Chanukah science...spinning tops

What do bicycles, frisbees, yo-yos, hula hoops, dreidels, and even the earth have in common? They all spin, and so long as they spin the better they are at resisting what gravity is trying so hard to get them to do, which is tumble and fall.

This week we talked about how dreidels work and then we observed the optical illusions produced by spinning tops with different colorful patterns. We finished up by making our own tops using old CDs.

Chanukah science...Which oil is the most miraculous?

In anticipation of Chanukah we investigated different oils and candles to see which one burns most efficiently.* We tested each oil or candle by measuring the mass before and after letting the wick burn for 3 minutes  We concluded that the one that lost the LEAST weight was the most efficient fuel source, and also the most miraculous.

*inspired by Amitai Levy and Roey Roth's 2008 science fair project

Chanukah science...Candles, air, and a bowl of water

This week the kids explored the effects of using a graduated cylinder to cover a lit candle standing in a bowl filled with water. What happens and why...these were the questions we set out to discover. Some of the results were easy to spot. Others required repeating the experiment multiple times.