Summer 2016 - Squarespace

Transcript

summer 2016 Girls taste and test homemade experiments! Class Description – Added in response to feedback from the girls, many of whom have asked for a cooking-themed class! This theme focuses on the science behind cooking and baking. Girls mix, measure and experiment to create snacks, sauces and more, using kitchen tools as science tools. They explore hot and cold, liquids and solids and super-saturation. They learn what happens when combining wet and dry ingredients and the chemistry behind heating and chilling. Possible edible projects: a rainbow density column and rock candy crystals. Equal parts physics, recipe experimentation, fun! Goals – Over the course of the week, the girls should learn about different parts of chemistry they might find in the kitchen, including density and emulsion. They should also feel comfortable making basic snacks, and observing scientific reactions. During their free time, they can decorate their food containers and solar oven, or play a quick game of 1-2-3-Look! The main projects the girls should focus on during the week are the following: Watery Reactions (Day 1) Busy, busy, busy! Today the girls are going to get started on their week-long experiments (either rock candy or geodude crystals) and learn about density by creating a density column. If you don’t think you’ll have enough time to decorate the classroom, skip the flower project; if you have extra time, however, it’s an easy project that shouldn’t take long! Touching and Tasting (Day 2) Today should be more laid-back than the day before. The goal of the day is to make different toys and food that you can touch and taste! The recipes you should focus on are granola bars and play dough. If you end up having time to fill, you can also make puppy chow! Always Authentic (Day 3) It’s time to be a hipster! Hone in on your sustainable spirit by making flavored vinegar and teaching girls about the pickling process. If you have time, you can also introduce emulsion by turning your vinegar into vinaigrette. Hot Hot Chocolate! (Day 4) Learn about the power of the sun by building your own solar-powered oven! Take it outside to see how hot the sun gets. Then, use it to make s’mores as a class! Sweet, Sweet Friday (Day 5) Happy Friday! Today’s the day the girls take everything home. Prioritize finishing up any projects you may have left, and removing the rock candy from their containers so the girls can take it home. If you have time, you can spend it experimenting with candy chromatography, or making (and eating) fun snacks with the girls. At the end of the week, the girls can show off their tasty treats, and then take them home to eat with their friends and family! Overview by 5 Day Schedule Day 1 Group building game / Curating Supplies Optional: Decorate the classroom (with the “Colorful Flowers” experiment) Start week-long rock candy experiment Lunch Break Finish prepping rock candy Rock Candy Mini-Lesson Density Activity Drinkable Density Ask parents to start saving bottles with corks for vinegar project Day 2 Work on Class Cheer No Bake Granola Bars Lunch Break DIY Play Dough Optional: Puppy Chow Tell the girls to dress like hipsters tomorrow! Ask girls to bring in bottles with corks tomorrow Day 3 Dressing Like Hipsters Flavored Vinegar and Vinaigrette Lunch Break Make Your Own Pickles Optional: Mini-Lesson Day 4 Solar Powered Smores Lunch Break Stay Outside // Make and eat smores! Game: Meltdown Tag Day 5 Frozen Yogurt Cups Candy Chromatography Lunch Break Pretzel Wands Eat Frozen Yoghurt Cups Remove Rock Candy + Take Home Good-byes Optional / Additional Projects as Needed Tips The schedule above is a list of the days and experiments you could use, but you are also free to make your own! You can fill up free time by letting the girls decorate their food containers and homemade ovens. You can also spend time discussing how rock candy crystals are formed, or ask the girls to come up with their own cooking companies, create logos and brand their cooking creations! Overview by Activity Type Class Projects Week-Long Projects Colorful Flowers Rock Candy Mini-Lesson: The Science Behind Rock Candy Daily Dose of Density Density Activity Drinkable Density Touching and Tasting No Bake Trail Mix Granola Bars DIY Play Dough Puppy Chow Always Authentic Hipster Dress-Up Flavored Vinegar and Vinaigrette Making Pickles Mini-Lesson: What are Pickles? Hot Hot Chocolate Solar Powered Oven and Smores Game: Meltdown Sweet, Sweet Friday Frozen Yogurt Granola Cups Candy Chromatography Pretzel Wands Optional/Additional Projects as Needed Week-Long Projects Eggshell Geodude Crystals Regular Projects Seven Layer Density Egg Tempura Painting Chemical Compound Spice Jars Making Butter Making Mayonnaise Fresh Fruit Skewers DIY Ice Cream Games 1-2-3-Look! B’gawk! (The Chicken Game) Fruit Salad Hot Chocolate River Amazing Shrinking Blanket We are building a community of confident, inquisitive girls who like to make things! Activities Part 1 **please note: always check for allergies! week-long projects Colorful Flowers Transpiration in action! Goal Supply List Make pretty, colorful flowers you can keep around the room! white flowers cups or empty water bottles Time water 20-30 minutes food coloring Project Steps 1. Give each girl a cup of water and a white flower. Have her decide what color she would like her flower to become. 2. Have the girls take turns adding food coloring to their water. The girls should only need a couple of drops of whatever color(s) they choose. 3. Have the girls add their flowers to their cups, and place them around the room. The flowers should change colors over the course of the week! 4. At the end of the week, the girls can take their flowers home. The Science Behind It This is the science of transpiration - the process of the plant drawing water up through its stem. The water is then evaporated from the leaves and flowers through openings know as stomata. As the water evaporates, it creates pressure that brings more water into the plant – similar to drinking from a straw. Some trees can transpire dozens (even hundreds) of gallons of water on a hot day! How fast a plant transpires depends on temperature, humidity, and even wind. Tips - You may want to set up an experiment that tests the transpiration rate of the flowers by placing your plant-coloring set-up in different areas (sunny & dark, windy& still, dry & humid) and see which flower ends up with the most color. More color = more transpiration! - You can make a multicolored flower by splitting the flower’s stem and putting each half in a different color of water! week-long projects Rock Candy A delicious project to make throughout the week! Goal Create rock candy to take home at the end of the week. With a few ingredients, an easy preparation and a little patience, you’ll have your very own rock candy to enjoy! Notes The rock candy crystals take a week to grow, so start this project early. The key steps are making sure the string is coated with starter crystals and making sure the string does not touch the bottom of the jar. Keep in mind that the results may vary just like any other experiment. Your crystals may be smaller or larger, may take longer to form or may not work at all. Supply List 1 cup water 2 to 3 cups white sugar Food coloring Wooden skewer or pencil Heavy string, binder clip Small Mason jars Large pot, hot plate and spoon The girls will learn about saturation and super saturation, precipitation and evaporation. They are making their very own crystals! Time Week-Long Project: 1 hour prep, 4 days to complete! Prep Cut 6 inch long strips of string; enough for each girl to get one. Project Steps 1. Prepare your string + jar: Give each girl one of the 6 inch strips of string you prepared. Have each girl tie one end around a pencil (or wooden skewer), and trim the other end so the string is about one inch shorter than the height of the jar. Add weight to the free end with a binder clip, and lay the pencil across the mouth of the jar. The string should hang down but not touch the bottom. Now remove the string for your jar and keep it to the side. You will add it back after you prepare your solution! 2. Make your solution: Bring water to boil and start adding sugar, one-quarter cup at a time, until it no longer dis- solves. The more you add, the longer it will take to dissolve. Be patient and try to get as much to dissolve as possible. 3. Coat the string with sugar solution to allow seed crystals to form: Holding the pencil with the string attached, dip the string in the saturated solution and then dip it in plain sugar. Place the stick across the top of the jar and allow the string to dry completely. Remove the liquid from heat and let cool completely. If you want, you can complete another short activity - such as Candy Chromatography - while you wait for the string to dry. 4. Fill the jars with liquid Now that the string is sugar-coated, dried, and hanging down into the empty jars, carefully fill the glasses with liquid. Using the recipe above, you’ll be able to fill two two small jars. Add a few drops of food coloring to each glass. Note: The more color you add, the more saturated the colors will be, and you’ll likely need more than you think! 5. Wait patiently. It will take about three days for crystals to form and about seven days to be large enough to enjoy. You’ll notice the sugar will start crystallizing on the top and bottom of the glass as well. You’ll be able to watch the progess as the crystals grow. If needed, carefully break up the sugar crystals that form across the top of the liquid. 6. When you are ready to remove the crystals, gently break the top with a butter knife or other sharp object. Gently remove the string and let the excess liquid drip off. You can pour out the liquid from the glass and use the glass to hang the skewer and catch the excess liquid. 7. Once it is dry, it’s ready to eat! Wrap the crystals up in cellophane bags to serve at parties, use them as drink stirrers, or just eat them up! You can also add sprinkles while the candy is still wet. The Science Behind Rock Candy Why does the string need to be soaked in sugar and then dried? The string is the surface on which the crystals grow. As water evaporates from the string, small crystals of sugar encrust the string. These tiny seed crystals provide starting points for larger crystals. Future growth is concentrated on these points. What makes the crystals grow? Two different methods cause the crystals to grow. The first is called precipitation. You can dis- solve more sugar in hot water than in cold water. When you heat your water, stir the sugar into it, and then cool it back down, you have created a supersaturated solution. Now there is *more* sugar dissolved in the cooled water than would have been possible if you stirred sugar into plain old cold water. A supersaturated solution like this is unstable. Over time (a week for your rock candy!), the sugar will come out of solution, forming what’s called a precipitate. The other method is evaporation. As time passes, the water will evaporate, and the solution will become even more saturated and unstable. The sugar molecules will continue to come out of the solution and collect on the string. The rock candy crystals are growing molecule by molecule, and your finished candy will be made up of about a quadrillion (1,000,000,000,000,000) molecules! class projects daily dose of density Density Activity Teach the girls about density using this fun activity! Steps 1. Tell the girls they are all atoms. 2. Have the girls spread out around the room and stay still. 3. One girl should try to get from one end of the room to the other. 4. Watch as the girl moves from one end to the other. Then explain that it is easy, because they are not dense at all! 5. Have the girls stand very close together. Now they are dense! Have the girl try to walk through the pack. It is hard! The Science Behind It Density is basically how much “stuff” is smashed into a particular area... or a comparison between an object’s mass and volume. Remember the equation: Density = Mass divided by Volume. Based on this equation, if the mass (or weight) of something increases but the volume (or amount of stuff) stays the same, the density has to go up. Likewise, if the mass decreases but the volume stays the same, the density has to go down! class projects daily dose of density Drinkable Density Create a multi-colored Drink of Density! Goals Learn about density by making a multi-layered drinkable density column! Time 1 hour Project Steps 1. Before you begin, you can guess which juices you think will be more dense and form a hypothesis of how the levels of your Drink of Density will turn out. Check the number of ingredients, the sugar content, and the water content to help you out. Supply List tall, clear plastic cups or glasses an eye dropped or turkey type baster a variety of juices of different colors (orange, pomegranent, and white grape juice should work well) honey 2. In order to display your density levels, you will need to find out which of your juices are the most and least dense. Pour one of your juices into the narrow glass to fill it about 1 inch (2.5 cm) high. Fill a dropper with another juice and slowly drop it onto the inside of the glass so that it runs down the side of the glass. Watch the juice to see if it goes below or above the juice in there. (if it simply mixes with the juice and does not go above or below, it has the same density as the juice and you will need to move on to your next juice. 3. Continue experimenting with other juices to determine which juices go to the bottom (more dense) and which ones go to the top (least dense.) 4. Once you have the densities determined, start over with a clean cup and use the dropper for each level to create your final Drink of Density! The Science Behind It The same amount of two different liquids will have different weights because they have different masses! The liquids that weigh more (have a higher density) will sink below the liquids that weigh less (have a lower density). In this project, if you have cup with 200ml of plain water, and a cup with 200 ml of water that has lots of sugar dissolved in it, the cup of sugar water will be heavier even though they are the same volume of liquid – the invisible sugar molecules are dispersed in the water, making it heavier (more dense.) There can be other substances that influence the liquid’s density, as well, but in this experiment, the juice with the most sugar will likely float to the bottom. Tips Different juices will have different densities! If you want to start the project knowing which juice will do what, you are free to use one of these default Drink of Density columns: Top to bottom: - One drink with zero grams of sugar or sugar free (Sugar Free Blue Raspberry Hawaiian Punch) - One drink with 5-15 grams of sugar (Fruit Punch G2 Gatorade) - One drink with 20+ grams of sugar (Lemon Lime Gatorade) class projects touching and tasting No Bake Trail Mix Granola Bars Healthy, chewy, AND delicious? Granol-YEAH! Goals Supply List Make some healthy, no-bake granola bars! 2 cups dried fruits Time 45 minutes 1 cup rolled oats (gluten free if appropriate) Prep 1⁄4 cup honey (or agave) Measure out the proper amount of dried fruits, rolled oats, and coconut oil. Separate the ingredients into labelled bowls, to make it easier for the girls to add them later. 1⁄4 cup coconut oil Baking pan NOTE: The measurements included in the supply list makes enough for 10 granola bars. Feel free to adjust accordingly for your class! knife Project Steps 8x8” baking pan 1. Line the baking pan with parchment paper (or Saran wrap) allowing and extra 4 inches of paper to hang over the 2 ends (lengthwise). refridgerator parchment paper or Saran wrap 2. In a medium bowl, combine trail mix and oats. 3. In a small saucepan, over medium heat, combine honey (or agave) and coconut oil. 4. Stir until mixture melts and begins to foam. Continue to cook for an additional 10-15 seconds after mixture foams. 5. Pour over trail mix/oat mixture and thoroughly combine. 6. Transfer to the prepared baking pan and firmly press mixture into uniform thickness. Flip the remaining ends of parchment paper back over the mixture to cover and continue to firmly press. 7. Allow mixture to cool in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours . Once cooled remove from the pan and slice with a sharp knife into desired size bars. class projects touching and tasting DIY Play Dough A squishy, moldable toy! Goal Did you ever make play dough as a kid? Now you can make this childhood staple at home! Supply List salt Time water 30 minutes flour Project Steps natural dye 1. Place 1⁄2 cup salt, 1⁄2 cup water, and 1 cup flour in a large bowl. 2. Mix to combine and then add a tablespoon or so of beet juice or another natural dye. You can also add a few drops of essential oil, like lavender or mint. 3. Knead until smooth. pretty containers class projects touching and tasting Puppy Chow A classic treat! Intro Puppy Chow (AKA Muddy Buddies) is a classic treat that is very similar to trail mix, but without the nuts. Puppy Chow comes in many flavors and forms. Consult your class’ allergy guide when deciding which flavor to make! We remove peanut butter from all our recipes for allergy reasons. All recipes can be made gluten-free simply by replacing the Chex cereal with gluten-free Chex cereal. Peanut-Free Puppy Chow Time Supply List 1 hour 1 cup chocolate chips Project Steps 4 tablespoons butter 1. Before the girls start making their puppy chow, give them each one label and one container. Have them decorate their labels and place them on their containers. 2. Separate the girls into 5-6 groups. Give each group of girls one of the ingredients, and have them measure out the ingredients into bowls. The Chex cereal should be measured and poured into a large bowl. 3. Have the girls put the chocolate chips, butter, and (optional) soy/sunbutter in a microwave-safe bowl. 4. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir until well blended. 5. Have the girls add vanilla to the mixture, and stir. 6. Take out the large bowl of Chex cereal the girls measured earlier. Pour the chocolate mix over the cereal and stir. 7. Give each girl a Ziploc baggie. Have the girls pour powdered sugar into their bags as you wait for the cereal to cool. 1 teaspoon vanilla 9 cups Chex or Crispix cereal 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar optional: 1/2 cup sunbutter or soy butter microwave microwave-safe bowls 1 large bowl stirring spoon(s) sealable Ziploc baggies cute containers (mason jars?) and labels 8. After the cereal has cooled, pour about 3/4th a cup of the cereal into each bag. This should be enough for 12 girls to get the same amount of cereal. Feel free to adjust the measurements as needed. 9. After each girl gets her Chex, have her close her bag and SHAKE until the cereal is well coated with the powder. 10. Have the girls pour their finished puppy chow into their containers. All done! If they have time, they can wash their hands and continue deccorating their containers. Cake Mix Muddy Buddies Project Steps The directions for these muddy buddies is the same as the puppy chow, with a few small changes: 1. Instead of melting chocolate chips, butter, and soy/sunbutter in a microwave safe bowl, break the almond bark into small pieces and microwave those (with vegetable shortening, optional) until melted. Then, pour this mixture over the Chex, instead of the chocolate mixture. 2. After you add melted almond bark to the Chex, add sprinkles. 3. Instead of filling the Ziploc baggies with just powdered sugar, pour both powdered sugar and yellow cake mix into the bag before adding the Chex mixture. Enjoy! If any girls in your class are allergic to chocolate, this is a great alternative. Supply List 5 cups Rice Chex cereal 10 ounces (5 squares) vanilla flavored Almond Bark or candy coating (like CandiQuik found at Walmart and Target) 3/4 cup yellow cake mix 1/4 cup powdered sugar colored sprinkles vegetable shortening, optional microwave microwave-safe bowls 1 large bowl stirring spoon(s) sealable Ziploc baggies cute containers (mason jars?) and labels class projects always authentic Hipster Dress-Up Intro For fun, invite the girls to dress up on Pickling Day! Pickling is totally on trend in Brooklyn these days, and it’s hard to walk a Brooklyn block without seeing some creative combination of moustache and beard. To channel their true inner Brooklyn hipsters, girls can make and wear fake beards and moustaches, flannel shirts, and plenty of fake tattoos. Fake Felt Mustaches Prep 1. Print and cut out the moustache stencils on the next page. 2. Cut out strips of yarn or ribbon for the girls to tie around their heads. Supply List Time felt pieces 30 minutes Project Steps 1. Give each girl a marker and a square of felt, and have her trace the shape of a moustache. 2. Cut out the moustache. 3. Give each girl some glue and one of the yarn/ribbon pieces you cut earlier. Have her find the center of the yarn/ ribbon by folding the yarn strip in half and marking the center with a marker. grosgrain ribbon or yarn pompoms glue markers scissors moustache stencils optional: fake tattoos 4. Have the girls glue the back of the top half of the moustach to the center of the yarn, so the top of the moustache will rest underneath the girl’s nose when worn. 5. Cut a small strip of scrap felt and glue it on top of the yarn on the back of the moustache, so the yarn doesn’t get stuck to the girls’ faces while worn. 5. Let dry, and decorate! Add pompoms, more felt pieces, or more yarn to complete the look. class projects always authentic Flavored Vinegar Pretty, flavorful gifts! Goal Make some homemade flavored vinegar that is perfect for salads or marinades! Time 1 hour Prep Ask parents at the beginning of the week to save/bring in bottles with corks Project Steps 1. Fill the empty glass bottle with the ingredients you want to use to flavor your vinegar. (For the bottle on the next page, we used mint, blackberries, and cloves.) 2. Using the funnel, pour the white vinegar into the bottle slowly until full. Supply List glass bottle with a cork top (empty, clean, and dry) white vinegar mint, raspberries, lemon slices, cucumber, dill, red pepper, garlic, thyme, and/or anything else you think might be good! a piece of ribbon paper and marker olive oil baby carrots funnel 3. Make a label for the bottle by cutting out a small square of paper and writing a note on it. Then snip a small hole in the corner of your label, thread the ribbon through, and tie it around the neck of your bottle. 4. Use your vinegar to create an emulsion with some olive oil: salad dressing! enjoy your vinegrette with some baby carrots. Tips A few flavor combo ideas: ◘ Raspberries, mint leaves, and lemon slices ◘ Cucumber and dill ◘ Red pepper and garlic ◘ Raspberries and fresh thyme class projects always authentic Basic Vinaigrette Sour, savory, and great for salads! Goal Use the vinegar you just made to make some vinaigrette! This recipe makes about 1/4 a cup of vinaigrette - the perfect amount to use on a salad. Time 30 minutes Project Steps 1. Give each girl a label, markers, and a jar. Have the girls decorate their jars and brand them with whatever name they want for the vinaigrette. 2. Give each girl the ingredients and a tablespoon, and have them measure out (in their jars): 3 tablespoons of oil, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. 3. Have the girls close their jars, then SHAKE until they start to combine. Supply List small glass bottle with a top (baby food jars might work well) vinegar (you can use some of the flavored vinegar you used before, or use fresh white or cider vinegar) extra-virgin olive oil salt black pepper tablespoons labels markers 4. Wait 10 minutes, so the flavors can start to blend together. Then, have the girls shake their jars a second time. 5. Stop shaking, and open the jars to check the tastes. Add more salt or pepper as needed. The vinaigrette is done! Make sure the girls remember to shake the jar again before using. The Science Behind It Vinaigrette making is a great example of emulsion, or the process of blending two liquids that don’t normally bind together. In vinaigrette, the two liquids that don’t usually bind are vinegar and oil. These two liquids don’t bind well because they have different densities: While vinegar is made up of mostly water (which has a density of 1 gram), oil is much lighter, causing it to rest on top of vinegar rather than mixing. When the girls shake their vinegar jars, they break down the fat molecules in the oil. This allows the acid molecules in the vinegar to mix and mingle, turning into the kind of vinaigrette we see at the grocery store! class projects always authentic Making Pickles Salty, crunchy, yum! Intro Supply List Best Brooklyn hipster trend? Pickling! This is a recipe for traditional pickles, but you can substitute any vegetable. They are not canned, so the girls should know to store them in the fridge and eat them within a week. 3 cups white vinegar Time 1 hour Project Steps 1. Give each girl a cucumber and a label. 2. Each girl should cut her cucumber into slices or spears. Make sure this is supervised: While you and your counselor help some girls cut, other girls should work on decorating their labels. 3. Have girls help you measure and combine vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seed, turmeric and celery seed in the saucepan. 4. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt. 1 1/2 cups sugar salt for sprinkling on cucumbers 2 tsp. salt (for brine solution) 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 1/2 tsp mustard seed 1/8 tsp ground turmeric 4 small cucumbers 1 1/2 cups dill fronds cutting boards knives mason jars stickers/labels 5. Have the girls arrange their cucumber slices and 1 1/2 cups fresh dill fronds in their jars. sharpies 6. In a safe, removed place, pour hot brine into the jar to completely cover cucumber and seal the jars. gallon saucepan hot plate measuring cup 7. After the jars are cool, have the girls add their labels. Refrigerate. Eat. Yum yum yum! Notes The measurements on the supply list will allow you to make four pickles; adjust the recipe as needed. What are Pickles? Pickles are foods that are soaked in solutions that help prevent spoilage. Tons of things can be pickled - from plums, to eggs, to kimchi. The most common pickle in the U.S. is the pickled cucumber, which we often simple refer to as “pickles”. Most pickled cucumbers that you have probably heard about - such as kosher dill pickles - are soaked in a vinegar solution in which very few bacteria can survive. However, certain types of pickles - such as kimchi - are soaked in a salt brine. The brine encourages fermentation - the growth of “good” (edible) bacteria that make food less vulnerable to “bad” spoilage-causing bacteria. As pickles soak in their solution, they soak it up, making it hard for new bacteria to grow there. This allows the pickles to be preserved for long periods of time - way longer than they would last otherwise! class projects hot hot chocolate! Solar Oven S’mores Make, move, melt! Intro There are just some things that are synonymous with “summertime snacks,” and we can’t think of a summer snack we enjoy quite as much as s’mores. But what would you do if you weren’t allowed to have a fire or just didn’t have the tools necessary for a fire? We came up with a pretty neat way to harness the heat and energy of the sun to create a solar powered cooker that makes a delicious batch of s’mores without a fire! Goal Use energy and heat from the sun to bake delicious snacks in a pizza box. Time 2 hours: - 1 hour to make the oven - 1 hour cooking time Prep - Make an example. (It should look like the picture on the next page. Press the wire and tape down on to the battery and get the bristle bot moving.) - Cut the heads off enough toothbrushes for each girl to get one. Project Steps 1. On the lid of a pizza box, use a ruler and pen to measure and draw a square that is 1-2” from the sides of the box. 2. Cut along three sides of the square you just made by using box cutters or a pair of scissors. 3. Measure and cut a large piece of foil to line the bottom of the pizza box. 4. Apply glue to the bottom of the pizza box and glue the large piece of foil into place, smoothing in down. Supply List Pizza box Two clear sheet protectors Black construction paper Duct tape Clear packing tape Box knife Scissors Thermometer (optional) Wooden skewer Glue stick (or school glue) Tin foil Ruler Pen 5. Measure and cut another large piece of foil to cover the bottom of the flap you cut on the pizza box lid. 6. Apply glue to the bottom of the pizza box lid and glue the tin foil piece into place. 7. Use scissors to cut a piece of black construction paper that is 1-2” smaller at each edge than the bottom of the pizza box. 8. Use clear masking or packing tape to tape the black construction paper to the bottom of the pizza box. Try to center the black construction paper as much as you can. 9. Find a sheet protector and pull the two pieces apart. Tape these pieces together at one of their long edges. Tape the new, large piece of plastic on the inside of the box lid, NOT the flap. The plastic should span the flap opening. If it doesn’t, make a larger plastic sheet! 10. Use a wooden skewer to poke two small holes (don’t poke the skewer all the way through) on the lid between the flap and the side of the lid. Poke the holes about 2” apart. 11. Wrap a thin piece of tape around the skewer, near the flat end, so that one end of the tape is above the other end. 12. Tape the skewer to the flap so that the flat end of the skewer is near the end of the flap. Use the skewer and the holes you poked in the lid as a kickstand for the flap. 13. If you want to see just how hot your Solar Oven gets, tape a thermometer to the bottom of the box so that it can be seen through the plastic window. 14. Set up your oven with the flap up and place it in the sun. It may take a little while, but you’ll watch your s’mores heat up, melt, and be ready to eat! games Meltdown Tag Tag with a twist Steps One person is “it”. If they tag anyone, that person must begin to “melt down” by lowering themselves to the ground slowly. If they are touched by another player before they reach the ground, they are free. If they melt all the way to the ground then they become another “it”. Play continues until only one person is left! class projects sweet, sweet friday Frozen Yogurt Cups Cold and refreshing Goals Supply List Build robots that wiggle around using their motors, and can draw with their feet! 1 cup granola Time 30 minutes to make, 2 hours to freeze Note - The measurements on the right make 12 granola cups. Adjust as needed. - Make sure you make this treat some time at the beginning of the day, so the girls can eat them later! Project Steps 1. In a bowl, combine one cup granola, one Tbsp. melted butter, and one Tbsp. honey. Mix well. 2. Fill a muffin tin with cup liners. 3. Divide the granola mixture evenly amongst the cup liners, evenly covering the bottoms. 4. Fill each cup with yogurt and top with fruit. 5. Freeze for two or more hours. Tips Never made this before? Check out this helpful Buzzfeed video to see how to make this simple snack! http://www.buzzfeed.com/adambianchi/heres-anappetizing-recipe-for-frozen-yogurt-granola-cupsth?b=1#.kiEG9Eg0g 1 Tbsp. butter (melted) 1 Tbsp. Honey 24 oz yogurt of choice Fruit of choice (blackberries, raspberries, chopped strawberries, etc.) cup liners muffin/cupcake pan class projects sweet, sweet friday Candy Chromatography You can taste the rainbow and see it, too! Intro Supply List Candy chromatography is a fun and easy project to learn more about the dyes used in the candy we love to eat! You can use Skittles, m&ms, or experiment with a variety of candies. Girls can do this in pairs. Skittles (or whatever rainbow, dyed candy you want to use) Time Coffee filter 1 hour Pencil Prep Aluminum foil rectangles (to fit 6 Skittles with room to spare) - Cut the aluminum foil into rectangles, if they are not cut already. - Cut an approximately 3 inch x 3 inch square out of a coffee filter. Project Steps 1. Place Skittles (or whatever candy you decide to use) on each group of girls’ table and split the girls into pairs. Give each pair an aluminum rectangle and a cup of water. 2. Tell the girls to choose one of each color of Skittles, and place them in a line equally spaced apart on the foil. 3. Have the girls dip their fingers into the water and make a small drop next to each candy. 4. Have each girl place one Skittle in each drop, and let it sit for about a minute to let the color come off. (Afterwards, they can eat the candy) 5. Give each girl a pencil, a ruler, and one of the coffee filter squares you made earlier. About a half inch from the bottom, have them draw a line in pencil, and then 5 (or however many colors you are testing) small dots equally spaced along the line. Underneath, label which color will go on each dot. 6. Have the girls carefully dip a toothpick into the first colored drop of water and make a small dot of color on your coffee filter. It is best to keep these dots as small as possible. Let the liquid dry, and then repeat this step twice more to get a lot of pigment Bowl Salt Water Tooth picks Clear glass cups pencils rulers on your filter paper. 7. As a class, pour about a cup of water into the bowl, and add about 1/16-1/8 teaspoon of salt. Mix well. 8. Add a very small amount of the salty water to each girl’s cup, just enough to cover the bottom of the cup. 9. Give each girl a cup, and have her place her coffee filter paper in the cup-- the water should only touch the bottom, and not reach the colored marks. 10. Watch as the water travels up the paper! Explain that this is a result of capillary action: The water’s ability to flow through narrow spaces or materials without being influenced by gravity. As the salted water travels up the paper through capillary action, it will carry some pigment along with it. Different pigments have different affinities for the salt water, causing them to travel varying distances up the filter paper! class projects sweet, sweet friday Pretzel Rod Fairy Wands Sparkly treats! Goal Turn pretzel wands into edible fairy wands. Time 30 minutes Project Steps Supply List 1/2 cup white chocolate chips Microwavable bowl + microwave 1. Microwave the white chocolate chips for 15-second intervals until they are nearly melted. Stir the chips until you have a smooth icing. Wooden spoon 2. Use a rubber spatula to evenly spread white chocolate on one of the pretzel rods, leaving the bottom inch or so uncoated. Pretzel rods 3. Working over a waxed paper-covered surface, generously sprinkle pink sugar and/or candies on the white chocolate before it hardens. Pink, blue, and green decorator sugars and/or candies 4. Repeat the process to transform the other two pretzel rods into blue and green wands. Rubber spatula Waxed paper Activities Part 2 Additional Projects week-long projects Eggshell Geodude Crystals Colorful crystals decorating egg shells! Goals Make tiny, homemade geodude models on egg shells. Time 30-45 minutes to prepare; evaporates over the course of the week Supply List eggs (enough for each girl to get one, plus extras in case one breaks or you mess up the prep) water Project Steps 1. Crack the eggs for this project as close to the narrow end as possible. This preserves more egg to use as a container for the solution. 2. Clean the eggshells using hot water. The hot water cooks the lining and allows you to pull the skin (egg membrane) out of the inside of the egg using your fingers. Make sure to remove all the egg membrane, if any membrane stays inside the shell it is possible that your eggshell will grow mold and your crystals will turn black. a variety of soluble solids (table salt, rock salt, sugar, baking soda, Epsom salts, sea salt, borax, or cream of tartar) small heat proof containers (coffee cups work well) spoons food coloring 3. Use an egg carton lined with waxed paper or mini-muffin tins to hold the eggs upright. egg cartons and wax paper or mini-muffin tins 4. Use a saucepan to heat the water to boiling. storage containers 5. Pour half a cup to a cup of water into your heatproof container. 6. If you poured half a cup of water into the container, add about a ¼ cup of solid to the water. Stir it until it dissolves. Likewise if you used a cup of water, add about ½ a cup of solid to the water. You want to add about half the volume of the water as a solid to the mixture. 7. When the initial amount of solid is dissolved continue adding small amounts of the solid until the water is super-saturated. Super-saturated simply means the water has absorbed all it is able to absorb and any solid you add will not dissolve. toothpick 8. Carefully pour your solution into the eggshell, filling it as full as possible without over-flowing it or causing it to tip. 9. Have the girls add whatever color of food coloring they would like, and mix it into the solutions in their eggs using a toothpick. 10. Find a safe place to put your shells while the water evaporates. Crystals will form inside the eggshells as the water evaporates. Tips You may want to store the insides of the eggs in a container for later; you can use them for Tempura Painting. class projects daily dose of density Seven Layer Density Science you can see! Intro Have you ever tried to mix water and oil together? You may have noticed that they don’t mix well. If you leave them alone, you may also see the oil rise above the water. This is because oil is less dense then water! Density is basically how much “stuff” is smashed into a particular area... or a comparison between an object’s mass and volume. Every liquid has its own density, and it can be calculated using the basic equation, “Density = Mass divided by Volume.” This means, if the weight (or mass) or something increases but the volume stays the same, the density has to go up. Likewise, if the mass decreases but the volume stays the same, the density has to go down. Goal In this activity, the girls are going to explore density by building a density column - a glass or tube in which you can observe density in action! The column is made up of layers of different liquid, whose order is determined by the liquids’ densities: The more dense liquids will go on the bottom of the column, and the less dense liquids will rise to the top! Time 1+ hours Prep - Separate the rubbing alcohol and water, and dye each with a drop of food coloring. - Decide which liquids you would like to test! Although the supply list includes tons of options, feel free to only use a few, or give each group of girls a different set. Here is a list of liquids you can use, ordered from most dense to least dense: Honey, Corn syrup, Milk, Dish soap, Water, Vegetable oil, Rubbing alcohol Make sure you pour the most dense liquids first, so you can Supply List Honey Corn syrup Milk Dish soap Water Vegetable oil Rubbing alcohol Metal nut or bolt Popcorn kernel Board game die Grape tomato Plastic bead Soda cap Clear containers (cup, glass, or measuring column) Food coloring Liquid dropper and/or turkey baster see the density differences clearly! Project Steps 1. Split the girls into groups, and give each group a clear container (cup, glass, or liquid measuring column). Also give each group each of the liquids you want to use 2. Have the girls pour each liquid SLOWLY into each container. Make sure each girl pours each liquid in one at a time. It is important to pour the dense liquids slowly and into the center of the cylinder, so they do not touch the sides of the cylinder while you are pouring. For the less dense liquids it is helpful to use a turkey baster and pour along the side of the container. 3. Allow some time for the liquid layers to settle. If the layers look pretty mixed up, this might be a good time to play a game or go to lunch. 4. After letting the liquid layers settle, you’ll notice that they have been seperated into different layers! The order of the liquids you see is based off of their densities. 5. Make a chart that shows the order of each layer, so you can determine which are the most and least dense! You can do this by drawing a picture of the column and layering each layer, or by creating a number line -like chart, with the least dense liquids on one end and the most dense liquids on the other. Or, create a chart of your own! 6. Now it’s time to check the densities of solid objects! Take out the various small objects, and take turns raising each object, asking the girls where they think it will land, and dropping it into the column. Each object will sink through or float on a different layer of the density column! The objects are listed below from most to least dense: Metal nut or bolt, Popcorn kernel, Board game die, Grape tomato, Plastic bead, Soda cap. 7. Initiate a discussion with the girls. What makes some objects sink deeper into the columb while some hardly sink at all? 8. When all the liquids and small objects have been added to your density tower, you will have what appears to be a magic column. All of the liquids will be clearly distinguishable from each other and each of the objects will have settled at different levels within the liquids. Add the positions of each object to the chart you made earlier, and you’re done! Tips This can be a very messy project, so feel free to only make 2, 3, or 4 layer density columns, depending on your group. The Science Behind It Lighter liquids (like water or rubbing alcohol) are less dense than heavy liquids (like honey or Karo syrup) and so float on top of the more dense layers. The same goes for the small objects you may drop into your density column: While denser objects - like the metal bolt - will sink right to the bottom of the column, less dense objects will float on individual layers of the column. For instance, the plastic bead is more dense than the vegetable oil and everything above it but less dense than the water and everything below it. This is why the bead should settle on the top of the water! class projects always authentic Egg Tempura Painting Activity Turn eggs into paint! Intro Egg tempera is a painting technique that has been used for centuries. It is inexpensive and easy to learn. If done right, the final product can be amazing. The great thing about egg tem- pera is that you can use almost anything to make pigment. Tempera artists often grind and mix thier own pigments. The egg acts as the binder, and will stick almost any pigment to many different surfaces. This means you don’t have to rely only on the colors offered by paint companies. Time 45 minutes Project Steps 1. Demonstrate how to separate eggs. Have each girl separate an egg and save the yolk in her jar. What you want is a pretty golden-yellow blob. Supply List Eggs White Vinegar Water powdered pigment Small recycled jars Paintbrushes Something to mix paint on (aluminum foil, wax paper, etc.) Paper 2. Add 1 tsp of vinegar and 1 tsp of water to the yolk (the idea is to cover the yolk). The vinegar keeps the egg from quickly spoiling. It will still go bad, but you will have several hours of work- ing time before it begins to stink. 3. Pierce the yolk sack with a paintbrush and blend the yolk with water, then use the yolk/ water mixture with the pigment. Each girl can start with one color. 4. Give the girls some paper and allow them to paint with the colors they have made together. They can paint their first initials, or you can have some flowers available to paint (or anything!) 5. To clean your brushes, use some dish soap and water. Don’t let the egg dry. If you do the bristles will be ruined. class projects always authentic Chemical Compound (Spice) Jars What’s your favorite compound? Goals Supply List Teach the girls about chemical compounds while making attractive containers for spices. Packing labels This activity doubles as a spice exploration. You are going to be making your own labels for jars that already have spices in them. The Science Behind It Let’s start with molecules. Molecule is the general term used to describe any atoms that are connected by chemical bonds. Every combination of atoms is a molecule. Sharpies Chemical compound print out Enough spices for each girl to get one in a jar A compound is a molecule made of atoms from different elements. All compounds are molecules, but not all molecules are compounds. Hydrogen gas (H2) is a molecule, but not a compound because it is made of only one element. Water (H2O) can be called a molecule or a compound because it is made of hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms. There are two main types of chemical bonds that hold atoms together: covalent and ionic/electrovalent bonds. Atoms that share electrons in a chemical bond have covalent bonds. An oxygen molecule (O2) is a good example of a molecule with a covalent bond. Ionic bonds occur when electrons are donated from one atom to another. Table salt (NaCl) is a common example of a compound with an ionic bond. You may also learn about a third type of bond. Metallic bonds occur between metal atoms. In this activity, we focus on ionic and covalent bonds, because they are the bonds that make up spices! Time 45 minutes Project Steps 1. Talk about compounds. Explain what a molecule is, what a compound is, and what the difference is between covalent and ionic bonds. (Above) 2. Pass around the spices. What are the properties and qualities of each spice? What do they remind you of? How do you use each spice in cooking? 3. Now, give each girl a spice jar and have her choose her favorite spice and put it into her jar. 4. Give each girl a packing label. Have her copy the compound that correlated with the spice she chose, and translate it onto the label. Then, stick the labels on the jars, and you’re done! class projects always authentic Making Butter A thousand-year-old recipe you can still use today! Goal Make butter you can eat! Time Supply List Heavy whipping cream 45 minutes Large bowl of ice water Project Steps Salt to taste (optional) 1. Pour cream into the jar until it is 1/3 of the way full (this could be a measuring cup lesson) Jars with tight fitting lids (baby food jars should work well!) 2. Add salt 3. Have the girls shake the jars vigorously until butter begins to form. The jars should start out making a sloshing sound, then turn into a more solid form. Bread Butter knives 4. Spread the butter on the bread. yum! Tips You can turn on music and turn this into a dance party, if you want-- just make sure the girls don’t drop their jars! The Science Behind It Butter making is a great example of emulsion - the combining of two or more liquids that are normally unblendable. When you shake the jars of cream, the cream goes through two stages. First, it becomes “whipped cream” - whipped with so many air bubbles that the fat globules are sticking together and forming tiny protective coverings over the air pockets. When the cream starts to realize it doesn’t have enough air to whip properly, however, it will start to clump into the delightful fat-spread we call butter! class projects always authentic Making Mayonnaise Mix mayo using eggs! Goal Make mayo with emulsion! Intro This recipe introduces emulsion. It also requires a *lot* of vigorous whisking in order to achieve this. Make sure to have plenty of (extra!) eggs on hand, as this recipe also introduces the kitchen skill of separating eggs. Girls should have plenty of extra eggs to practice with. When it’s time to make the mayo, the girls can pair up to help each other with the pouring and whisking. Time 45 minutes Project Steps 1. Give each girl a small jar and a marker and label. Ask the girls to decorate the labels with the names of their homemade mayo, then place them on the jars. Supply List 1 egg yolk 1/2 teaspoon fine salt 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 2 pinches sugar 2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 1 cup oil, safflower or corn measuring cups + spoons 2. In a glass bowl, whisk together egg yolk and dry ingredients. small bowl + small whisk (or electric whisk, if possible) 3. Combine lemon juice and vinegar in a separate bowl. small jars to store the mayo 4. Add half of the lemon juice and vinegar mixture to the yolk mixture and thoroughly whisk. Start whisking briskly, then start adding the oil a few drops at a time until the liquid seems to thicken and lighten a bit, (which means you’ve got an emulsion on your hands). Once you reach that point you can relax your arm a little (but just a little) and increase the oil flow to a constant (albeit thin) steam. 5. Once half of the oil is in add the rest of the lemon juice mixture. 6. Continue whisking until all of the oil is incorporated. markers labels 7. The mayo should be done. Taste test the mixture to see if it tastes like mayo. If it doesn’t, whisk some more until you reach the desired taste and consistency. Then, spoon the mayo into the girls’ jars. 8. Your mayo is done! Leave at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours then refrigerate for up to 1 week. The Science Behind It Emulsion is the mixture of one liquid with another with which it cannot normally combine smoothly— oil and water being the classic example. Emulsifying is done by slowly (sometimes drop-by-drop) add- ing one ingredient to another while at the same time mixing rapidly. This disperses and suspends minute droplets of one liquid throughout the other. Emulsified mixtures are usually thick and satiny in texture. Mayonnaise (an uncooked combination of oil, egg yolks and vinegar or lemon juice) and hollandaise (a cooked mixture of butter, egg yolks and vinegar or lemon juice) are two of the best-known emulsions. class projects sweet, sweet friday class projects sweet, sweet friday DIY Ice Cream A fun way to end the week! Goal Teach the girls about physics, chemistry, and energy transfer by making ice cream! Time 10 minutes to make and 10 minutes to eat, with some wait time in the middle for playing games or relaxing. Total: 30-40 minutes Supply List Thermometer 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup whipping cream 1/4 cup sugar Project Steps 1/4 teaspoon vanilla or vanilla flavoring 1. Add 1/4 a cup of sugar, 1/2 a cup of milk, 1/2 a cup of whipping cream, and 1/4 a teaspoon of vanilla to a quart Ziploc bag. 1/2 to 3/4 cup sodium chloride (NaCl) as table salt or rock salt This will make two girls’ worth of ice cream; you can split the amount in half to make enough ice cream for one girl. 2 cups ice 2. Seal the bag securely. 1-quart Ziploc bag 3. Put 2 cups of ice into the gallon Ziploc bag. 1-gallon Ziploc bag 4. Use a thermometer to measure and record the temperature of the ice in the gallon bag. 5. Add 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup of salt (sodium chloride) to the bag of ice. 6. Place the sealed quart bag inside the gallon bag of ice and salt. Seal the gallon bag securely. 7. Gently rock the gallon bag from side to side for 10-15 minutes. It’s best to hold it by the top seal or to have gloves or a cloth between the bag and your hands, because the bag will be cold enough to damage your skin. You can also leave the bag in a shady area for part of the 10-15 minutes until the contents of the quart bag have solidified into ice sprinkles measuring cups and spoons cups and spoons cream. 8. Open the gallon bag and use the thermometer to measure and record the temperature of the ice/salt mixture. Remove the quart bag, open it, serve the contents into cups with spoons, and enjoy! Make sure the girls take the quart bag completely out of the gallon baggie or they will accidentally eat really salty water. The Science Behind It Ice has to absorb energy in order to melt, changing the phase of water from a solid to a liquid. When you use ice to cool the ingredients for ice cream, the energy is absorbed from the ingredients and from the outside environment (like your hands, if you are holding a baggie or ice!). When you add salt to the ice, it lowers the freezing point of the ice, so even more energy has to be absorbed from the environment in order for the ice to melt. This makes the ice colder than it was before, which is how your ice cream freezes. Tips If you are still having trouble, or want to try a slightly different method, feel free to use this video for reference: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=1sVp87HWVdw Just replace the half-and-half they use with milk! Activities Part 3 Games games 1-2-3-Look! Try to match your partner’s eyes! Intro A very simple game that can include the entire class! Time 30 minutes Steps 1. Everyone closes their eyes and lowers their heads, the leader calls out 1-2-3-Look! As the leader calls “look,” the campers look up at one specific person. If that person is looking back at him/her, both players are out. If that person is looking at a different person, the campers put their heads back down and wait for the next call of “1-2-3 Look.” NOTE: Campers cannot change who they are looking at during each round! 2. Continue the game rapidly to close the circle and eventually you’ll be left with two people and the game is over. Enjoy!! games B’gawk! The chicken game!! Intro A fun game to play as a class. Time 30 minutes Steps 1. Stand in a circle. 2. Make two circles (one with each hand) with the index finger and the thumb. 3. Hold a circle over each eye. 4. The person starting drops one hand (a quick bounce, as if the hand was tied to elastic) and says “B’gawk!!” The direction is decided by which hand is used; if the first person drops his right hand, the person to his right must then continue the action. If he drops his left hand, the person to his left continues. If BOTH hands are dropped, the action continues in the same direction, but the person directly opposite is skipped over. The first person cannot use a double B’gawk, because direction has not yet been established. 5. If someone messes up (ie: B’gawks when they shouldn’t, or hesitates too long), they must run around the circle flapping arms and making chicken noises until they return to their original spot, and rejoin the play. Note: the group continues to play while the chicken run around the circle - this adds to the chance of being distracted, making mistakes, and becoming a chicken. More chickens, more fun! The goal of the game is to look ridiculous and go as fast as possible! games Fruit Salad Fruit salads jumble together! Intro This is a fun game the girls can play as a class in your free time. Time 30+ minutes Steps 1. Arrange chairs in a circle, with one girl standing in the middle. 2. Have the girls sit on the chairs. Make sure there are enough chairs for everyone but the girl in the middle. 3. Everyone in the group (including the girl in the center) is labeled with one of three different types of fruit i.e. orange, apple, banana. 4. Every round, the girl standing in the middle must call out one of the fruits. When the fruit has been called, the girls have to move seats with the people with the same fruit. If the person in the middle of the circle calls out, “Fruit salad!” then everyone must move. 5. During each round, the girl in the center will try to grab in a seat around the circle. If she doesn’t manage to grab a seat, she must call out a new fruit after all the other girls have sat down. If she manages to get a seat, the new girl left standing will call out the next fruit. 6. Play until you get bored!! games Hot Chocolate River How quickly can your team make it across the river? Intro A team building game that requires some space! Supply List Time 2 ropes, or other way of marking off the river’s edges 45 minutes Steps 1. Lay two ropes on the ground parallel to each other, about 20 feet apart. 2. Have the campers line up on one side of the rope, and tell them that they are looking at a giant hot chocolate river. 8 or 9 carpet squares, tarp pieces, poly spots, paper plates, or anything else to use as marshmallows They must get thier entire team across the hot chocolate river, but it is too hot to swim across, and too deep to walk across. (Obviously, they cannot walk around the river, since it does not end just because the ropes do). The only way to get across is by using the large, fluffy marshmallows that you provide (such as carpet squares, poly spots or paper plates). 3. Give the campers about eight or nine carpet squares, so that they have enough to get across with one or two left over. 4. Advise the group that this challenge isn’t about physical abilities, but rather it is about communication. Unfortunately, the current in the river is so strong that it actually sweeps the marshmallows away if someone is not holding them down (with a hand, foot, or other safe appendage). Also, the marshmallows swell up once they are placed in the river, and they become too heavy to move again, so they must remain where they are placed. Notes This seems like a simple exercise, but kids, especially middle schoolers, have a lot of trouble with it. It will take a good 45 minutes for them to begin to communicate with each other, and you will probably need another set of eyes to make sure that all the marshmallows are being “anchored down.” Possible mini-lessons you may be able to improvise for this include: - Team Responsibility (did it matter if only a few of you made it across the river?) - Communication (the importance of checking on the person behind you before stepping onto the next marshmallow) - Individual Strengths and Weaknesses. games Amazing Shrinking Blanket Make sure nobody falls off! Intro A fun game that requires the class to work as a team! Supply List Time a large blanket 30+ minutes Steps 1. Explain to the group that because the ground is so cold, you’ve provided a nice cozy blanket for them to stand on. 2. Spread the blanket on the ground or floor. 3. Ask the whole group to get on it so that no body parts are touching the ground off the blanket. 4. Once the group successfully completes standing on the blanket, tell them that you’ve received a report that another group needs half of their blanket to keep their feet warm, too. Ask them get off and fold blanket in half. 5. Repeat the above process as many times as possible. Each time you fold the blanket, the group will need to be more creative (and cozy) to sucessfully stand on the blanket!