Make a String Telephone

What you'll need:

2 paper cups
A sharp pencil or sewing needle to help poke holes
String (kite string and fishing lines work well)


Instructions:

Cut a long piece of string, you can experiment with different lengths but perhaps 20 metres (66 feet) is a good place to start.
Poke a small hole in the bottom of each cup.
Thread the string through each cup and tie knots at each end to stop it pulling through the cup (alternatively you can use a paper clip, washer or similar small object to hold the string in place).
Move into position with you and a friend holding the cups at a distance that makes the string tight (making sure the string isn't touching anything else).
One person talks into the cup while the other puts the cup to their ear and listens, can you hear each other?


What's happening?

Speaking into the cup creates sound waves which are converted into vibrations at the bottom of the cup. The vibrations travel along the string and are converted back into sound waves at the other end so your friend can hear what you said. Sound travels through the air but it travels even better through solids such as your cup and string, allowing you to hear sounds that might be too far away when traveling through the air.

More about phones:

Landline telephones feature microphones that convert sound waves into electric currents that are then sent through wires and converted back into sound waves by an earphone inside the telephone at the other end. Modern mobile phones use radio waves (part of the electromagnetic spectrum that includes microwaves, infrared, visible light, X-rays and others) to communicate with base stations located throughout telephone networks.

Phones have come a long way since Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the first electric telephone patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office back in 1876. Today’s cell phones are a marvel of modern technology, featuring not only the ability to make phone calls but to also surf the web, play music, view documents and much more.

Keeping Drinks Hot

What you'll need:

4 cups that are exactly the same
Hot water
Cold water
Cold milk
A thermometer
Spoons


Instructions:

Half fill each cup with hot water.
Check that all of the cups are at the same temperature. Leave the thermometer in one of the cups for now.
Add 1 spoon of milk to the first cup. Add 1 spoon of cold water to the second cup. Add 3 spoons of milk to the third cup. Don't add anything to the last cup.
Check the temperature of each cup every minute with the thermometer. Which cup of water stays hot for the longest.


What's happening?

This one's up to you, do you think you can you explain it?

Some other interesting questions related to this topic include:

What are some good ways of keeping drinks hot?
Have you heard of the word ‘insulation’?
What happens if you want to keep a drink cool rather than hot?
Which is more likely to keep a drink hot for longer: a tall thin cup or a wide shallow cup?
Do some liquids cool faster than others?
What type of cup is better for keeping drinks hot: paper, plastic, clay or glass?

Can you protect a falling egg?

What you'll need:

Eggs
Paper towels
Build your egg protectors from resources such as:

Plastic straws
Popsicle sticks
Tape
Recycled paper
Glue
Plastic bags
Boxes
Used material
Plastic containers


The aim:

Your goal is simple, design and build a system that will protect an egg from a 1 metre (3.3 feet) drop. Eggs that smash or crack fail the test while eggs that survive without a scratch pass!


Getting started:

You need to create something that can absorb the energy the egg gathers as it accelerates towards the ground. A hard surface will crack the egg so you have to think carefully about how you can protect it. Something that will cushion the egg at the end of its fall is a good place to start, you want the egg to decelerate slowly so it doesn't crack or smash all over the ground. You'll need to run a few trials so have some eggs ready as guinea pigs, those that don’t survive will at least be comforted knowing they were smashed for a good cause, and if not, you can at least have scrambled eggs for dinner right?

Make Your Own Microscope

What you'll need:

A piece of fuse wire
Some water
Objects to look at (newspaper or a magazine with fine print works well


Instructions:

Make a loop at the end of the fuse wire about 2mm wide.
Dip it into some water to get a drop formed in the loop.
Hold it close to your eye and look closely at an object such as a magazine.
You may have to experiment to get the right distance but you should see a magnified image, especially if you have the drop as close to your eye as possible.


What's happening?

Pioneers of early microscopes originally used tiny glass globes filled with water to magnify objects, this is similar to what you are doing in this experiment. The water droplet forms the shape of a convex lens, which refracts the light and converges it at the point where you see the image clearly. It was later that the method of grinding glass to make lenses was perfected. Modern microscopes have many lenses in them and allow us to see extremely small objects.

Fossil Cast Project

What you'll need:

Plasticine
2 paper cups
An object that you would like to use as the fossilized impression
Plaster of paris
Water


Instructions:

Flatten a ball of plasticine until it is about 2 cm thick while making sure the top is smooth.
Put the plasticine inside a paper cup with the smooth side facing up. Carefully press the object you want to fossilize into the plasticine until it is partially buried.
Carefully remove the object from the plasticine. An impression of the object should be left behind.
Pour half a cup of plaster of paris into the other paper cup. Add a quarter cup of water to the plaster and stir until the mixture is smooth. Leave it for around two minutes.
When the mixture has thickened pour it on top of the plasticine in the other cup. Leave the mixture until the plaster has dried.
When the plaster has fully dried, tear away the sides of the paper cup and take out the plasticine and plaster. Keep it in a warm dry place and enjoy your very own fossil.


What's happening?

Fossils are extremely useful records of the past. In your case you left behind an impression of an object you own but fossils found by scientists around the world can date back to the time of dinosaurs. These fossils allow paleontologists (the name of scientists who study these types of fossils) to study what life might have been like millions of years ago. Fossils such as the one you made can leave delicate patterns and a surprising amount of detail.

Grow Your Own Salt Crystals

What you'll need:

A jar
Water
About half a cup of salt
A spoon for stirring
String
Scissors
2 toothpicks


Instructions:

Fill the jar with water.
Add about half a cup of salt to the water.
Mix the solution together with a spoon.
Cut a piece of string with scissors and tie each end to a toothpick.
Place the string over the top of the jar so that the string dangles into the middle of the solution and the toothpicks hang over the edge.
Don’t forget to clean up when you’ve finished.


What next?

Leave the experiment and wait for salt crystals to form along the string. They are an excellent example of cubic crystals and you can do further research with them by examining them under a microscope.

When you look at various crystals under a microscope you can examine the differences between them: Are they perfectly formed? What shape are they? What color? Can you see any microorganisms on the crystals?

Crystals can be found grouped together as lots of small crystals or as huge individual crystals. They vary in size from those at the microscopic level all they way up to crystals that are meters in length!

Try collecting a range of crystals for your project, label the different types and make a rock collection box to keep them in.

Movement (Answers)

Section A

(a) faster
(b) slower

Section B

(a) 36
(b) 275
(c) 10 1/3
(d) 65.33

Section C

1) C
2) D
3) C
4) B

Section D

(a) Car P travelled the longest distance 20 minutes followed by car R and car Q.

(b) Car P travelled at the highest speed within 20 minutes among the three cars.

(c) i. The speed of a car
    ii. The distance it travels within a fixed time

(d) The higher the speed of a car, the further the distance it travels within a fixed amount of time

Movement (Worksheet)

Section A : Write " faster" or  "slower" for each situation below.

(a) Kar Hee and Maniam were given 10 minutes to walk a certain distance. The diagram shows the distance they walked in 10 minutes.

Diagram 1

Kar Hee walked              than Maniam

(b) Car E and car F left the same place st 9.00 a.m. They used the same route to travel to town.

Diagram 2

Car F travelled              than car E.

Section B : Calculate the value in each situation.

a) A car takes 30 minutes to travel 18km. What is its speed?

   Speed =                 km/h

b) A lorry travels 2.75 hours at a speed of 100 km/h. What is the distance the lorry travels?

    Distance =                km

c) Mary cycles at a speed of 1.5 m/s to her friend's house situated 930 meters away from her house.
    How much times does Mary take to reach her friend's house?

    Time =                minutes

d) A motorcycle travels 49 km in 45 minutes. What is its speed?

    Speed =                   km/h

Section C : Multiple Choices

1) Mr. Bonny drives a distance of 120km in an hour. Predict the total distance he travels if he drives for 45 minutes more at the same speed.

A. 90 km
B. 100 km
C. 210 km
D. 300 km

2) A van takes four and a half hours to reach its destination located 360 km away. What is the van's speed?

A. 100 km/h
B. 95 km/h
C. 85 km/h
D. 80 km/h

3) The diagram below shows the movement of a car

Diagram 3

What can you conclude from the diagram above?
A. The speed of the car is increasing
B. The car is facing less friction by the minute
C. The car will eventually stop
D. The speed of the car is constant

4) Car A travels at 90 km/h and car B travels at 75 km/h over a distance of 90 km. What is the difference in time between the two cars to travel 90 km?

A. 5 minutes
B. 12 minutes
C. 1 hour
D. 1 hour 12 minutes

Section D : Structure Question 

1) The bar chat below shows the distance travelled by three different cars within 20 minutes.

(a) Observe and compare the distance travelled by car P, Q and R.
                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                           ( 1 mark)

(b) What can you infer about the distance travelled by car  P if compared to the distance travelled by      
      cars Q and R?
                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                           ( 1 mark)

(c) " The speed of a car determines the distance it travels within a certain amount of time"  

       Based on the statement above, state
           i. what is changed    :                                                                                                
           ii. what is measured  :                                                                                               
                                                                                                                             ( 2 marks)

(d) State the relationship between the two factors you mentioned in question 4(c).
                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                              ( 1 mark)

Speed

1) When we move an object such as a ball, it will move.

2) A moving ball is either fast or slow depending its speed.

3) Speed is the rate of movement of an object.

4) The object which moves faster travels a longer distance in a given time.

Rocket has the fastest speed. (Faster time reach destination)

Car has slower speed than rocket (Slower time reach destination)

CALCULATION OF SPEED

1) Speed of a moving object can be calculate if we know the distance it has travelled and the time taken to travel the distance.

2) The units for speed are:
    a. cm per second (cm/s),
    b. metre per second (m/s),
    c. kilometre per hour (km/h).

3) The speed of an object can be calculated by using the following formula:



                             Speed  =     Distance   
                                                      Time
Example :
    a. A lorry takes three hours to reach a destination of 240 km away.

 

                             Speed =            240  

                                                        3

                                       = 80 km/j

    b. A toy car takes 2 minutes to travel a distance of 50 cm.

                             Speed =             50   

                                                        2

                                      = 25 cm/min

Force and Energy (Worksheets)

Section A
1) Write TRUE or FALSE for each statement below.

  a) Friction is a force that goes against the direction of an object's movement.                                

  b) The treads of a tyre reduce the friction produced when a car moves.                                          

  c) It is easier to push a box over grass than over a marble floor.                                                      

  d) A hovercraft reduces friction by forming an air cushion below it when it moves.                            

2) Underline the correct words for the statements below.

  a) Pushing and pulling are (forces, energy)

  b) When an object moves towards you, you are (pulling , pushing it)

  c) When you are pushed, you can (see, feel) the force on you.

  d) A combination of pushing and pulling is called (friction, twisting).

  e) (Cycling, Dragging ) uses a pushing force.

Section B
1) The following information shows four situations

   P - A flag waves in the wind
   Q - A plasticine changes shape when it is squeezed
   R - A moving ball moves faster when it is kicked
   S- A moving marble on a surface will eventually stop

Which shows the effects of force
  A. P and Q
  B. P, R and S
  C. Q, R and S
  D. P, Q, R and S

2)Wong Nam wants to find out how the mass of an object can affect friction. What should he keep the same in his investigation to make the test fair?

I- The surface on which the object moves
II- The distance the object travels
III- The force applied to make the object move

A. I and II only
B. I and III only
C. II and III only
D. I, II and III

3) Which of the following are not factors that affect friction?

I- Surface are of objects in contact
II- Mass of an object
III- Roughness of a surface
IV- Speed of a moving object

A. I and II only
B. I and IV only
C. II,III and IV only
D. I, II, III and IV

4) What are the advantages of friction?

I- Objects can be held without slipping
II- Wears out the brake pads of a bicycle
III- People can walk without slipping and falling
IV- Rusty hinges make doors hard to push

A. I and III only
B. I, II and IV only
C. II and III and IV only
D. I, II and III and IV

5) What is meant by friction?

A. It is a force that pulls objects to the ground
B. It is a force that makes objects move
C. It is a force that goes against a moving object
D. It is a force that can be seen.

6) A plastic bottle becomes crushed when squeezed. What is proven in this activity?

A. Force changes the position of an object
B. Force moves a stationery object
C. Force changes the direction of a moving object
D. Force changes the shape of an object.

7) The information below shows three situations

P- The ball stops moving when blocked
Q- The movement of a marble changes when an opposing force is applied on it
R- A can becomes crushed when squeezed

What situations show the effects of force?

A. P and Q
B. P and R
C. Q and R
D. P, Q and R




Section A
1) (a) TRUE  (b)FALSE  (c)FALSE ( d)TRUE
2) (a)Force (b)pulling (c)feel (d) twisting (e) Cycling

Section B
1)D 2)B 3)B 4)A 5)B 5)

Friction

Let's watch the video below to at least understand the concept of friction before lesson starts. Enjoy ;)

Friction is a force that opposes the movement of an object which it can occur when two surfaces are in contact with each other. Hence, friction is known as a type of force.Friction slows down the movement of an object.

A marble moves faster on glass surface (Smooth surface)

A marble moves slower on rough surface (sand paper)

There are some effects of friction such as :

1) makes the surfaces warm, 

2) makes it hard to move a heavy object,

3) causes wear and tear of surfaces of objects,

4) makes a moving object slow down and stop, 

5) enable an object to stay in a stationary position. 

The causes of friction are depending on : 

1) condition of surface- a smooth surface produces a smaller friction, while a rough surface produces a    greater friction,

2) the weight of object- a heavier object produces a greater frictional force.

Benefits of friction :

1) allows us to walk or run without slippping

2) allows a moving vehicles to slow down or stop

3)enables us to hold things, 

4) enables us to sharpen a knife.

Drawbacks of friction :

Friction cause tyres to wear out

1) causes the soles of tyres and shoes to wear out

2) produces heat in machines

3) causes wasting  of energy

Methods to reduce friction :

1) using rollers or ball bearings,

Ball bearing and oil can reduce friction

2) using lubricants such as oil, wax or grease,

3) smoothening the surfaces.

4) using an aerodynamic shape.

Effects Of A Force

1) A force can cause a change in the motion and shape of an object.

2) A force makes a stationary object move.

3) A force can faster, slow down or stop a moving object

4) A force changes the motion of an object as shown and the shape of an object

Push and Pull

A girl on the swing moves forward and upwards.

Baby stroller moves forward.

Wondering how can it be happening? In fact, these actions involve pushes an pulls which is known as forces. Push or pull is an action moving an object away.

As we can see that this video shows that a box is being pushed.
A pull action is illustrated below.

Environment Destruction

Human activities cause many impacts on our environment and the Earth. Many forests are cleared to develope  residents and farm which cause destruction of environment. Destruction such as

• soil erosion and land slides

• flash floods

• water pollution

• air pollution

Solution to reduce destruction of the environment

• Enforcing law to stop illegal and excessive logging
• planting new trees after logging
• good planning for future development

Vanished and Endangered

Extinction of Animals

1. An animals which no longer exist is called extinct animal. 
2. Extinction happens when all animals of that species dies.
3. Example of animals that are extinct : dinosaur, dodo bird, and mammoth.

Mammoth

Dinosaur

Dinosaur and mammoth become extinct because of the change of climate on the earth

Dodo Bird

The dodo bird is no longer exist because of the human activities such as excessive hunting and destruction of habitats.

Endangered species

1. Endangered species means that  animals and plants that are getting fewer and eventually become extinct. Hence, action is needed to protect the rare animal and plant species.
2. Example of animals that are rare : Orang Utan and Panda. 
3. Example of rare plants : Rafflesia and pitcher plant.

Orang Utan

Panda

Rafflesia

Pitcher Plant

Animals and plants that are endangered

Human activities

1. Human activities are the reason that cause animals ad plants are facing the threat of extinction.
2. Illegal excessive logging

Excessive logging

• Human cut down trees to get wood, clear land and farming.
• Cause many habitats to be destroyed- No food and shelter.

     3.  Illegal and excessive hunting

Illegal hunting

• many animals die without the chance to breed and reproduce.
• Examples: Hunters kill tiger for skins while elephant for tusks.

Tiger skin

Elephant trusks

     4.  Excessive development

• People clear forest for housing and and more land as development.

Unit 1 Interaction Living things (Worksheet)

1 ) Which of the following is true about solitary animals ?

A ) They share their food.
B ) They live in small groups.
C ) They hunt for food together.
D ) They have their own territory.

2 ) Why do solitary animals usually compete to be in control of a territory?

A ) To invite more animals into its territory.
B ) To protect the limited food and space.
C ) To provide food for their own species.
D ) To prove the dominant characteristic.

3 ) The following statement shows a situation.

A herd of bulls can gore a fierce tiger to death.
Which of the following is true about the statement ?

A) Bulls are solitary animals.
B) A bull is always tougher than a tiger.
C) Bulls protect themselves by hunting for the same food.
D) A herd of bulls are capable of protecting themselves from their enemy.

4) Which is the following animals has undergone extinction?

A) Lion
B) Monkey
C) Elephant
D) Dodo bird

5) Which of the following is the reason why lions live in a group?

A) To eat lesser food.
B) To protect their young.
C) To protect themselves from their prey.
D) To protect the tougher animals in the habitat.

6) What is meant by interaction among living things?

A) The interaction among the same species of living things.
B) The interaction between different species of living things .
C) The interaction among living things that live in the same habitat.
D) The interaction among livings to obtain their limited basic needs.

7) Which of the following statements is true about competition among living things?

A) Turtle compete to secure a suitable place to lay their eggs by the shore.
B) Male deer fight among themselves for shelter.
C) Trees in forest grow tall to obtain sufficient sunlight.
D) The Young bryophyllum leaves that grow on the adult leaf will compete for water only.

8 ) The following information shows the basic needs of animals.

P – Food
Q – Sunlight
R – Mate
S – Shelter
Which among P,Q,R and S give rise to competition among animals?

A) Q and R only
B) Q and S only
C) P, Q and R only
D) P, R and S only

9) Which of the following basic needs causes competition among plants

I Sunlight
II Carbon dioxide
III Space
IV Water

A) II and IV only
B) III and IV only
C) I, II and III only
D) I,III and IV only

10) Conservation of the living things means

A) to preserve and maintain living things.
B) to ban illegal hunting in forests
C) to encourage reforestation.
D) to care for living things.


1)D 2)B 3)D 4)D 5)C 6)D 7)A 8)D 9)D 10)A

Plants Competition

Plants compete among each other in the same habitat in order to survive.

The plant compete for different factors such as:

a) Sunlight

b) Water

c) Nutrient

d) Space

Competition among plants become more intense if more plants grow in an area. Hence, competition of plants in jungle is more intense than in field.

Plants in the rain forest

• Do not grow equally fast because they receive different a mounts of water and sunlight.
• Each plant will try to grow taller to get more light
• Plants with woody stem will be more successful in the competition for light.
• Eg : the money plant uses its clasping roots to attach itself to the trunk of a tree.

When competition occurs, the plant that receives enough sunlight, water and nutrient grow better than plants that insufficient of necessities.

Animals Interaction

a) Animals interact with either same or different species for different reasons.

1.      Food and water

• Competition for food and water occurs when the sources of food and water are limited. 
• The more limited the resources, the more intense the competition.
• If the food abundant, animals do not need to compete

2.      Mate

• Happens among the same species during mating session.
• To ensure the survival of their species.

   

3.     Shelter and territory

• Occur when animals are looking for shelter or defending their own territory.
• Need to be in control of certain territory that provides them with food, water and shelter. 

Living Together or In solitary

Hello! This is my first time to write a blog and hope you all will like it. As for the first post, I would like to present a lesson about living things. So before we start, we must know the meaning of living things. How to differentiate between living and non-living things? Let's have a look on this presentation to know more about it.

Living things such as animals can live either individually or within their own groups. Try to observe the surroundings of us. Do u see animals that live together or solitary? The most often we see a group of animal is ants. They stay together most of the time. The main reason of animals stay in group is to survive and escape from enemies. As for spider, it creates web and lives in solitary. Due to the limited of food, some animals prefer to stay alone to avoid the competition of food. 

We can see the examples below to illustrate the animals are either living together or solitary.   

    Animals that live together      Animals that live in solitary

Some animals they help each other to stay safely such as antelope and baboon.

The main reason they cooperate is to against predators who try to eat them. Antelope is good in sense of hearing and smell the presence of enemy that will attack while baboon has a sharp eyesight and can be a strong fighter to protect themselves. In this case, they are helping each other to anticipate any enemies that are approaching toward them.   

Follow me for more information about science for primary students. I will post again next week. Stay tune.