Kimberly Thomas Myrtle Attendance Center Rheta Ann West Retired Teacher Spooktacular Science II M.S.T.A.

Lava Lamps Materials: A clear plastic bottle or jar A bottle of vegetable oil Water Alka Seltzer Food coloring Directions: 1.Fill the bottle or jar a quarter full with water. Fill the rest with the vegetable oil! They should separate into two layers, water at the bottom and oil sitting on top. 2.Add about 6-8 drops of food coloring once they have separated. The color will mix with the water at the bottom. 3.Pop in half an alka seltzer tablet and watch the bubbles form. Add more alka seltzer bit by bit to keep the bubbles rising and falling. The Science Why Water and oil will not mix – this is because water is a polar molecule – its structure means that is has a positive charge one end and a negative charge the other. Water molecules stick together because the positive end of one water molecule is attracted to the negative end of another molecule. The oil molecule structure is different – it is non polar meaning that its charge is more evenly spread out, so the oil is not attracted to water – in fact we call it hydrophobic (water fearing) so it tries to get as far away from water as possible and will not mix. The reason that oil rests on top of the water rather than underneath is because it has a different density to water. As the alka seltzer is added (this is made of citric acid and sodium bicarbonate) it reacts with the water and form carbon dioxide gas and Sodium citrate. It is the carbon dioxide bubbles that carry the colored water to the top. Source:

CREEPY DENSITY Materials Treacle (molasses) Golden Syrup (light Karo syrup Water Food coloring Vegetable Oil Small items to test for floating Directions: Pour each liquid into the glass slowly starting with the treacle, then the golden syrup, followed by the water with added food coloring and finally the vegetable oil. Drop a few small items in and see which layer they float on. Science Why Each of the liquids have a different mass of molecules or different numbers of parts squashed into the same volume of liquid, this makes them have different densities and therefore one can sit on top of the other – the more dense a liquid is the heavier it is. Objects and liquids float on liquids of a higher density and sink through liquids of lower density. A LEGO brick sinks through the oil, but floats on the water, while a coin sinks through both. The coin is therefore more dense than both the oil and the water. A plastic bug floats on the oil and is less dense than both. Source:

MAKE A STATIC POWERED DANCING GHOST Materials: A piece of tissue paper A balloon Scissors A head of hair Spooky Music (optional) Directions: 1. First cut out a ghost shape in the tissue about 1.5 inches (4 cm) long and add some eyes with a marker. If you are using 2-ply tissues, peel apart the 2 layers to get the tissue as thin as possible. Cut out a few ghosts and place them on a flat surface. You might want to make some out of regular paper to compare. (Some readers found slightly heavier ghosts easier to control.) 2. Blow up the balloon and tie it. Then rub it really fast through your hair for about 10 seconds. This will add a static charge. 3. Slowly bring the balloon near the ghost, and the ghost will begin to rise toward the balloon. If the balloon is charged enough, the ghost will rise and float right up to the balloon, even when it is several inches away. With a little practice, you can get the ghost to rise, float, and even dance around. TIP: The easiest way to make the ghost rise without it sticking to the balloon is to tape the very tip of the bottom of the ghost to a table. The ghost will rise and move along with the balloon. With a good charge, the balloon can control the ghost from several inches away. Science Why When you rub the balloon through your hair, invisible electrons (with a negative charge) build up on the surface of the balloon. The electrons have the power to pull very light objects (with a positive charge) toward them – in this case, the tissue ghost! Source

Frankenworms Materials: gummy worms scissors baking soda vinegar Water Directions: 1. Cut some gummy worms into extra skinny worms by cutting them the long way with kitchen shears. Cut each worm lengthwise at least four times. The skinnier, the better! 2. Mix a few Tablespoons of baking soda into a cup or so of water, stir, and put your skinny gummy worms in the cup of baking soda solution. Let them soak for 15 or 20 minutes. 3. Fill a clear glass or jar up with vinegar. When the 15 minutes are up, pull your worms out of the baking soda solution with a fork, and drop them into the glass of vinegar. Science Why Your worms should start to float and move as the vinegar (acetic acid) reacts with the baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to form carbon dioxide gas bubbles on the worms. They look like theyre alive and will wriggle until the chemical reaction stops! Source:

Glowing Pumpkins Materials: liquid laundry detergent or else mix powdered detergent with a bit of water sponge or paper towel either artistic talent or else a stencil black light Directions: 1. Either download a skull stencil pattern and print it or draw one on yourself.(If using a stencil, Cut out the eyes, nose, and mouth of the skull.) 2. Dampen a sponge or paper towel with liquid laundry detergent. Make it wet enough to deposit the color, but not dripping wet. 3. Place the stencil where you want the decoration. 4. Blot over the stencil with the detergent-coated sponge to fill in the shapes of the skull. If you mess up badly, just wash it off and try again. 4. Turn on the black light to see the decoration. Source: chemistry.about.com/od/glowinthedarkprojects/

GROWING BODY PARTS Every mad scientist has a large specimen lab jar filled with body parts - a severed hand, a lopped off ear, a big fat nose and a pickled brain - floating in a jar filled with water. The best part of all is that these body parts start off small and get bigger the longer they stay in the water until they reach their maximum size. Each body part starts out about 5 cm (2 in) in length and grows to human proportions... or a little bigger. The body parts should reach their maximum size after 7 days. You'll also receive a one gallon size WIDE mouth specimen lab jar made out of clear plastic - perfect to hold your Mad Scientist Body Parts. The kit includes a teacher activity guide with a detailed explanation of how the growing body parts work... just in case you're feeling the need to teach some ghoulish science. Yes, it's the perfect gift for that "special" someone who has everything - give them a "hand", lend them an "ear", get a "brain" and "sniff" out a good deal with this Halloween favorite. Recommended for children ages 4 and up. What's Included? Growing hand Ear Nose Brain One gallon size clear plastic jar with sealable lid (to keep your creepy things inside) "Growing" instructions and the science explanation behind the growing body parts Source:

Ghostly Screams Materials * A plastic drinking cup * Yarn or cotton string (nylon string will not work well) * 1 paper clip * Paper towel * A nail * Scissors * Water Directions: 1.Cut a piece of yarn about 20 inches (40 cm) long. 2. Use the nail to carefully punch a hold in the center of the bottom of the cup. 3. Tie one end of the yarn to the middle of the paper clip. 4. Push the other end of the yarn through the hole in the cup and pull it through as shown in the picture. 5.Get a piece of paper towel about the size of a dollar bill, then fold it once and get it damp in the water. 6.Now it's time to make some noise! Hold the cup firmly in one hand, and wrap the damp paper towel around the string near the cup. While you squeeze the string, pull down in short jerks so that the paper towel tightly slides along the string. If all goes well - you hear ghostly sound! This is an example of how a sounding board works. The vibrations from the string would be almost silent without the cup, but when you add the cup, it spreads the vibrations and amplifies them (makes them louder.) Pianos and music boxes use wood to act as a sounding board to make the instrument louder Source: