Science at Home: Underwater Fireworks

Have you ever heard the saying ‘oil and water don’t mix’? Well, today Lahiru and Malinthi are going to demonstrate that this is absolutely true – and sometimes, very beautiful to look at. I love this experiment, and the way the different coloured food dyes start off making an ugly brown mess in the oil before separating out like upside-down fireworks!

Dr Lahiru Gangoda is a cancer researcher and a member of Team WEHI. Her research is on finding better ways to treat skin cancer. Don’t forget wear your sun screen! You can read more about Lahiru here.

Malinthi is in grade 6. She loves science and looking after the environment. She is the Science captain and the Green-house vice-captain at her school. Malinthi is also part of the space-wattle team at her school. Her school will be receiving some Golden Wattle seeds (Australia’s national floral emblem) that has been on board the International Space station for the last 6 months. The space-wattle team will plant and looks after these seeds that has spent time in space.

*Science is great fun! But please, always check with an adult before you start your experiment!*

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You will need:

• A tall clear glass of water
• A small glass of oil
• Food colouring in several colours
• A spoon or fork for stirring!

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Science at Home: The Lava Lamp

The lava lamp was a luxury piece of home décor that first became popular in the 1960s. Check out this link for more fun facts about lava lamps. This experiment makes some bubbles in a container that can look a bit like the colourful blobs that rise and sink in a lava lamp. Pop on some safety glasses and a white lab coat, and you can feel like a “real scientist” with your fizzy, colourful creation!

Dr Rachel Uren is a cancer researcher who has been Relaying with Team WEHI since 2018 and has been the driving force behind our ‘messy science’ experiments.

Daniel is a budding science communicator. He is 5 years old, and likes dinosaurs, Lego and explaining things to his parents in great detail.

*Science is great fun! But please, always check with an adult before you start your experiment.*

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Science at home: Tornado in a Bottle

This experiment is a fun demonstration of a tornado in a bottle. It is brought to you by Rachel and Daniel.

Dr Rachel Uren is a cancer researcher who has been Relaying with Team WEHI since 2018 and has been the driving force behind our ‘messy science’ experiments. You can read her full profile here.

Daniel is a budding science communicator. He is 5 years old, and likes dinosaurs, Lego and explaining things to his parents in great detail.

*Science is great fun! But please, always check with an adult before you start your experiment.*

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Science at home: Blueberry syrup that changes colour

This is a fun experiment that you can do in the kitchen – and you can even eat the results! Cooking really is just chemistry that you can eat – everything you do to food in the kitchen, whether it is heating it, freezing it, or combining it with other ingredients, is a chemical reaction. This  experiment invites you to observe the way your ingredients change colour under different conditions, and explains a little bit about how and why that happens.

(Note: making the blueberry syrup does take a bit of time, so if you are impatient and would rather be doing chemistry than eating/drinking the results, try using a few red cabbage leaves blended with water and strained through a sieve and see if you can make a rainbow with some of the ingredients from this YouTube video. It’s the same chemical reaction, which you can read about below, just a bit less tasty!)

*Science is great fun! But please, always check with an adult before you start your experiment.*

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