|
I
am building molecules I need to live!

|
I've
Got Gas~ Big Gas
"I
know what I'm going to do," Nissa announced as if she was telling
the world. "I'm going to sprinkle a little bit more baking soda
into my vinegar and water. And then I'm going to stir it around and
around like I do when I'm making cupcakes with my mom."
"Oh
really? Well, Joshua put two big spoonfuls of baking soda in his jar
of vinegar and water all at once. And just look at his solution now."
Millions and millions of tiny shining bubbles suddenly appeared in Joshuas
solution, twinkling like tiny stars on the skin of red buoyant cherries.
"These
cherries are beautiful," Serene stared through the glass jar and
watched the cherries as they rose up to the top of the water then spun
around and sank back down. "Look how the cherries spin around and
around."
"Why
do we add cherries to the vinegar and baking soda? I'd rather just eat
them. " Jill told us.
"Maybe
the cherries do something to the baking soda," Joshua speculated.
"Yeah.
Or maybe they do something to the vinegar," Joshua added.
Joshuas
mother walked up to me and asked, "Do you mind if I bring two more
children into this lesson? It looks like this is fun."
"No.
Not at all. I welcome all children in my science classes. Join us please."
Two children, no older than five years old, came up to me as I began
to fill their jars with water, a couple of tablespoons of vinegar and
a few spoonfuls of baking soda. "Good luck. I hope you make lots
and lots of carbon dioxide bubbles." Carbon dioxide bubbles jumped
onto the surface of their red cherries buoying them up and up and up
toward the mouth of the jar. The two young children watched the cherries
spin around at the top of the surface of the vinegar solution then sink
quickly back down to the bottom of the jar.
Chance
stretched his neck over the top of his jar so he could see the cherries
rush up toward his eye, reach the surface of the mixture then roll around
and slide back down to the bottom of the jar. "I am using my science
eyes and I see the cherries are moving up to the top of the water and
then down. Up and then down."
"Good
work. Keep using your science eyes and give me more information."
I looked around and noticed that every one of the children was looking
at the moving fruit inside their mixture from every angle possible.
Jill had her chin on the table as she watched the bottom of her jar
while Nissa watched her mixture from the side of the jar. The two younger
children stood on the bench staring directly down into the throat of
their jar.
"When
you stir, stir very gently. You don't want to mess up the building that
is going on in there." I told them.
"Now there's three cherries caught at the top of my jar. They can't
go back down. They are stuck." Serene aggressively stirred the
mixture around and around with a wooden chopstick.
When
I looked over at Joshua I noticed his mouth was hanging open like a
fish mouth; gaping open as if he was caught in a moment of pure wonder.
"Look. Look at my cherries," he managed to speak. "They
are going up and up like balloons, like red balloons.
"Oh
my, what molecules did you build Joshua?"
"Watch!
The cherries go up just like my balloons from the ice cream parlor,"
He tried to scream out at me but couldn't gather enough air for a scream.
"Good.
Very good observation, Joshua. Tell me more of what you see. Don't leave
anything out.
Chance
looked up at me and announced, "These cherries are covered with
bubbles. Look at them! Maybe its like making Swiss Cheese. "
"Oh
children, did you hear that?" I stretched my neck over the opening
of his jar and said, "Chance observed the gas bubbles are all over
the outside of the cherries. Wow. That was a very good observation.
Now you are observing like a scientist."
"Why
do the cherries fall back down?" Nissa asked with a tinge of disappointment.
"Who
can tell Nissa why the cherries fall back down to the bottom of the
jar?"
"Well,
between us two there's nothing between that doesn't belong between us."
Chance began. "All there is is energy and information, remember?"
he asked in a strong, authoritative voice.
"What
do you mean Chance? Where's the energy and what is the information nature
is giving us here?"
|
Just
by listening to a child express what nature is up to gives the
lesson a degree of informed analysis, depth instead of shallowness
and understanding instead of attitude. We at StarChild Science
are commited to pursuing a vigorous presence of children's explanations
and observations in science activities. We can't loose sight of
this one critical ingredient... the child's input!
|
"The
energy is..." he stumbled, sorted out his words, and pointed to
his jar, "...right in the jar."
"Yes.
Go on," I looked at Jill stirring her vinegar solution vigorously.
Be
careful. Theres lots of building going on in that jar. Remember
molecules are built by elements joining one another. You are building.
We are dealing with the built world.
"The
energy is in the stuff we put in the jar, the baking soda and the vinegar.
It's energy that is coming out of them somehow. At least I think that
is how it is," Chance told me.
"Yes.
Very good. The vinegar and baking soda molecules change shape and release
two elements. It may look like magic to some, but it is chemistry that
you are observing. The chemical energy from these substances allows
carbon and oxygen to join one another and make carbon dioxide gas."
"My
dad has gas when he eats brussel sprouts," Jill blurted out at
us and then quickly added, "It is not carbon dioxide gas. I know
that." She laughed heartily.
"Now,
what is the information?" I asked the children as they continued
to watch the gas bubbles jump onto the red cherries making them rise
then fall.
"Gas,"
several of the children answered in unison.
"Yes.
And what can you tell me about gases?" 
Joshua
spoke up immediately, "They lift things. Like cherries and balloons."
"And
what else do gases do?" I opened the top of a balloon and spread
it over the mouth of Joshuas jar. "Let's see what else gases
do."
"I
know. I know." Nissa was always willing to share her thoughts.
"Gases go up." She watched the balloon on top of Joshuas
jar swell up into a sphere, reminding her of bubblegum bubbles she loved
to make.
"What
is happening to my balloon? It is getting larger and larger!" Joshua
stepped back as if the balloon was going to burst into his face.
"It's
filling up with gas, carbon dioxide gas," Chance yelled out.
"How
big will it get?" Serene took a few steps backwards.
"Maybe
it will blow up!" Jill began stepping away from the table.
|
Stop
here! What have we observed so far? Let's
think 'out of the box' a minute. There's lots going on in this
hands-on experience.
We
observed the formation of a gas by mixing together two things,
neither of which is a gas. The vinegar is a liquid and the baking
soda is a solid. The children can see we can get a totally different
state of matter from mixing other states of matter together. It's
synonymous with mixing a solid, sodium, and a gas, chlorine, together
and getting table salt.
One other thing we observed. Watching carbon dioxide gas bubbles
accumulate on the surfaces of the cherries allows children to
see a gas lifting matter, cherries.
This
experience with a gas and cherries is way beyond children's ability
to relate to the real world you say? Not so. A gas lifting something
is not uncommon in the experience of children. What happens when
you buy a balloon filled with helium? The gas is lighter than
air and the balloon rises quickly if it is not tethered to something.
Every child who watches the helium balloon rise unexpectedly out
the window of the back seat of the car is very aware gas lifts
things. Children can relate to this hands-on experience very quickly,
often times much quicker than parents and teachers.
Many
technologies are based on the behavior of gases. Dentistry and
medicine use gases to do many good things. Ballooning is another
technology that uses gas to navigate a hot air balloon.
|
" Here's
a balloon for each of you. Stretch the opening of your balloon over
the mouth of your jar and collect your carbon dioxide gas in the balloon
and then follow me." I looked over at the two young children who
just joined us and noticed they had already begun collecting their carbon
dioxide gas into their balloon. They clung to their bottles tightly
as if their balloons were filled with helium.
"Where
are we going?" Chance asked.
"We
are going to feed a tree." I told him.
Feed
a tree? What do you mean?" For the first time I could see that
Chance was taken by surprise and looked more perplexed than ever.
"Feed
a tree the carbon dioxide gas you made." I informed him.
"What?
Trees eat a gas?" Serene laughed through her question.
"Come
with me and feed the forest." We all gathered into a line and marched
through the lightcave at the rim of the meadow. We crossed the road
and entered the deer path which took us down into the sunshine of yet
another meadow. "Now carefully choose any bush or tree that you
can see around here and walk over to it and gently release the gas from
your balloon onto the plant. Be very gentle." I watched as each
child carefully removed the balloon from the jar. Nissa chose a plant
immediately. Chance walked around several plants before he decided which
one would get his carbon dioxide bubbles. Serene went straight for ollieberries
hanging on a bush. Joshua knew he wanted to feed a redwood tree. That
was the strongest looking plant he saw. The children carefully released
the gas from the balloon onto their chosen plant.
Why
do the plants eat a gas for heavens sake? Jill turned to
me, feeling so awkward she was on the verge of a nervous laugh. I
never heard of this before. Im going to tell my mom that plants
eat a gas. She wont believe me. For the first time I realized
Jill sometimes had a mouth like a loose canon.
Joshuas
mother walked over to me, her eyes squinted almost shut. Do you
mean to tell us that the whole plant world depends on one molecule for
its carbon so it can make sugars and starches?
Thats
what plants need, yes. I replied. It is an interesting fact
that all life depends on carbon, an element that is not very abundant
on this planet. It is less than 1/5th of 1% of Earth. Isn't that hard
to believe when you look around you and see so much life?
"I
would have expected life to be made out of aluminum," Joshua's
mother quipped before adding, or silicon. They are everywhere."
| The
articles you see on this web site act as activities and explanations
of smaller topics within each main idea. For example, the articles
on molecules you read about below act as explanations on the behavior
of molecules and illustrates our ability to manipulate them to our
advantage. |
|
Smart Clothes: Textiles That Track Your Health

Garments that can measure a wearer's body temperature or trace their heart activity are just entering the market.
Nanotech's Health, Environment Impacts Worry Scientists

...nanotechnology is only now starting to emerge on the nation's policy agenda. Amplifying the problem is that the news media have paid scant attention to nanotechnology and its implications.
Aiding
the Environment, a Nanostep at a Time

by
cleansing polluted soil, for example, with tiny particles that
could make toxins harmless.
While
shifts to cleaner and greener sources of energy are critical,
energy conservation remains the most powerful lever to improve
the environment, said Sean Murdock, executive director of
the NanoBusiness Alliance, a trade group.
What's
In Your Microcapsule? Tattoo Ink -- And More

The
process is used to make products such as aspirin, plant food,
stain remover, and cake mix. Its even used to make scratch-and-sniff
perfume advertisements found in magazines: Scratch the treated
paper and microbeads burst to release the scent.
Small,
Yes, but Mighty: The Molecule Called Water

Giant
Crystals Enjoyed Perfection

Alcohol:
Cool solution to global warming?
Electric
generating plants and ethanol plants both "take fuel of one
quality in, and produce energy of a higher quality," he says.
This
is an important article. It is an article that an older child
can handle for a report.
Researchers Call For Physicians
To Avoid Overprescribing Antibiotics For Pediatric Ear Infections

Physicians
often prescribe antibiotics because patients demand them, Fishman
said, and testing would "allow the opportunity to actually
make a diagnosis and tell the patient this is a viral disease."
Holiday
Gluttony Can Spell Disaster For Undiagnosed Diabetics

"The
obesity epidemic is surging and people don't realize they're setting
themselves up to develop diabetes. They're like ticking time bombs,"
said Dr. Manisha Chandalia, an endocrinologist at UT Southwestern.
Stem
Cell update

"I
would be loathe to start sticking stem cells willy-nilly into
patients," says Huseyin Mehmet
Giant
Crystal-Filled Cave Discovered in California

"There
are things in the cave that could really open windows into our
knowledge of geologic history and the formation of caves throughout
the West," park cave manager Joel Despain told the Associated
Press.
Surviving
without oxygen? No way!

The
carp developed this remarkable physiological adaptation as a way
to avoid troublesome neighbors: predators. But the predator-free
ponds where they live are inhospitable and require the fish to
survive several months in only a few feet of water covered by
several feet of ice and snow.
Measles
Returns

StarChild
Science ALERT: Listen up parents..
The
outbreaks appear to be the result of two factors, experts say:
the use of ineffective vaccines on some children born in the mid-1960s,
and a more recent reluctance among some Americans to get vaccinated..
This
is a serious development. Talk to your doctor now about vaccinating
your child against measles. Don't be ignorant. Seek knowledge.
Remember what the President of Harvard once said? " If you
think education is expensive, try ignorance."Derek Bok, President
of Harvard University

If
you liked that quote of Derek Bok's, then try these quotes as
well.
Watch
your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.
"'What
goes around comes around' is similar, is it not?" Judy Wilken
MS
Scientists
Discover A New Healthy Role For Fat

A
little bit of fat goes a long way in keeping your cells healthy.
|
New Invention Effectively Kills Foodborne Pathogens In Minutes

This new technology is effective, safe for consumers and food processing plant workers, and does not affect the appearance or quality of the product. It may actually extend the shelf-life of some types of produce."
Stuff of Life (but Not Life Itself) Is Detected on a Distant Planet

“We are able to start studying the conditions and chemistry of exoplanet atmospheres,” Dr. Swain said at a news conference on Wednesday. “That’s a very exciting development.”
Rapid Flu Tests May Reduce Threat Of Antibiotic Resistance

Make sure your doctor has the Rapid Flu Test available in his office.
Hot molecules do the work

This is physics! Physics is fun and challenging! Watch the flames closely!
The
Claim: Hydrogen Peroxide Is a Good Treatment for Small Wounds
summer
reading?
Firm
in GM insulin breakthrough

Sembiosys
has predicted an "explosion" in demand for insulin because
of a growing number of diabetics. Moreover, new methods of delivering
the drug, like inhalation, require more insulin per dose than
injections.
This
article reveals an irony. If we didn't have the obesity problem
that we have, then we wouldn't need to engineer a plant to produce
insulin in the first place. But because we are a mindless nation
when it comes to feeding our children healthy foods, we have a
big problem, and that problem needs a quick, cheap source of insulin.
New
Technology Removes Viruses From Drinking Water

In
the United States, viruses are the target pathogenic microorganisms
in the new Ground Water Rule under the Environmental Protection
Agency's Safe Drinking Water Act, which took effect on Jan. 8.
Official:
H5N1 may be in human food chain

This
could happen in the United States as well.
New
Fat, Same Old Problem With An Added Twist? Replacement For Trans
Fat Raises Blood Sugar In Humans

The
best thing to do is to stay away from processed foods as much
as you can. Take a hard look in your refrigerator and your pantry.
Throw out the processed foods, get on the computer and get a handle
on where you can purchase non-processed cereals, snacks, tortillas,
etc. It's really up to us parents to 'walk the walk' and show
our children a safe route for good nutrition.
"I
have a feeling we are going to see more of this kind of unexpected
result in food chemistry. Nature is complex. But I don't want
to be chasing after this kind of finding. I'd rather spend my
time searching for healthy foods and baking healthy things for
my children." Judy
WIlken MS
Flesh
Eating Cells

"If
they come up to a cell and they can recognize that it's infected
with a virus that they know, they will attack that cell and actually
deliver a lethal payload to that cell causing it to self-destruct,"
Slifka says.
New
Genetic Data Helps Pinpoint Human Disease Susceptibility
My
grandfather died of bladder cancer. My mom had breast cancer nine
years ago. All my aunts died of lung cancer. What does my future
look like? How can you tell?
Milk
shoppers get new choice kinda organic

The
thoughts of comsumers are becoming important to many milk companies.
Finally! Mother's won't buy milk from cattle that have been injected
with artificial growth hormone.
Killing
Resistant Germs: Total Synthesis Of New Antibiotic Successful
What
time does! When this young medical student's father graduated
from medical school he had no way to stop a resistant microbe
from taking over a sick patient in the hospital. Now, for the
first time in medicine his daughter will have a way to disrupt
a highly resistant pathogen's normal biochemical pathways. New
knowledge always trumps old knowledge! Judy Wilken MS
Platensimycin,
recently isolated from the mushroom Streptomyces platensis, is
such an agent. A Californian team of researchers is now the first
to synthesize this natural product completely in the laboratorya
crucial step on the way to a new class of antibiotics.
$10m
prize for super genetic test

"That
group already includes Dr, Stephen Hawking, CNN's Larry King (how
did this happen?), and, Anousheh Ansari, the world's first female
"space tourist", whose family funded the original X-Prize
for the first private manned spaceflight."
Alternate
Sources of Fuel

"Realistically,
you really cannot grow sufficient amounts of corn kernels to meet
the demand of the fuel that we would be able to use right now
in the US in the next few years," Pendse says
 |
The
language of scince

is universal. |
 |
|
|


Monterey Farmers Markets

|
Wonderful
resources

"satisfying
a child's insatiable curiosity" Cheryl Block

Salinas Farmers Markets

|

Carmel Farmers Markets

Contra Costa Certified Farmers Markets
|
backtotop
All right reserved -
Judy Wilken MS - 2008
|