Science at High View.

Our Science Curriculum Leader is - Miss D Williams

​We love working scientifically! 
Why?
What questions would you like to find out?
What would happen if..?

Science aims to stimulate a child's curiosity in finding out why things happen in the natural world and the world around us in the way they do. We encourage the children to develop methods of enquiry and we use investigations to stimulate creative thought both in classroom and outdoor settings.

Children ask scientific questions to enable them to appreciate how science will affect their future on a personal, national and global level.  The children have access to the following areas of knowledge:
Scientific enquiry
Life processes and living things
Materials and their properties
Physical processes

                                                              Why not try…?

Blowing up balloons with C02
Chemical reactions make for some great experiments. Make use of the carbon dioxide given off by a baking soda and lemon juice reaction by funnelling the gas through a soft drink bottle and into your awaiting balloon!
What you’ll need:
  • Balloon
  • About 40 ml of water (a cup is about 250 ml so you don’t need much)
  • Soft drink bottle
  • Drinking straw
  • Juice from a lemon
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda


Instructions:
  1. Before you begin, make sure that you stretch out the balloon to make it as easy as possible to inflate.
  2. Pour the 40 ml of water into the soft drink bottle.
  3. Add the teaspoon of baking soda and stir it around with the straw until it has dissolved.
  4. Pour the lemon juice in and quickly put the stretched balloon over the mouth of the bottle.


What’s happening?
If all goes well then your balloon should inflate! Adding the lemon juice to the baking soda creates a chemical reaction. The baking soda is a base, while the lemon juice is an acid; when the two combine they create carbon dioxide (CO2). The gas rises up and escapes through the soft drink bottle. It doesn’t however escape the balloon, pushing it outwards and blowing it up. If you don’t have any lemons then you can substitute the lemon juice for vinegar.


Make a Tornado in a Bottle
Learn how to make a tornado in a bottle with this fun science experiment for kids. Using easy to find items such as dish washing liquid, water, glitter and a bottle you can make your own mini tornado that’s a lot safer than one you might see on the weather channel. Follow the instructions and enjoy the cool water vortex you create!
What you’ll need:
  • Water
  • A clear plastic bottle with a cap (that won’t leak)
  • Glitter
Dish washing liquid
Instructions:
  1. Fill the plastic bottle with water until it reaches around three quarters full.
  2. Add a few drops of dish washing liquid.
  3. Sprinkle in a few pinches of glitter (this will make your tornado easier to see).
  4. Put the cap on tightly.
Turn the bottle upside down and hold it by the neck. Quickly spin the bottle in a circular motion for a few seconds, stop and look inside to see if you can see a mini tornado forming in the water. You might need to try it a few times before you get it working properly.
What’s happening?
Spinning the bottle in a circular motion creates a water vortex that looks like a mini tornado. The water is rapidly spinning around the centre of the vortex due to centripetal force (an inward force directing an object or fluid such as water towards the centre of its circular path). Vortexes found in nature include tornadoes, hurricanes and waterspouts (a tornado that forms over water).


Have a great time investigating!
Please leave a comment to let me know how you get on  and what you find out!
Miss Williams