Name________________________________
Parents and Guardians: I’m sorry you didn’t get a newsletter this Monday—the
copier was down until Tuesday afternoon.
*Science fair projects are due Monday, March 14. All students have been
reminded that they can’t use the Jamestown field trip or the archery tournament
as excuses; I’m even offering extra credit for projects turned in early.
*Each week I will need to see a different part of the packet completed. Students
will return it to school, show it to me, and then take it back home.
*Next Friday students’ questions and hypothesis is due. If your child is having
trouble phrasing either one of these, I am more than willing to help!
*We will be doing a few examples in class, and I will send them home.
Here’s the first one:
Science Fair project example, done in class, 02/11/16:
Title: Dissolving Hearts
Section 2) Question: What effect do different liquids have on how quickly a
Valentine’s Day candy dissolves?
Section 4) (There isn’t a section 3 for us) Hypothesis: If I use three different
liquids to dissolve a Valentine’s Day candy, then I predict that Mountain Dew will
dissolve it the fastest, because Mountain Dew has 105 mg, Pepsi has 55 mg, and
according to http://amherstva.gov/(2011) , our tap water has perhaps 15.5 mg of
sodium.
Section 5) Variables:
Dependent variables (to keep the same)
Independent variable (to change)
cups, the amount of time,
the liquids (there can be only ONE
temperature of liquids
independent variable)
amount of liquids, type of candy
SECTION 5)Procedure:
1) Gather materials
2) Pour the 3 different liquids, one at a time, into their corresponding cup,
making sure to stop on the line that indicates one cup.
3) Place one candy in each cup.
4) Starting out every 10 minutes, observe and record what is happening to each
candy.
5) When the first candy has been dissolved, end the experiment, making sure to
record data.
6) Clean up.
Section 5, continued) Materials:
Pepsi, Mountain Dew, tap water, thermometer, pencil and data packet, candy
hearts (white), timer
This part will be filled out tonight and given to your child Friday:
Name____________________________ Dissolving Hearts continued…
Section 7) (there isn’t a section 6) Data/Observations:
Date
Data
Observations
Notes
02/11/16
After 10 minutes
This column
isn’t needed
here.
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After 20
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After 30
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60, 70, 80, 90
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150-210
220
230
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250, 260, 270, 280
290, 300, 310
320 (5 hours and
almost 30 minutes
later)
So far every single liquid has not dissolved the candy yet. The two
sodas have bubbles. The candy in the soda is at the top and the candy
in the water has sunk to the bottom.
Everything has stayed the same but one thing—all liquids have
bubbles around the candy heart, but the water doesn’t have as much
as the sodas.
Nothing is happening except that the words on the candy in the water
have disappeared. The candy is almost half way dissolved.
Nothing has happened but the Mt. Dew candy has gotten smaller
Nothing has happened
No data; we went to lunch
Mt. Dew has dissolved the candy the most but otherwise nothing
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The Pepsi candy has gotten smaller
The MT. Dew candy has gotten smaller
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The Pepsi candy is almost as small as the Mt. Dew’s
The Mt. Dew candy got smaller
The Mt. Dew candy is almost gone
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Since it was the end of the day, the liquids were stirred. (Up till this
point, they hadn’t been touched.) Immediately the water candy
seemed to split in half. All three candies were removed from their
liquids and appeared to be identical.
Nothing changed
Experiment stopped; it’s almost 5 p.m.;
The Pepsi candy was 5 mm across, the water 4 mm across, and the Mt.
Dew 6 mm across
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330-390
400
Section 8—Everyone cross out (do not do)!
Section 9) Conclusions:
Answer to your original question: What effect do different liquids have on how
quickly a Valentine’s Day candy dissolves? The different liquids almost had the
same effect on each liquid.
Was your hypothesis correct or incorrect? Why? My hypothesis was incorrect;
I had guessed that the Mountain Dew would dissolve the candy the fastest,
because it had the most sodium. While we did not wait to completely dissolve
the candy completely, at the point that we had stopped, the water had
dissolved the candy the most. I think I was incorrect because sodium does not
make candy dissolve. Closer examination on the internet
(www.superteacherworksheets.com) suggests that acidity of a liquid would
make a candy dissolve faster.
If you were to complete the experiment again, what changes would you make?
How would you improve this experiment? I would have done more research
first, so that I used different liquids. I also would have started the experiment
at 8 a.m. instead of 10 a.m.
Keep going for the second experiment….
Name________________________ Science Fair example experiment, II
Title: Snow inside the school building?!
Question: What effect do different amounts of hair conditioner have on how well it blends
with baking soda to make fake snow?
Hypothesis: If I use three different amounts of hair conditioner blended with baking soda,
then I predict that the first amount, ½ cup, will create the best recipe for fake snow. I
predict this because I believe the more conditioner used, the more the creation will be too
sticky and soggy. (In class we defined ideal fake snow as cold, wet, white, soft (also fluffy,
foamy, gentle) and hard/crunchy.
Variables:
Dependent variables (to keep the
same)
Type of hair conditioner
Type and amount of baking soda
Independent variable (to change)
Different amounts of hair conditioner
Procedure:
1) Gather materials
2) Mix the ½ cup of hair conditioner with 3 cups of baking soda
until it’s blended well.
3) Distribute a spoonful to each student.
4) Mix the 1 cup of hair conditioner with 3 cups of baking soda until it’s blended well.
5) Distribute a spoonful to each student.
6) Mix the 1½ cup of hair conditioner with 3 cups of baking soda until it’s blended well.
7) Distribute a spoonful to each student.
8) Gather data from students. Decide as a group which creation was the best.
9) Clean up.
Materials:
white hair conditioner, baking soda, measuring cup, 3 medium plastic
containers
Data/Observations:
We voted the ½ cup hair conditioner blend as the best. (No, voting is not scientific.) 
Conclusions:
Answer to your original question: What effect do different amounts of hair conditioner
have on how well it blends with baking soda to make fake snow? The more conditioner
that was used, the wetter, “mushier” the blend was.
Was your hypothesis correct or incorrect? Why? My hypothesis was correct; I
had guessed the best blend would be the one with the ½ cup of hair
conditioner. I think it was correct because the conditioner made the baking
soda more soggy and sticky as more and more of it was added.
If you were to complete the experiment again, what changes would you make?
How would you improve this experiment? The 1 ½ cups of hair conditioner
wasn’t as comfortable for the kids’ hands. I would use ¼ cup hair conditioner, ½
cup hair conditioner, and ¾ cup hair conditioner as my different measurements.