It’s Science week at Camp Bouncers and as promised we’ll be covering one of our favorite science experiments in this blog post! ACA offers quality summer programs for kids through our wonderful sister company Gainesville Bouncers. Our Gainesville Summer programs for kids offer varying themes throughout the Summer months including music, science, art, nature exploration, and much more! Before we begin we wanted to remind parents that you have countless opportunities to engage your child in fun learning activities throughout your everyday routine. The science experiment illustrated below is a fun and insightful weekend experiment to tackle with your child while you share breakfast together.
Materials Required:
- A Serving of Iron-Rich Cereal. (General Mills Total Raisin Bran works pretty well).
- A Standard Dining Plate
- A Measuring Cup (mainly for pouring)
- Water (or H2O to keep it scientific!)
- A Strong Magnet
The Process:
The Experiment is fairly simple, but pretty amazing if you approach it with patience and good observation skills. You’ll teach your child about magnetism and help them understand that everyday food is composed of various materials they might’ve never realized were even there.
- The first portion of the experiment will involve pouring a small pile of flakes on the plate. Ask your child to crush up the flakes with their fingers (help them if needed). Hold the magnet close to (yet not touching) a flake, and see if the flake moves towards the magnet. If you can get a flake to move (look for slight movement here) that piece of cereal is likely to contain metallic iron!
- Next direct your child to press the magnet directly onto the broken cereal pieces. Help them make firm contact with the flakes and lift the magnet. Inspect the magnet and see if you were able to capture any pieces of cereal with this technique. Ask your child if they notice the pieces sticking explain that the iron within the cereal makes this possible.
- The next portion will involve pouring a small amount of water onto the plate. Help your child with this step and ensure that there is enough water to float flakes on top of. With practice and patience, you should be able to move some of the cereal flakes across the surface of the water using nothing but indirect contact with your magnet. Teach your child to keep the magnet close to the flakes without touching them to demonstrate the power of magnetism. Make games out of your discovery and line flakes up using your magnet. The possibilities are endless, and your child will be learning and smiling.
If you are looking for the best Summer programs for kids in Gainesville Florida look no further than Camp Bouncers! Our premium summer camp for children aged 5-10 engages campers in fun group activities, teaches them about important fundamentals regarding the arts and sciences, and above all else provide a fun and safe environment for your child. Contact Us today or schedule a free tour with our online booking tool (Simply navigate to our top menu and click “Book a Tour”).
Is Your Child Younger Than Five? No Problem!
We have various preschool aged programs provided through A Child’s Academy as well!
