) Each group of 4 students is provided with a basin of stream invertebrates (bugs), some collecting tools, a sorting basin, a couple of magnifying lenses, a magnifying box, an aquatic insect key and a data chart. Students collect invertebrates from the basin and separate them into different taxonomic groups by species. After the sorting is complete they look at some adaptations of the invertebrates and use the taxon numbers and invertebrate species to determine the water quality of the site where the sample was taken from. Time Required: 60 minutes. New! Topic 5 Matter (Grades 2-3) Students learn what ‘matter’ is, and investigate properties of solids, liquids and gases. Some solids will dissolve in water, while others will not. Water exists in all three states and can easily change from one state to another. Different liquids can float on top of each other if they have different densities. A solid, a liquid and a gas can exist together. There are several fun activities for students to do. Time Requires: 75 minutes New! Topic 6 Light [Shadows and Images] (Grade 4) Students will work in groups of two or four. They investigate the consequences of the fact that light travels in straight lines by examining shadows from a small light source, and images formed using a pinhole. They also observe images formed by mirrors and images formed by lenses. Time Required: 90 minutes New! Topic 7 Adventures in the Science of Colour (Grade 4) Students visit a number of stations, where they investigate a wide variety of fascinating colour phenomena. Time Required: 60 minutes New! Topic 8 Dino Detectives (Grade K-3) Students become palaeontologists to investigate the characteristics of
dinosaurs and learn how they might have lived. Time Required: 60 minutes |
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