Science Experiment Saturday

Never would I have guessed that our family would be so into science. It wasn't one of my favorite subjects in school ... but I just LOVE doing experiments with the kids (although I wish I could do one to learn why on earth kids whine SO much!) Dennis was in charge of this latest project, which Abby discovered in the science book Kevin and Kym got her for Christmas (great gift by the way ... we highly recommend it), and she badgered us all weekend to try it out! So, with no further ado ... here is how you make Soap-Powered Fish: Cut a fish out of cardboard, and decorate it all "fishy-like!" This was actually the final version of Tyler's fish. At first, he wouldn't let us help cut his out, so his was a rectangle. But, when he learned a more streamlined shape might help with the experiment, he gave in. Prepare a baking dish of water, then apply a bit of dishwashing liquid to the inner "v" of the fish's tail.

Place the fish in the water at one end of the dish ... and watch the fish "swim." Very cool! This works because (and I'm taking this directly from the book), "the skin on the surface of the water is held together by a force called surface tension." When the soap on the fish's tail touches the water, it forms a soapy film behind the fish that pushes the skin on the water away" ... propelling it forward in the water. More experiments to come, I'm SURE! We were informed that even kindergartners are encouraged to participate in the Roberts Elementary Science Fair (coming up this spring). So, we might need to do a lot of experimenting to find the perfect project. You blog readers can be our guinea pigs!