What would happen if all roads in L.A. were made of graham crackers? (Science in the City - Roads)

Roads need to be smooth, strong, durable, and maintained or else we are going to hear about it as civil engineers. Roads also have to fit pipes, wires, and sewers underneath! During Builder’s Paradise, our innovative students at Kids Science Labs investigated

  • How to make concrete with various pebble-like textures for added friction

  • How potholes are created and how to use science to prevent environmental damage to roads

  • Which materials would be best for building roads, and then customizing our very own yellow brick roads with strawberry infusions so driving is both safe and full of wonderful aromas

  • When changes in road designs are necessary based on geographic and climate variations that impact safety and our desired driving experiences

Students engaged in problem solving on how to manufacture concrete and to keep each level of the earth flat, when pouring their own custom concrete aggregate. Each child at KSL explored the science in our city layers under the surface, including rocks, soil, clay, and minerals, as well as what happens when concrete (plaster) is poured with varying aggregate materials. This is a two-day experience @ KSL and teachers focused on enhancing confidence through overcoming design mistakes, and problem solving to improve existing designs.

Show the video to your student to learn more or watch it with them to build more confidence in understanding how roads are built in Science in the City!

Why do some volleyball players wear a walking boot, when they injure their feet?

Athletes push their bodies, move a lot, and impacts, fractures, and over extensions of joints may occur. Injuries are a part of life and even more expected for athletes who spend so much time moving, practicing, and playing games. We want kids to enable kids to explore How Stuff Works with regard to games, and since most games involve some form of lever (arm, leg, stick, racquet) and some form of projectile (ball, dart), we are using hands-on science to better understand sports medicine and both minor and major injuries.

To build community today around the impact of sports injuries and how medicine works to prevent and repair the challenges of competing, we:

  • listened to kids share their personal “sports injury” stories, so we could also see that all of us get scrapes and bruises, and a smaller group of is may get more serious injuries that require a split, cast, or at least receiving urgent care from our parents or a medical professional.

  • Evaluated x-rays of healthy bones and some images of minor fractures, or breaks, as we discussed how doctors treat our injuries

  • Explored why ice packs help, and designed some innovative tools to aid our knowledge of how to prevent more serious injuries

To build additional confidence with How Sports Medicine Works, we encourage you to watch this How It’s Made video all about the science of bandaids.

Please don’t forget your INNOVATION BOX, which is customized by your child every Wednesday at Kids Science Labs, to enable at home science and create new neuroscience pathways that increase the fun and build real confidence with hands-on science. ….

As members, please also take advantage of our KSL Rewards Program that offers benefits to our entire community. Call us at (773-798-2012 or email support@kidssciencelabs.com) and mention “KSL Blog”

  • 20% off any new program registration (parties, camps, group events, field trips) after this camp

  • Free access to KSL Academy Programs for gifted and enthusiastic young scientists

  • Social media raffle for members to win birthday party giveaways at Kids Science Labs

  • Exclusive members-only Youtube content that powers kids to outperform in STEM long-term and on NGSS tests in 3rd, 5th, and 7th grade!

Is there an actual purpose of slime, other than making kids laugh?

Slimes are fun, but they have a real function for animals to defend against attack, ridding your body of germs, and even helping make your toast sweet. Jams, sunbutters, and saliva are all types of slimes that are viscous (thick), sticky (cohesive/adhesive) and wet. On this day, our students made slimes that solve a problem, and explored the elements inside those viscous (thick) liquids in our refrigerator that make them so much fun.

Our young scientists explored the hands-on science below

  • How to adjust the ratios of elements to change a chemical’s properties using hands-on science

  • When a substance is or is not a slime, based a simple three-part test (Is it viscous? Is it sticky? Is it wet?)

  • Comparing the relative viscosity (thickness) of any two liquids, using a simple incline plane to compare their speed rolling down a slight hill.

Watch the video below for an episode of Science Max for Kids about all types of chemical reactions, including real applications of slime and please don’t forget your INNOVATION BOX, which is customized by your child every Wednesday at Kids Science Labs, to enable at home science and create new neuroscience pathways that increase the fun and build real confidence with hands-on science. ….

As members, please take advantage of our KSL Rewards Program that offers benefits to our entire community. Call us at (773-798-2012 or email support@kidssciencelabs.com) and mention “KSL Blog”

  • 20% off any new program registration (parties, camps, group events, field trips) after this camp

  • Free access to KSL Academy Programs for gifted and enthusiastic young scientists

  • Social media raffle for members to win birthday party giveaways at Kids Science Labs

  • Exclusive members-only Youtube content that powers kids to outperform in STEM long-term and on NGSS tests in 3rd, 5th, and 7th grade!

Why does Orange Juice get so clumpy when you add milk to the cup?

Everything is made of stuff called elements. Different combinations make different things. When you mix certain elements and groups of elements together, sometimes they react and fizz, bubble, or explode. Kids are exploring what nearly everything is made of, namely elements, and why certain combinations of elements (molecules) are more reactive than others. A chemical reaction is anytime you mix two things, and you get something new. Students learned that they are irreversible, and typically can be seen via a color change, temperature change, fizzing, or a state change.

On this day, we led our students to deepen their understand that everything is made of smaller things, called elements, and investigated:

  • how the entire universe has an ingredient list called the “periodic table of elements” that is organized and helps us understand how things behave when you mix them

  • how some elements are metals and exist as solids, and others are non-metals and may exist as solids, liquids, or gases

  • what happens when two things mix and things stay the same ( physical reaction) v. something new is created (chemical reaction)

  • why ratios matter, and how acid and bases can be used to create innovative tools

In camp kids are making their own customized chemistry kits, with the elements of fun. We love providing our community with useful resources for kids to learn more at home, so show your kids this fun video to build confidence with Chemical Reactions: