Making Soaps

While visiting family over the winter break my daughters had fun playing with their cousins of similar age.  One the activities they worked on to keep busy was making soap using a soap making kit my niece received for Christmas.

The soap making kit.

This kit came with pre-made soap, but including other ingredients to make soap designs as well as lip balm and hand lotion.  They had fun making colored soap, but it was also an educational opportunity on how soaps are designed as well as how lip balm and hand lotion are made.  Given wind chill temperatures were 25 to 30 degrees below zero, it was also a great activity to keep the kids busy in the house!

Making soap hearts that will be embedded in a larger bar of soap.

Soap making is probably not my first choice for a science activity, but there's nothing wrong with it, and it does provide learning (and fun) opportunities or kids.  

Science Gift Idea for Kids? A Microscope!

A couple of years ago we gave our oldest daughter a microscope for Christmas and she loved it!  It's really neat watching her pull it out every now and then to study something she found up close.  This past Christmas my niece received a microscope (not from us) and it was cool watching her and my daughter interact as they opened up the package and put the microscope to work.

Microscope kit my niece received for Christmas.

Learning or teaching microscopes such as these are relatively inexpensive yet offer hours of investigative play for kids.  Most kits come with a few sample slides already loaded with some substance, to get one started, as well as several empty slides and other equipment that provide the opportunity to explore.  The microscope itself isn't the greatest, but it's perfect for kids who are interested in science and simply need opportunities to explore.  Pull out a hair and take a look.  Or a piece of thread.  Even cheaper microscopes such as these open up a world of exploration for kids.  Compare a human hair to a cat hair.  Any differences? 

Your child may need a bit of help in the beginning figuring out how to use the microscope, but after some basic introductions, they can use it on their own without constant parental instruction.  This allows kids to come up with questions and explore on their own without directions.  In other words, a fantastic way to help develop those important critical thinking skills. Every month or so my daughter will pull out her telescope and look at something new she found.  She often heads outside and grabs a sample of something to observe closer up.   

The opportunities for exploration with a microscope are limitless, making it an excellent gift idea for a young scientist.  

Blue Super Moon + Lunar Eclipse

The end of January 2018 brings a coincidental occurrence of a blue moon, a super moon, and a lunar eclipse.  Let's be clear from the start of this post that you will NOT see a moon that is blue and you will not see a moon that is super large in the sky.  So what will you see?

Blue Moon:  It would be really cool if the moon appeared bright blue during a blue moon, but a blue moon is simply a second full moon in the same calendar month.  The moon has a phase cycle of 29.5 days.  This means the moon will be in its full phase every 29.5 days.  Since most months are 30 or 31 days in length, if there is a full moon on the first or second day of a month, there will be a second full moon on one of the very last days of the month.  But this doesn't make the moon blue.  This full moon will look similar to all full moons.

Super Moon:  The moon's orbit about the Earth is close to a perfect circle, but not quite.  It is slightly elliptical, meaning that sometimes the moon is a bit closer to the Earth and at other times it is a bit farther away.  Does the moon appear a bit bigger when it's at its closest approach?  Yes, but unless you take detailed observations of the moon on a daily basis, you are very unlikely to notice this difference in size.  It's simply not that big of a change.

Lunar Eclipse:  A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and moon align in a straight line with the Earth blocking sunlight from reaching the moon.  Earth casts a shadow on the moon and the moon starts to disappear in the sky.  When the shadow completely crosses the moon, the moon appears orangish due to red light refracting through Earth's atmosphere and bending to strike the moon and reflecting back to us.  There's a lunar eclipse on the morning of Wednesday, January 31, but not everyone in the U.S. will see it.  If you are in the western third of the U.S., you'll see a total eclipse before the moon sets in western sky.  If you live in the eastern 2/3 of the U.S., unfortunately the moon will set before it reaches totality.  In fact, it will set before any of the umbral (darkest) shadow appears.  For those of you in the latter scenario, which includes me, our next opportunity to see a total lunar eclipse from the eastern 2/3 of the U.S. is January 20/21 2019.  That's only a 1 year wait.

Example of a lunar eclipse.

This Blog's History: Outlander

In case you missed it last time, for This Friday in This Blog's History I point you back to the post I wrote on the Outlander book/TV series.  Both the books and the TV series are excellent and I highly recommend them.  For more details, click the link below.

Outlander Books/TV Series

Slime Making Book

One of my 10 year old's favorite gifts she received for Christmas was this slime making book.

There are many ways to make slime!

My daughter has really been into making slime lately.  She recently received a slime making kit and then received this book which provides recipes for various slimes.  The recipes include ingredients that you are likely to already find in your house.  Some slimes work out better than others, but it's a great experimentation process that allows her to directly test which materials make the best slimes and why.  Is the slime too sticky?  Which ingredient caused this?  Was it too much or too little of a single ingredient?  Does the slime harden after just a few hours?  Why?  Is there an ingredient that will prevent this? 

Books such as these are great gifts that provide instructions, but also allow a kid to get their hands dirty and test things on their own. 

The Last Jedi

On opening weekend we all went to see The Last Jedi.  Our review?  AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME!!!  Loved it! 

Star Wars Episode #8:  The Last Jedi

I really don't have much else to say other than we had an awesome time watching this movie.  Some thought it was too long, but I look at it as just more Star Wars to watch and that is always a good thing! 

Hot Beading Craze

My 7 year old received a large set of beads and bead plates for Christmas.  Once home from our travels, but before the start of the school, she spent a couple of days hot beading like it was the end of the world.

Hot beading!

The image above is just the first day!  The second day home she made more!  She'd construct a hot bead design and then I'd stop what I was doing and iron it.  Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat.  The iron stayed on the kitchen counter (off of course!) for 4 days!  I don't know how many beads were in the set she received, but she used a good portion of them!  Good thing too as it was super cold out and going outside for more than 15-20 minutes was actually unsafe.  The hot bead set gave her something to do while allowing me to get a few things done around the house before returning to work!  

If you have a kid with nothing to do and it's too cold to go outside, buy a hot bead set and put them to work!

Books Read

In January 2004 I started a journal of all books I've read.  This was in part to help me keep track of which books I've read but also as a guide to look back at plot lines I found important in books part of a larger series.  With 2017 recently coming to a close, I updated my list of read books and updated my graph of total books read over time.

Graph of total books read versus date.  

Based on the trend line I read about 32 books per year.  In 2017 I read 43 books, so a bit ahead of pace.  However, if you look a bit closer at the graph, you'll see the slope of the line increases right around 2011.  My book reading pace picked up a bit in 2011 and has continued to the present.  Thus the 43 books read last year is probably on par with previous years after 2011.  

The moral of this story?  I love to read!  Reading is a great way to learn, pass the time, and escape the stresses of everyday life!  I'm currently reading the third book in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. 

This Blog's History: The Meaning of Midnight

In case you missed it earlier this month, today I point you back to the rant I wrote on the common misconception many have regarding the meaning of 'midnight'.  Check out my rant by clicking the link below to read my original post on the topic.

The Meaning of Midnight.

Do More Births Take Place at Full Moon?

I first heard this in a podcast a couple of weeks ago, but apparently there is this idea that a full moon helps induce birth in humans.  Um...okay?  Why?  Supposedly a full moon creates a larger gravitational force, causing a fetus in the last month of term to drop, thus inducing labor and resulting in a greater chance of birth.  What the....???  What does science say?

A full moon does NOT induce labor.

To start, the gravitational force between the Earth and the moon remains the same regardless of the moon's phase.  The gravitational force depends on the mass of the Earth, the mass of the moon, and the distance between the two.  You may not see the full circular disk of the moon when it isn't full, but it's still there.  Therefore the mass of the moon does not change with phase.  This means the phase of the moon can in no way affect the gravitational force.  

The distance between the Earth and the moon does, however, change.  The moon's orbit is slightly elliptical so sometimes the moon is a bit closer than other times.  A closer distance does increase the gravitational force.  Again, however, we need to look at the numbers.  This change in gravitational force is so small, that even if it could somehow induce labor, it wouldn't.  

So there you go.  The full moon does not induce labor.  More babies are NOT born during a full moon.  

Round Earth Evidence

The Earth is NOT flat.  Let's make that very clear.  The Earth is clearly round and every bit of evidence shows this as fact.  To state the Earth is flat is to knowingly lie about your knowledge, knowingly mislead the public for personal gain, or to accept even the tiniest conspiracy presented to you.  However, if you need some evidence Earth is round, here's a great piece of evidence tweeted out by Neil deGrasse Tyson back in November 2017.

A "flat Earth" lunar eclipse.

This is what a "flat Earth" lunar eclipse would look like.  Unfortunately to all of the flat-Earthers out there, this has never been observed.  The shadow Earth casts on the moon during a lunar eclipse is curved.

A real lunar eclipse.

Once again Neil deGrasse Tyson destroys the conspiracy theorists in less than 140 characters and a single image. 

Misconceptions That Kill #8: Drinking From a Cactus

I ran across this misconception last week and it fits in great with my Misconceptions That Kill series, so I've now added it as the 8th in an ongoing series of misconceptions that kill.  The misconception states that if you find yourself in a desert in desperate need of water, find a cactus, cut it open (hopefully you have a knife), and drink the water contained within.  Saved to live another day, right?  Nope.

A cactus won't save your life.

Turns out that a cactus doesn't contain drinkable water.  Inside a cactus is a liquid pulp containing toxic alkaloids.  Although the alkaloids may not directly kill you, they can cause you to get extremely sick and induce vomiting which only dehydrates your body further.  Thus in your attempt to quench your thirst, you've actually removed more water from your body and death is likely to come sooner.  

Moral of this story?  Don't get lost in a desert.

Discover Magazines Top 100 Science Stories of 2017

Each year Discover magazine publishes (Jan/Feb issue) their choices for the top 100 science stories of the previous year.  I recently finished reading this year's issue.  Many, many cool science events in 2017.  A total of 100 to be exact.  :-)

Discover Magazine - Top 100 Science Stories of 2017

The number one science story of 2017?  The total solar eclipse.  I can buy that.  Not a discovery by any means, but a highly anticipated event viewed by upwards of 200 million people in the U.S.  I was one of those people and those two minutes were worth the drive and the intense traffic jam on the way home.  More than worth the drive!  I can't wait for the next total solar eclipse to hit the U.S., in 2024.  

I was vaguely familiar with most of the 100 stories.  As a science teacher I try to pay attention with current events throughout the year.  I didn't know the details of many of the stories but remember the basics of most of the stories.  The number four story of the year was very sad and it amazes me we even have to talk about this.  The number four story was the current administration's attempt to silence science throughout the year.  Sigh.  Despite that though, pick up a copy of the January/February 2018 issue and catch up on all the science you missed in 2017.

This Blog's History: Does Thanksgiving Turkey Make You Sleepy?

In case you missed it last time, today, for This Friday in This Blog's History, I point you back to the post I wrote on the misconception that Thanksgiving turkey makes one sleepy.  It doesn't.  There are many other causes to sleepiness on Thanksgiving, none of which are turkey.  For the details, click the link to the original post below.

Did That Thanksgiving Turkey Make You Sleepy?

Star Wars Books

I love Star Wars (Episodes 1 & 2 wipe from memory, of course) and recently took a look at the collection of Star Wars books out there.  I've read a couple in years past but I was astonished when I saw the full, and growing list, of Star Wars books written by various authors.  Wow!  Here's a site that has organized them in chronological order.

Star Wars Books - Chronological Order

The few I've read I'd rate as okay to good, but not great.  Then again, I've only read a couple.  I plan to read some others in the future, but as I've said many times, my to-read list is ever growing and far exceeds the lifetime of the oldest human alive.  I guess it's good that I like to read but also sad I'll never finish my to-read list.  Oh well.

Valentine's Day is coming up so if you have a Star Wars lover in your family, a Star Wars book might be a good gift choice!  Works for birthdays too.  Books are never a bad idea!

The Last Jedi

As a family we went to the movie theater to see the latest Star Wars Movie, The Last Jedi.  Of course we weren't going to miss it and went on opening weekend.  Thankfully the theater in our town is newly re-modeled with fancy reclining seats and plenty of leg room, as well as the ability to reserve specific seats early to avoid waiting in line on the day of. 

Star Wars Episode #8:  The Last Jedi

Excellent movie!  We loved it!  I don't know what all the Star Wars haters are talking about as this was a great movie in the series.  In case you haven't seen it yet I won't reveal any spoilers, but wait, I will!  Here are spoilers!!!

Han Solo is not dead.  Kylo Ren turns out to be Luke and Princess Leia's sister.  Jar Jar Binks returns to lead the Ewoks in their fight against the dark side.  Darth Vader is not dead and returns as a storm trooper.  And Bruce Willis makes an appearance to stop an asteroid from destroying a planet.  So many twists and turns in this movie.  :-)

Will Earth Lose The Moon?

As you know, the Earth has a moon and sometimes this moon gives us breathtaking views.  A full moon rising just above the horizon is always a sight to see as Earth's atmosphere gives the moon a very brilliant orange/red color for an hour or so before the moon reaches a higher altitude in the sky.  Then there are lunar and solar eclipses that give us even more breathtaking views.  The moon, however, is slowly moving away from Earth at an average of a few centimeters per year.  This may seem like a lot, but eventually there will be no more solar eclipses.  As the moon moves away, it appears smaller in the sky and will no longer appear large enough to block the Sun and give us an eclipse.  In addition, the gravitational force between the Earth and moon decreases with increasing distance.  Does a weaker gravitational force mean we'll lose our moon?

The answer is no and it's explained wonderfully in this very cool video from SciShow.

Will the Moon Ever Leave the Earth's Orbit?

Tidal forces between Earth and the moon cause the moon to move away and cause Earth's rotation to slow down.  In other words, days on Earth are getting longer, but only by tiny fractions of a second each year.  It's only noticeable when we consider time scales of thousands to millions of years.  Eventually the moon's distance will increase to the point where only one half of Earth will face the moon.  The same side of Earth will always face the moon, just as the same side of the moon is always facing the Earth.  However, something else happens WELL before this and that's the end of our Sun.  In about 4.5 billion years, the Sun will expand into a Red Giant and that will quite possibly be the end of Earth as a planet.  Therefore losing the moon or only having one side of Earth able to see the moon is not anything to worry about since the Sun will end its life well before that time!  If you love our moon, no worries, it will always be there while you are alive.  And your kids.  And grand kids.  And grand-grand kids.  And...well, you get the point.  :-)

Check out the video for more details.  It's a great video and SciShow has produced hundreds of wonderful science videos!

Misconceptions That Kill #7: Do Tornadoes Cross Rivers?

It's time to write about another common misconception that can literally kill you.  There are many myths regarding tornadoes and many of these myths can lead to needless deaths.  Today I want to specifically focus on the misconception that tornadoes cannot cross rivers.  Often this misconception is modified to state that a river's shape or bend can prevent tornadoes from crossing.  Wrong.  Wrong.  Wrong.  Wrong.  A thousand times wrong.  A tornado doesn't give a crap about a river.  In fact, tornadoes can form over a body of water!

Tornado on a lake.

There's this common myth where I live that the local river stops tornadoes and therefore we rarely (and never according to some people) get a tornado.  Well, guess what?  Earlier this year we had a tornado touch down and sweep through a residential area.  Fortunately it was a weaker tornado and no one was killed, but ignoring or misunderstanding the threat of tornadoes can be deadly.  Can tornadoes cross rivers?  Absolutely yes and to argue otherwise could result in someone's unnecessary death. 

This Blog's History: Can You Play Basketball on Mars?

For This Friday in This Blog's History I point you back to a post I wrote on the interesting dinner conversation my 7 year old started regarding the ability to play basketball on Mars.  So can you play basketball on Mars?  Read the original post linked below to find out.

Can You Play Basketball on Mars?

The Impact Podcast

Here's another cool podcast to check out:

The Impact Podcast

The Impact is produced by the people at Vox.  Vox is an independent media source that describes themselves as:

"Vox explains the news.  We live in a world of too much information and too little context. Too much noise and too little insight. And so Vox's journalists candidly shepherd audiences through politics and policy, business and pop culture, food, science, and everything else that matters."

I think they do a great job on the news, but that's a separate issue from this podcast.  The Impact just completed it's first season with eight episodes.  It's not yet determined if there will be a second season.  Right now they are determining if there is demand for a second season, but even if there is no second season, I still encourage listening to the first season.  The Impact podcast is self-described as:

"The Impact is a weekly narrative podcast about the consequences that laws have on real people's lives, hosted by Sarah Kliff."

So the focus is on the law, but there's quite a bit of science thrown in as well.  Episode titles include opioids, maternal death rates, fax machines, and unintended pregnancies.  If you only listen to one episode, listen to the one on fax machines.  The reason why doctor offices still rely heavily on cumbersome fax machines will blow your mind!

It’s 2017. Why does medicine still run on fax machines?

Check out The Impact, a great podcast that will hopefully continue with a second season and more!

What Does Midnight Mean?

I can't stand it any longer.  I have to write about this misconception as it's a relatively simple misconception but one that bugs me to no end!  I find it unfortunate that too many do not understand the meaning of 'midnight'.  Too often deadlines are given stating something along the lines of "such and such is due at midnight on Thursday."  Is it really due at midnight on Thursday?  Does the deadline giver understand what midnight on Thursday actually means? 

What is midnight?  Midnight is the START of the day.  It is 12:00 AM to start a new day.  When stating such and such is due on Thursday at midnight means 12:00 AM on Thursday, which means the start of Thursday, not the end of Thursday.  Yet what is typically intended is the "end of the day on Thursday".  The end of the day Thursday is not midnight.  It's 11:59 PM.  One minute before Friday.  Personally I never use the phrase "Thursday (or any day) at midnight" because it will inevitably lead to confusion.  I always give an exact time and exact day to remove any possibility of confusion. 

I'm probably the only person in the world bothered by this, but midnight is the START of a day.  If you intended to mean the end of a day, don't say midnight.  :-) 

Misconception explained.  Rant over.  :-)

Leap (The Movie)

Last month, while my wife and oldest daughter were busy with a Girl Scouts event, my youngest daughter and I grabbed a Redbox movie, a bowl of popcorn, and hung out in the back bedroom away from all the chaos in our house.  :-)  The movie we watched was Leap.

Leap

The movie is about two orphans who escape their orphanage and set out to achieve their dreams.  The girl has dreams of being a star ballerina and the boy has dreams of being a star inventor.  The focus of the movie is on the girl.  The boy is a bit clumsy and unsympathetic at times, and although there is some focus on his dream, the majority focus is on the girl.  

I found this to be an excellent movie with a great message to kids.  It's a message to work hard to achieve your dreams and to push back against those who tell you your dreams are impossible.  There's also a great question posed that we all need to answer at times.  The question that pops up several times is "why do you dance?"  Replace dance with your dream and answer the question.  Why are our dreams our dreams?  Why do we do what we do?  Is it because of our passion or love for the dream or is it because that's what we were told to do or fell into doing?  If we don't enjoy what we do, why are we doing it?  Did we give up on our dreams?  All very good questions for individuals of all ages.

My 7 year old and I had a great watching this movie and a great time hanging out together. 

Welcome to 2018!!!

Welcome to 2018!!!  Happy New Year!!!  Skip those New Year's resolutions as they are too easily broken.  Set a simple goal of having fun and immersing yourself in more science!  There's so much cool science out there in the form of experiments, demonstrations, YouTube videos, podcasts, science fair projects, etc., that it's nearly impossible to not immerse yourself in science unless you really, really try hard to avoid science.

Enjoy the first day of 2018 and set out to make this a great year of science!