Catapult

We built a mini catapult using popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and a bottle cap using instructions from Supercharged Science It was quick to make and worked really well. Jr. scientist A had fun learning how to work it (and where NOT to stand when you're using it) and catapulting leafs, berries, and crumbs.

Vinegar and baking soda balloon, take 2

We decided to revisit an old favorite experiment - inflating a balloon using vinegar and baking soda. Since last time we had trouble getting the balloon on the bottle before all the gas escaped, we tried poking a hole in the bottle cap and attaching the balloon to the bottle cap. That let us quickly screw the cap on, balloon attached, before the gas escaped. We even tried filling the balloon with vinegar so that we could squeeze it out of the balloon and into the baking soda filled bottle after the cap was on. That let us control the reaction and capture the gas pretty well.

From seedling to plant

We planted our seedlings that we grew from popcorn kernels. We had a fun time filling biodegradable pots with soil, sticking in the seedlings, and planting the pots. I wasn't really sure if they'd survive the transplant, but we dutifully watered them every day. Within a few days we started seeing little plants poking out of the soil. Since then they've just kept growing and growing. It's neat to see what our little popcorn kernels are turning into. We're now working on trying our hand at baby carrots.