Elemental (Learn more about elements Earth, Water, Air, and Fire)

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1. Watch a movie about the elements. It could be about animals that live in the water, land, or air OR earth and conservation. The choice is yours.

2. Give back to the earth by planting a tree or flower. Plant a flower using a seed. Watch it grow and water it if needed. Plant a tree through the ONE TREE PLANTED program or planting one on your own.

3. Search trees that grow locally in your state. Identify two different types of trees that grow there OR go apple picking OR complete leaf rubbings OR attend Earth Day or any earth themed activity.

4. Liquid water is found in oceans, rivers, lakes—and even underground. Learn more about two animals that live in the water.

5. Solid water or ice is found in glaciers, snow, icicles, and more. What makes the water freeze? Learn about one animal that lives near the snow or an icy region of the earth.

6. Find out more about photosynthesis and how it creates oxygen for us to breathe.

7. Posters have been created for decades with messages on how to prevent forest fires and the “Smokey the Bear” mascot. Create a poster on paper that has your own wildfire prevention message or take the “Million Tree Challenge” which assists in planting trees to restore forests destroyed by wildfire.

8. When a volcano erupts the lava comes out. It flows on the ground until it cools and hardens into rock. Learn more about one volcano. Where is it? Is it active?

9. The earth's atmosphere is different from other planets. Learn about the difference in the Earth's atmosphere and a different planet.

10. Learn more about experiments using the elements. Complete a simple experiment using an element or combine two elements. Examples: Watery liquid and air, blow bubbles; water and the sun create sun tea; use the heat of a microwave and water molecules inside the marshmallow to make an inside out marshmallow OR ice cream float with carbonated soda.

11. In some forests there are designated camping areas where you can create a campfire. With adult supervision cook something on a campfire or learn how to safely put it out.

12. Create a craft that represents one of the elements. Examples: paper airplanes, pinwheel,
wind sock, kites, flowers, trees, camping theme, decorate a pet rock, or ocean in a bottle.

13. Get together and enjoy fun activities with your friends or family. Play a game or complete an activity that represents one of the elements. Examples: Water activities or games at camp, pool, school, or backyard; Air activities like flying a kite, blowing bubbles, watching clouds move, OR any games you throw a ball in the air; Fire activities like the floor is lava game, stories or songs around a campfire, OR skit on fire prevention; Earth activities or games nature scavenger hunt, letterboxing, relay or outdoor games.

14. Create or enjoy some fun themed food representing the elements. Examples: Cookies or cupcakes decorated with the different elements. Water: punch, goldfish crackers, or frozen lemonade; air: cotton candy, popcorn, puff pastry or Fire: campfire food, smores, or Crème Brûlée.

Sunny Tea
Purpose to determine how temperature affects how quickly a reaction occurs

Materials
two 1-quart jars or pitchers with lids
cold water
4 tea bags
timer

Procedure Fill the jars with water. Add 2 tea bags to each of the jars. Secure the lids on both jars. At or near noon on a sunny day, set one jar outside in direct sunlight. Set the remaining jar in the refrigerator. Every 30 minutes for 2 hours, compare the color of the liquid in each jar.

Results The tea in the ‘outside’ jar is darker than the ‘inside’ jar.

Why? As the temperature increases, a reaction, like brewing tea, goes faster. Heat from the Sun caused an increase in the temperature of the water in the ‘outdoor’ jar while the temperature of the ‘inside’ jar was decreased by the refrigerator. So, the hot tea brewed faster than the cold tea because it had more energy to start, complete, and finish the reaction.

Inside-Out Marshmallow

Materials
marshmallow
paper plate
microwave

Procedure Put a marshmallow on a paper plate and place it in the microwave for about a minute and thirty seconds. Observe the marshmallow. Once the time is up, take the plate out of the microwave, letting the marshmallow cool before you touch it. Observe the marshmallow as it cools. Break the marshmallow open. Look at the inside of the marshmallow. You can eat it now!

Results As the micro-waves (small and invisible waves) inside the microwave react with the marshmallow, the marshmallow grows, moves, and sways.As the marshmallow cools, it slowly shrinks and shrivels. The outside of the marshmallow is white and looks normal, but when you break it open you see that the inside of the marshmallow is brown and crispy.

Why? Microwave ovens cook by making water molecules in the food vibrate. The faster molecules vibrate, the hotter food gets. When the water gets hot enough, it transforms to steam, the gas form of water and this causes the tiny air spaces in the marshmallow to expand. A campfire cooks from the outside in, but a microwave penetrate the marshmallow and cook it all at once. The inside temperature of the marshmallow gets high enough so that it is cooked, but the outside of the marshmallow stays white because it is cooled by the steam when it leaves the marshmallow.

Ice Cream Float
Materials
any carbonated beverage (root bear or cream soda is the traditional choice)
2 scoops of vanilla ice cream
cup that is big enough to hold ice cream and beverage
spoon or straw

ProcedurePlace two scoops of vanilla ice cream inside the glass. Slowly pour the soda over top of the ice cream. This will create a frothy cream effect.

ResultsThe ice cream floats on top of the soda and the beverage foams.

Materials
any carbonated beverage (root bear or cream soda is the traditional choice)
2 scoops of vanilla ice cream
cup that is big enough to hold ice cream and beverage
spoon or straw

Procedure Place two scoops of vanilla ice cream inside the glass.
Slowly pour the soda over top of the ice cream. This will create a frothy cream effect. Add the spoon or straw and enjoy.

Results The ice cream floats on top of the soda and the beverage foams.

Why? The ice cream, though dense, is large, flat, and cold. The carbonation, bubbles, from the beverage are constantly trying to escape into the air, so they lift the ice cream up. The ice cream also lowers the temperature of the beverage, causing more bubbles to form (ice cubes do this as well, but not as much). Some of the ice cream also melts into the beverage and takes up room, causing even more bubbles to form.

Dark Depths of Planting

Purpose to demonstrate why green plants need a sunny environment

Materials 2 small green plotted plants of the same variety

Procedure Place one of the plants in a sunny area, and the other plant in a dark closet or cabinet, water them the same amount. Leave the plants for 7 days. Compare the color of the plants.

Results The plant in the closet will be lighter in color and wilted.

Why? Plants need sunlight to perform a reaction called photosynthesis which gives them energy. Chlorophyll is a green pigment necessary in the photosynthesis reaction.
Without the sunlight, the chlorophyll molecules are used up and not replenished, and this causes the plant to look pale. Eventually, the plant will die without sunlight.