Tip: This experiment will work best on a sunny day.

1) Blow up a clear balloon but don’t tie it off. .

2) Push the black balloon inside the clear balloon

but make sure the opening to the black balloon

is still outside the white balloon

3) Blow up the black balloon until it is about half

the size of the clear balloon. Tie off the end

and push it all the way inside the clear balloon.

4) Tie off the clear balloon.

5) Use a magnifying glass to focus sunlight on the black balloon inside.

Challenge question: How could you use refraction to light your home without electricity?

Answer here: http://permaculturenews.org/2014/03/14/solar-water-bottle-bulbs/

and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHTD_RX3J2I

You may have noticed lizards basking out in the sun in your backyard. Snakes and

lizards bask in the sun because they rely on an external source of heat to keep them

warm.

Tiger Snakes that live in cold

climates have adapted with

thicker and darker stripes to

absorb more sun.

The water strider has probably mastered one of the most surprising habitats. This

intriguing insect spends its entire life on the surface of the water.

Surface tension is a force which makes the

top layer of water stick together.

The water strider walks on the water because

its feet don’t break the surface tension of the

water.

Slowly and carefully take a paperclip and lay it on

the surface of the water. This may take a few

attempts. The paper clip can float on the water

because it doesn’t break the surface tension.

Dish soap will break the surface tension under the paperclip. If you have cotton

buds at home you can try it yourself. Dip a cotton bud in dish soap then inserting

it in the water without touching the paperclip. What happens?

If you want to make an explosion of colour using surface tension watch this

video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc5ljuG4FYE

.

Have you ever noticed that a droplet of water

splashed on a surface likes to stay in a bubble?

This is because all the individual water molecules

are attracted to each other

But if the water molecules stick to another

substance more strongly than they stick to each

other the shape can change.

When a narrow channel is inserted into water, the

water molecules stick to the edges.

Imagine you live in the deserts of Western

Australia. The sun is so hot that you have to

hide from it during the day. There are no trees

and only a few sparse shrubs so your only

escape is to burrow underground. You are safe

from the heat but you are growing thirsty.

Where could you possibly find water in a

place like this?

Luckily, you are a Thorny Devil, a small lizard with spiny scales who is adapted for this

very environment. Your impressive scales hide your secret: A network of tiny channels

that can move water from the ground to your mouth via capillary action. All you need

to do is stand on it.

Plants have been using capillary action to take water from the ground for

much longer than the Thorny Devil.

Plants get most of their water from the soil, which is accessed by growing roots

deep into the ground. The roots deliver the water to the leaves and flowers.

With the help of an adult, use a knife to cut the

bottom stem tips of several (at least three) sticks of

celery at a 45-degree angle. Be sure not to use

scissors as they will crush the stem.

Put the celery in a vase

Add 1-2 cups of water

Add about 25 drops of red food colouring

Leave your experiment to run for about a week

Check in everyday and record the appearance of

your celery on the next page

Get your coloured pencils ready! Over the next few days you will need your red and

green pencils to record what happens to your celery. If you are particularly good with

technology, you might prefer to take photos.

Have you ever noticed that objects look distorted when they are under

water? This is because light bends as it moves through one substance to

another (such as from the water to our eye). This bending is called

refraction. How far a substance bends light is its refractive index.

Fish eyes have adapted to have the same refractive index as water. Light

doesn’t bend when entering the fish eye so they can see everything exactly

as it is.

When humans are underwater, light bounces on the edge of the eye. This

makes underwater objects appear bigger than they actually are. Place a spoon

or straw into a glass of water and watch how it appears to fracture.

In your pack you will find a small satchel of clear beads. When hydrated these

beads have the same refractive index as water. Place about ¼ of a teaspoon of

the beads into a clear glass bowl or vase. Add about a litre of water and leave

overnight.

What do you see?

Challenge question: How could you use refraction to light your home without

electricity?

Answer here: http://permaculturenews.org/2014/03/14/solar-water-bottle-bulbs/

and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHTD_RX3J2I

(The arrows show

the passage of

light from the

straw to your eye)

Light bounces on the edge of the glass

Sunlight can only travel a limited distance through water. This makes the deep ocean a

very dark place. However, some animals have adapted by producing their own light.

This is called bioluminescence.

Bioluminescence is used by some squid, jellyfish, microbes, crustaceans and fish. This

light is used for camouflage, defence, communication and illumination.

Bioluminescent light is the product of a chemical reaction, When two chemicals mix,

they react and produce light. This is the same type of reaction you might have seen in a

glow stick.

Take out your glow stick in a dark room. Gently bend the glow stick until you hear a

snapping sound. This sound is from a tiny glass cylinder inside which released a

chemical to mix with one in the tube. The reaction of the two chemicals produces light.