Science research

Did you know that all foods we eat have some type of energy in them. That is why we eat them because our bodies need food to convert to energy and allow our muscles to move. Energy is heat for our bodies.

How can we see what type of energy a piece of food contains even though we are not eating it and digesting it? We will light a piece of food to show it has energy, otherwise it would not burn and then use the energy from it burning to show it can heat water.

Get these materials for the science experiment:

A large coffee can A smaller can like a soup can A wooden skewer like used for barbeque careful as the edges will be very sharp so ask a parent for help. You will now want to punch holes around the side edges of the large coffee can. You can use an ice pick with a hammer on a wooden cutting board. Definitely have your parents do this part. The reason for doing this is so that you can release a small bit of oxygen. The small can probably already has the top removed but if not go ahead and take the top off. Punch two holes in the top of the small can on opposite sides. Again have your parents do this hole punching. Put the wooden skewer through the holes so it evenly hangs from both sides. Pour a small amount of water into the small can. (About 2/3 to ½ cup works well.) Only use room temperature water. Use the thermometer to record the temperature. Now have your parents use a lighter and light the marshmallow on fire. Right away put the coffee can over the marshmallow and put the water filed soup can with wooden skewer on top of that. It should hang from the top of the coffee can over the marshmallow. It looks kind of like a camp fire as you are trying to heat the water in the soup can with the marshmallow. Let the marshmallow burn until it goes out. As soon as the flame goes out put the thermometer into the water and record the temperature.

Now you will do this with the peanut and piece of bread. (Note: the peanut may take a little while to light but do not give up. It will light because it has energy inside it.)

Make sure to record your temperature each time and use new room temperature water each time you do this.

What you have discovered is that each type of food we eat will burn because it has energy stored within it and that is what our body uses as fuel. Some foods have more energy inside them than others and that energy can be used to heat water just like it used the energy to keep our bodies warm.

What you are learning is that everything has energy which is measured in BTUs and for every BTU it should be able to raise four ounces of water 1 degree so when you see how many degrees the water temperature went up should show you how many BTUs of energy that piece of food contained.

By: Lesa Bolt

Even the simplest science projects can be dangerous if you do not practice science project safety. Combining some very common household ingredients in the right way can cause serious health problems and even death. Children should be taught basic safety techniques and parents should be readily available for questioning or to directly observe more hazardous experiments. Below are some basic safety tips to follow when working on science projects. There is no comprehensive list that covers every potential hazard so it is important to use common sense.

• Always carefully and thoroughly read all directions before beginning any experiment.


• If you have purchased a science kit of some kind, make sure that you are only using the materials provided in the kit and that you do not combine foreign materials unless otherwise directed.

• When it doubt, do not be afraid to ask questions. Make sure that children know to ask a parent if they are not sure what to do next and that parents refer to the instructional guide of a help-line if they do not know how to resolve an issue.

• Any experiment that involves fire, chemicals, or anything else that could be potentially dangerous, should be supervised by a parent, teacher or other knowledgeable adult.

• Never mix chemicals. Only use chemicals in the specific manner directed. Never touch chemicals with bare hands.

• Make sure that if you do not complete your project in a single sitting, that you put it someplace out of the way so that others do not injure themselves or accidentally handle your pending experiment.

• Always clean-up the area that you have been working on. You do not want parts of your chemistry project left on the same counter that your mom is going to use later to cook diner on.

• You may find that you will be asked to use materials for a specific project that require special care for their disposal. Just some of the ways that a substance could be hazardous are that it could be flammable, reactive, toxic, radioactive, etc.

• Animals, people and regulated materials should all be handled with care. Remember that science can stop being fun if someone gets hurt.

• Parents, make sure that if any of your projects materials are accompanied by Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) that you take time to carefully read through the information provided. MSDS sheets provide valuable information regarding how to handle a chemical and how to get medical help if needed.

• Make sure that you wear protective equipment such as goggles, gloves, an apron, or a hat when necessary.

The science projects that your children will be asked to perform are rarely going to involve any chemicals or substances that could easily harm them so you do not need to be paranoid about any project your child brings home from school. At the same time it is unwise to let your guard down and make assumptions about safety without carefully examining the situation. After all, accidents happen when you least expecting them.

Be involved as your child chooses which science projects that he would like to try. Make sure that you make the time to supervise your child and encourage your child to ask questions. Practicing good science safety will allow you and your children to have an educational and uplifting experience together.

By: Chuck Lunsford

This science project is unique as you will turn an egg green but how it happens is very interesting and a great demonstration experiment.

Things you will need for the science project.

An egg Red cabbage A pan A pot A bowl Oil A parent to help

You are going to make a green egg and cook it, but you will not be using any food coloring or anything green. Let us get to the experiment and we can discuss the results and hypothesis later.

Take the red cabbage and cut into slices as if you were making cole slaw. You will not need a great deal of cabbage. A cup or two should do the trick. Place the cabbage shreds into the pot and pour in a cup of water. If you are using more cabbage you may want a little more water. You do not need a lot. Turn on your stove top and leave on high or a fairly high heat. Let the cabbage cook for a bit. This could take ten to fifteen minutes. You want to get the water to turn a nice purple red color from the cooked cabbage. We will then use the water from the cabbage. Once the cabbage has cooked and the water is a very dark purple color you are ready.

Take your fresh egg and crack it. Separate the yolk into a small bowl and the white into a little larger bowl. Now take a spoonful of the red water from the cabbage and put into the bowl with your egg white and use the spoon or a fork to stir it up.

Heat up your skillet or pan and place a small amount of oil in the pan as you will be cooking the egg and need to keep it from sticking. When the pan is heated pour the colored egg white into the pan. You will notice the egg white is green. You can also put the yolk on top of the egg white now to cook both together.

This will be cooked sunny side up because you do not want to flip it over as you want everyone to see the green coloring. When done you can obviously eat the egg. There is nothing wrong with it because the coloring was added by the cabbage.

Why did this happen? You took the purple coloring from the cabbage and put it in the egg white and it turned green. You did not have the yolk involved in this. You only added the yolk after the white was cooked to finish the complete egg.

Why did this green coloring happen? What chemical process occurred? Was there any change in the egg shite itself?

This is a great science project for chemistry class in high school.

By: Lesa Bolt