Look I’m A Scientist

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  • DK

Table of contents :
3 Contents......Page 5
4 Little minds have big ideas......Page 6
5 Your science senses......Page 7
6 Ooey gooey slime......Page 8
10 Iceberg animal rescue......Page 12
16 Blowing in the wind......Page 18
18 Brilliant balloons......Page 20
20 Tiny bubbles......Page 22
22 Big bubbles......Page 24
24 Hear that sound?......Page 26
26 Let’s make a potion......Page 28
30 The Milky Way......Page 32
32 Homemade playdough......Page 34
36 Let it snow!......Page 38
40 Be a tabletop scientist......Page 42
42 When tiny things get big......Page 44
44 Play with clouds......Page 46
46 Look, you’re a scientist!......Page 48
48 Index......Page 50

Citation preview

L

I’m a

K Scient ist

For the grown-ups This book is full of hands-on activities that will tap straight into your child’s natural scientific curiosity. Each activity is designed to let your child play and learn with all their senses. Together, you can grow their love of science and their understanding of the world. Here are a few tips to help you along the way: Your child should be supervised at all times when conducting these experiments, but try to give them time and space to lead the direction of play. The questions in this book are suggestions. Let your child ask, and answer, their own questions. • Involve your child in the preparation of each activity. Let them measure, mix, and follow the instructions. The measurements in this book are often proportional, so you can use the same cup or mug to measure equal quantities of ingredients. • Adult Alert stars show where your child will need extra grown-up help. • Protect the area where your child will be playing and encourage them to wear old clothes. Be especially careful when using food colouring, which can mark fabrics and temporarily stain skin. Being prepared lets your child enjoy themselves to their fullest. Making a mess is part of fun and learning!

Editor Hélène Hilton Design and Illustration Rachael Parfitt Hunt Additional Design and Illustration Charlotte Milner Educational Consultant Penny Coltman Photographer Dave King Additional Photography Lol Johnson Jacket Designer Charlotte Milner Jacket Co-ordinator Francesca Young Editorial Assistance James Mitchem, Marta Rybarczyk Design Assistance Eleanor Bates, Rachael Hare, Pauline Korp Pre-production Dragana Puvacic Production Amy Knight Managing Editor Penny Smith Managing Art Editors Mabel Chan, Gemma Glover Publisher Mary Ling Creative Director Jane Bull First published in Great Britain in 2017 by Dorling Kindersley Limited 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL

2

Copyright © 2017 Dorling Kindersley Limited A Penguin Random House Company 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 001–285439–June/2017

Ad u l t E RT ! AL

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN: 978-0-2412-3107-4 Printed in China The publisher would like to thank the following for their kind permission to reproduce their photographs: (Key: a-above; b-below/bottom; c-centre; f-far; l-left; r-right; t-top) 43 Dorling Kindersley: Natural History Museum, London (br). 44-45 Getty Images: Navaswan (t). 45 Getty Images: Darren Pearson (dariustwin) (cr). All other images © Dorling Kindersley For further information see: www.dkimages.com And a big thank you to all the little scientists who acted as models – Abigail Blake, Hannah Blake, Ella Chen, Harleen De Vera, Betty Johnson, Ella Johnson, Lola Johnson, Elijah Knight, Eli May Piene-Halpin, Lucas Robson, Sofia Schwarts, and Elliot Tannazi.

A WORLD OF IDEAS: SEE ALL THERE IS TO KNOW www.dk.com

Contents 4 5 6 10 16 18 20 22 24 26 30 32 36 40 42 44 46 48

Little minds have big ideas Your science senses Ooey gooey slime Iceberg animal rescue Blowing in the wind Brilliant balloons Tiny bubbles Big bubbles Hear that sound? Let’s make a potion The Milky Way Homemade playdough Let it snow! Be a tabletop scientist When tiny things get big Play with clouds Look, you’re a scientist! Index

L i tt le m i n ds h av e big ideas!

You don’t need a white coat, safety goggles, and a fancy lab to be a scientist. You already have everything you need to be the best scientist ever: your brain and your amazing senses!

Curious questions Science is about asking questions, as much as answering them. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you play.

• What will happen if I do this? • What can I hear, smell, see, taste, and feel? • Why did that happen? • Does the same thing always happen? • How can I find out more?

Your s cience

senses Hearing

There are so many noises to listen to! What can you hear?

Smell

Use your nose to find smelly clues!

Let’s see what we can do!

Brain

Your brain is not one of your senses, but it gathers information from them all and tries to understand it.

Sight

Super scientists use their eyes for looking really, really carefully.

Taste

Your tongue is great at tasting different flavours.

Touch

Your skin tells you how things feel. Be careful with objects that might be hot, cold, sharp, or that might hurt.

y e o o g Ooey slime Mix up your own easy-peasy slime. Then see how it acts as both a liquid and a solid.

You will need:

2 cups cornflour

1 to 2 cups washing-up liquid

food colouring

1 6

1 to 2 cups warm water

Scientists say that slime is “viscous”. That means it’s thick and sticky.

In a b o the c wl, mix wash or nflour, ing and a -up liquid of foo few drop , s d col ourin g.

2

Add a little the w ater t of o yo slime and m ur ix until s mooth .

pour mi x

3

h

smoot

slim

Ewwww! o get all slimy! Time t

g water in d d a Keep until and mix y e is runn your slim . but thick

Experiment to see how much water, washing-up liquid, and cornflour makes the perfect slime.

y

7

yo

turn w o N

li m ur s

ei nto

! s n e i al

Let it f low

Hold the slime in your han ds to wa tch it flow th rough yo ur fingers lik e a liquid .

sq u as

h

Roll it

If you roll u the tiny b p the slime, its of cor nflour inside sq uash tog ether and the slime bec omes hard like a solid.

8

queeze s d an

How far can your slime stretch?

SE N SE -i ble

science

Can you feel the slime change as you play?

What planet are you from?

How does the slime smell? Do you like it? Is the slime squelching in the bowl?

gly eyes to o o g g lien a face. n a i r dd you e

Try gi a v

Do you think your slime is a liquid or a solid?

Liquids

Solids

Liquids flow and can change the shape that they take.

Solids are stiff and hold their shape.

Can you think of other liquids and solids?

9 water

juice

spoon

brick

g r e animal b Ice rescue Water is a liquid, but what happens when it gets very cold? It freezes into ice - a solid! Make an iceberg then melt the ice to rescue the animals. You will need:

plastic tub

plastic toy animals

blue food colouring water

10

Water flows. It feels wet and you can splash in it! Where can you see water around you?

1

Icebergs are huge blocks of ice that float in the sea.

d ter an d a w r u Po oo ps of f o r d w a fe ing in colour e tub. zabl a free animals. our Add y

I use my flippers to swim. Yay! It’s my turn next!

y o u n a C

s h a ? l sp 11

We’re having a pool party!

It’s getting a bit crowded!

2

ub Put the t y r to and you he in t animals . ver night o r e z e e r f

3

n? erg froze b e ic e h e Is t ub upsid t e h t n r Tu til your down un s out. pop iceberg

Adul t A L E RT !

Check your freezer to see what is happening to the water. When it gets to 0°C, the water will start to freeze.

! r r Br

e h t n i It ’s cold

12

r. e z f r ee

To the

rescue!

Your rescue tool kit:

water

sponge

salt

spoon and fork

Warm water heats up the ice and melts it.

Use a sponge to soak up the water.

Salt turns solid ice back into liquid water.

Carefully use a spoon or fork to break the ice.

Squeeze

water Pour warm or on the ice on squeeze it nge. with a spo

I’m free!

13

ice e h t g n i t l Me salt on

ome Scatter s g to see er the iceb es pens! Do p a h t a wh e ice ? it melt th

In real life, penguins and polar bears never meet. They live on opposite sides of the world.

Thanks for rescuing us!

e

u c s e r oon

Sp

14

e lly us rk u f e r fo Ca n or e o o p h as gle t . g i w to free s l a anim

g n i t l e m

From ice to water If water gets cold enough, the molecules (the tiny water bits) hook on to each other and stop moving. The water goes stiff and turns to ice (it freezes from a liquid to a solid). Melting is the opposite of freezing.

solid ice

SE N SE -ible

scienc

e What is the best way to melt the ice ? Does the ic e make a cracking so und? Can you se e th back to liqu e ice melting id water? Can you fee l the differe nc between th e ice and w e ater?

liquid water

Float your iceberg in warm water to watch it melt super fast.

The warmth from your hands makes the ice melt. The ice makes your hands cold too.

does w Ho r iceberg u

yo

feel?

Brrr!

15

w i o n e l h g t n i B

d n i w

Air is all around you. When air moves from one place to another, we call it wind. You can't see air, but it's strong enough to blow your hat off! Attaching the screw eyes can be tricky. Ask an adult for help.

string Ad u l t A L E RT !

stick

screw eye

Hear t he

You breathe in and breathe out air with your lungs. You can use this air to blow on a paper windmill and make it spin.

paint to decorate 16

wind

You c wind an make s c Hang himes wi imple th th listen em outsi sticks. de th to en the s the wind bang ticks toge ther.

SE

le b i E NS nce

ribbons

scie

nd s the wi e o d w o H ? our hair feel in y ell wind sm e h t s e o D y? ing? Wh of anyth ways think of u o y n a C ul? d is usef that win

embroidery hoop or coat hanger

ind w e h t e e S w wind

is rainbo Make th en watch the th catcher ribbons. e h t e v wind mo ns onto a hoop ribbo The Thread outside. p u it e and hold t the ribbons lik f li l h wind wil n you see whic a a kite. C ind is blowing? w way the

17

t n a i l B r il

balloons

Balloons are great to play and experiment with. Take a big breath in and blow into your balloon to fill it with air. Then try these tricks.

ty

ici r t c e l e sing i a r r i a your H on on e ballo e balloon Rub th h en lift t d. What h T . ir a h ea your h ur hair ? e v o b a o ns to y happe

Ite’s lec

tric

!

Rubbing the balloon on your hair makes a special kind of electricity called static electricity. This makes your hair stick to the balloon.

I’m powered by electricity.

18

Balloon

rocket

Thread the string through a drinking straw.

tape h g throug in r t s d a Thre nd tie it a w a r t s a Blow up . ly t h ig t up ing n, pinch o o ll a b r e you sed. Tap lo c d n e the straw. it to the Let go! . . . y d a e t Ready, s

Tie up the string tightly.

balloon When you let go, air rushes out of the balloon and pushes the balloon forward. How fast will it go?

ea k a M

o h

c r e v raft

Stick a pop-u bottle cap on p to old CD or DVD an a blow . n-up b Pull all on top . Then oon op the ca p. Push en h o v e rc your raft to wa glide a long th tch it e table !

Air flows out of the balloon and through the cap. This makes an air cushion under the disc and lifts the hovercraft a tiny bit off the table.

19

Tiny

s e l b bub

You can make great bubbles by trapping air inside soapy water. These bubbles are small and super soft. These bubbles are so tiny that you have to look closely to see them. Together they make a thick foam.

You will need:

ur

po

warm water

1

ly, reful p a c Very the soa grate ittle bits. l into reful of a Be c ingers! f your

ul t Ad E RT ! AL

he ese grater

c

20

soap

food colouring

2 Add the g rated soap to wa rm water and mix it around until it diss olves.

3

soft and squishy

ur in yo r s e l bubb nd mixe p u a z z Whi h a h a thick t i w re e mixtu they mak ts shape. until at holds i th foam

d han

Ad u l t A L E RT !

mi xe r

4

Add fo o to mak d colouring e your bubb m o re c olour fu les l.

plastic tub

What

shape s ca

m a k e?

? le

Wh a

ou ny

is ape a bub h b ts

Play with your bubbles, but DON’T E AT THEM !

21

B I G bubbles

Use a hula hoop to make these HUGE bubbles! How tall can you make them?

Glycerine only works if you make your bubble mix a few days ahead.

You will need:

paddling pool half-full of water

How

1 bottle of washing-up liquid

big

Glycerine makes bubbles stronger.

22

1 bottle of glycerine (optional)

b l e b ? u b r ou

is y

This ! w Wo

bubble is tal ler

t ha

m e!

edients r g in r u o Mix all y ng pool. Dip dli in a pad op into the o a hula h wly lift it out slo mix and long bubble. a to make

n

hula hoop

SE N SE

-i ble

sc

ience What bubble shapes you m ake? can Can yo u your b see colours ig bub in bles? Do the b same a ig bubbles f e s the t iny bu el the bbles? What ot you us her objects c e as a bubble ould wand? 23

t a h t r Hea

sound?

ble i E S N SE nce scie

Do all noises sound the same? er Can you see the wat p rippling when you ta the bottles?

When objects touch each other, they vibrate (move backwards and forwards). This makes the air vibrate too. Your ears pick up the vibrations and your brain turns them into sounds.

ds What different soun can you make?

Musical bo tt

les

Fill glass bo When yo ttles with water. u the wate tap the bottles, r them vib and the air insid e rate. De pending how mu on ch they con water and air tain, the bo make dif ferent so ttles unds.

24

wooden spoon

tap

ta p

Spin the drum so that the beads hit the paper plates and make a banging sound.

beads

paper plate Spinning drum

To make a dru m, tape a wooden spoon between 2 paper plates. Stick the plates togethe r. Then attach 2 beads to the sides of the plates with stri ng.

stri ng

wooden spoon

glass bottles

Fill your bottles with different amounts of water. You can add food colouring to make them look pretty.

Can you make a tune ? Try tapping different parts of the bottles to see if it sounds the same.

25

a e k a Let ’s m po

tion

Be a science wizard with this awesome potion experiment. This is a real chemical reaction you can do at home. It’s messy, so be prepared! You will need:

vinegar

washing-up liquid Trial and error is a big part of being a scientist. Try this experiment with different amounts of the ingredients to see if anything changes.

26

M ak e your potion magical!

food colouring

glitter and glitter stars

baking soda

Th

w

shing-up

liqu id

2 Wow ! Pretty glitter s tars !

wa

t ... ei ak

ar glass j a l l i f d Half gar an e n i v tle with in a lit . e z e e id squ up liqu g n i h was

e

m

1

p liquid will u he ing lp h as

. .. r y! l b ea ll y, really bub Add a fe of food w drops co and som louring e glitte r. Give th e mixtu r e a good stir.

27

3 h c t a W

y

l spoonfu ig b a Add da and o s g in k e of ba ickly tak u Q . in stir it on and o p s e h s. out t happen t a h w watch

n ... o i t o p our

Fizzy chemistry

28

When vinegar and bakin g soda meet, they react with ea ch other. Together, they m ake a gas called carbon di oxide. This gas floats away so it makes lots of bubbles as it esca pes.

SENSE-ible

science

...

! z if z

Does your p otion make a noise?

Can you de scri potion smell be how your s? What do th e bubbles feel like?

29

k l y i W M a e h y T Make these awesome milky planets and watch the colours swirl round and round as the milk tries to escape from the washing-up liquid. You will need:

full-fat milk

1

washing-up liquid

cotton buds

into a Pour milk r lid and ja r o h is d w drops add a fe uring. olo of food c

2 30

food colouring

n Dip a cotto hing-up bud in was l the liquid. Swir around cotton bud and watch in the milk ens. what happ

Our galaxy

le b i E S SEN science

the s when n e p p a What h ix? m colours of names e h t w kno Do you ts? ne k any pla nets loo a l p y k l r mi Do you lanets? lp like rea

our At night, oks like galaxy lo arry a white st e call it path, so w ay. W the Milky

Real planets have sw irls too. These are usua lly huge storm clouds.

ilk m g n i l Swir liquid

ng-up side i h s a The w the fat in d in s make ove aroun ng ddi ilk m the m tions. By a the e ec all dir you can se rl. i r, colou swirl and tw milk

31

Homempade

laydough

Playdough is even better when you make it yourself! Mix your ingredients together to make a really squishable dough. You will need: food colouring (optional)

2 cups plain flour

water

1 cup salt

2 tablespoons of oil

2 teaspoons of cream of tartar

cream of tartar

Po i n g re u r a l l t h e di the fo ents (exce od pt into a colouring ) sauce pan.

salt

o il 32

1

2 cups water

four

mixmix mix

2

Place the pan on a medium heat. Mix everything together until the ingredients form a dough.

dough co l ou

l.

Ma

ur o y

rfu

ke

ul t Ad T ! ER AL

qu

ee

ze

3 s

careful, Be it ’s hot!

Let y o coo ur dou l, the g food n ad h Now colour d ing sq dou ueeze . smo gh until the oth and it’s soft.

33

w ith your y a l P

playdough

Your printing tool kit:

leaves, pine cones, and flowers

M a

rolling pin

ke

gh any co dou l ou r u r. o y

ROAR!

34

cutters

Look at all the colours!

Pr

ble ience i E S sc SEN u

s

hape s d n a ints

h ydoug . a l p r u n Roll yo a rolling pi ke a ith flat w bjects to m r o se nts o Then u bumpy pri s. really shape n u f t cut ou

an yo bjects c ydough? o t a h W a your pl print in gh playdou r u o y g? Does anythin f o l l e sm ou ts can y n i r p t a Wh ly? st clear see mo ow cribe h s e d u o Can y dough feels? ay your pl

It’s like a rainbow!

35

L et i t

snow!

Snow is made when tiny ice crystals inside clouds stick together and become a snowflake. You can make pretend snow, then build your very own snowpeople!

You will need:

2 cup

s baking soda

Most rain starts off as snow. But it melts before it gets to the ground and turns into raindrops.

ups 2 c ng foam vi sha 36

We used to be snowflakes!

1

Ca n

h nts wit e i d e r ow e ing Mix th nds. Your sn t u a your h e crumbly b b u should gether if yo stick to together pat it owball. sn into a

yo

a um

ke a snowball

?

M i x it!

2 Now you ca make me an n d friends to c some hill with!

If the mix ture is too crum bly, add more sha foam. If it ving ’s too wet, add more baking so da.

37

le ir nk Sp

your soft sno w.

It ’s owing!

.

No

e a snowy ak pe m r

n so

w

sn

3

Roll 2 sno wba to make y lls our snowpers on’s body and head . Try adding g oogly eye s to decora te.

Hi! Nice to meet you.

38

SENSE-ible

How does sno w your

science

? l e fe

Does your snow feel like real snow? Can you hear your snow squelching? Have you ever seen real snow?

This hat and scarf will keep me warm and cosy. Thanks!

39

p o t e l b a Be a t

scientist

There’s lots of easy-peasy science you can do while you’re waiting for your dinner. These 3 tabletop experiments play with light to trick your eyes. Which way

ladybird

is the faci

ng?

ck i r t d r i b y The lad on a piece

d picture it behin Draw a ld o h d ove r an lowly m of pape S . r e t a ok of w you. Lo s a glass d r a w e ss to ss to se the gla la g e h t . t h r o u g h d t u r n a ro u n d ir yb the lad

40

For this trick to work, your drawing has to be facing either left or right, but not straight on.

Wh at c an ins i de t

ee s ? u yo spoon he

Choose your shiniest spoon for this experiment.

Does the w ater real ly break th e st ra w ? Take it out of th e water to f i nd ou t.

Mirror spoon

Look at your refle ction in a shiny spoon. Th en turn the spoon over. The curve of the spoon ch anges your reflection! W hich side makes your face turn upside-dow n?

Silly straw

to a glass in w a tr s a Put look at it d n a r e t a of w s side. Doe e th h g u thro ? ok broken lo w ra t s the

41

W hen tiny t e g i ngs

h t

g i b

?

How does it work

loser to When you get c see them things, you can ut if you in more detail. B g too look at somethin k blurry. closely, it will loo es have a Magnifying glass makes curved lens that r, without things look close rry. making them blu

42

Magnifying glasse s help scientists look at things very, very closely . Try it! You might see thin gs you’d never noticed be fore.

Try it you r magnifyin self ! Grab a g glass an d look at things around yo on this page and u. It ’s yo a scientific ur turn to be observer.

43

with clouds y Pla

Clouds can be fluffy, puffy, or wispy, but they all have one thing in common. They are made of water.

ing t n i a p d Clou he

nt mirror o an a e c .C Pla outside s in d n u o gr ud the clo a e e s u yo ror ? Use the mir nd shaving rush a em in. h t paintb r u lo o co foam t

r o r r i m 44

Are you painting me?

us h r b t n pa i

ng shavi foam

Clouds are made up of tiny droplets of water. When the droplets fall, they become rain. What do you think clouds would feel like to touch?

What ar rainbow e s? Wh

en su throug nlight shines h raindro raindrops, th e p into lot s split the lig ht s of makes colours. This a rainb ow.

Cloud

That cloud looks like a rabbit!

spottin

When and a you’re ou t bo at the ut, look up sky. shape s can What amon y gst th ou spot e clo uds?

g

45

y o u ’r e a s c , ie n ti s t! k o o L Lots of scientists follow the same rules when they discover something new. You can follow them too. Think about the experiments you have done. Can you follow the scientific method?

1. W hat

is this?

2. W ha

When scientis ts obse somet rve hing in terestin come g , they up wit h a qu about estion it, to fin d out m Scient ore. ists ca ll this q u e stion a “hyp othesis ”.

t will ha

ppen?

Before trying out th hypot eir hesis, scient guess ists try what t to he an Scient swer w ists ca il l be. ll this a “predic tion”.

ay

o pl 3. Time t

ry lay to t ve to p lo s t is v t ha e Scien s. They a e id ir it goes out the etimes m o S . o fix it. a go ey try t h t d n a this wrong sts call Scienti nt”. perime an “ex

A scientist’s work is never done. There’s always more to ask, more to discover, and more fun to be had!

46

4. What do

es it all me an?

Scientists think abo ut what happene d in their e x periment and wha t they ca n le a rn from it Did you p . redict wh a t would happen? Was it a s urprise?

Well done! .................................................... (Write your name here.)

is a scientist!

Index A, B, C, D

I, J, K, L

Air 16, 18-19, 20, 24 Alien 8-9 Baking soda 26, 28, 36-37 Balloon 18-19 Bottles 24-25 Bubble 20-21, 22-23, 27, 28-29 Carbon dioxide 28 Chemical reaction 26 Cloud 31, 36, 44-45 Cornflour 6-7, 8 Drum 25

Ice 10-11, 13, 14-15, 36 Iceberg 10-11,12, 14-15 Ladybird trick 40 Light 40, 45 Liquid 6, 8-9, 10, 15

E, F, G, H Electricity 18 Freezing 10, 12, 15 Galaxy 31 Gas 28 Hovercraft 19

M, N, O, P Magnifying glass 42-43 Melting 10, 14-15, 36 Milk 30-31 Milky Way 30-31 Mirror 41, 44 Planet 9, 30-31 Playdough 32-33, 34-35 Potion 26-27, 28-29 Prints 34-35

Q, R, S, T Rain 36, 45 Rainbow 35, 45 Reflection 41

Ribbons 17 Rocket 19 Salt 13, 14, 32 Scientific method 46 Senses 4-5, 9, 15, 17, 23, 24, 29, 31, 35, 39 Shaving foam 36-37, 44 Slime 6-7, 8-9 Snow 36-37, 38-39 Solid 6, 8-9, 10, 15 Sound 15, 24-25 Static electricity 18 Straw 41 Sunlight 45

U, V, W, X, Y, Z Vinegar 26-27, 28 Washing-up liquid 6-7, 22, 26-27, 30-31 Water 9, 10-11, 13, 15, 20, 22, 24, 40-41, 44-45 Wind 16-17 Wind catcher 17 Wind chimes 16