SCIENCE FIELD IN MINNESOTA
CELEBRATING EARTH'S BIRTHDAY.
CHALLENGES FOR CITIZENS
SCIENTISTS OF ALL AGES.
WE'LL GET YOU THERE.
EARTH DAY, GREAT TIME TO
INCORPORATE SOME LEARNING INTO
YOUR KID'S DAY.
DOESN'T HAVE TO BE BORING.
WE SKYPED WITH OUR KITCHEN
SCIENTIST TO FIND OUT SOME FUN
WAYS TO CELEBRATE.
LIZ, THANKS SO MUCH FOR
JOINING US HERE TODAY.
I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE.
NICE TO SEE YOU.
SO WE KNOW EVERYBODY'S BEEN
STAYING AT HOME.
HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE YOU WRITTEN
SO FAR HERE?
I'M WORKING ON TWO RIGHT
NOW.
UNDER A LOT OF DEADLINES.
THE REST OF US FEEL LIKE
MAJOR UNDERACHIEVERS.
I'VE WRITTEN ZERO BOOKS DURING
THIS TIME.
YEAH, I KNOW.
YOU GUYS DON'T DO ANYTHING.
THAT'S TRUE.
EARTH DAY TODAY AND I KNOW YOU
HAVE A COUPLE EXPERIMENTS
SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO GET
KIDS AND PARENTS TALKING ABOUT
THE EARTH.
I DO.
AND I'M GOING TO KICK THINGS
OFF TALKING ABOUT AN EXPERIMENT
FROM MY NEW BOOK "CHEMISTRY FOR
KIDS" AND IT COMES OUT IN LESS
THAN TWO WEEKS.
I'M SUPER EXCITED.
THIS TEACHES KIDS ABOUT
CHEMICAL DISPURGS AND THAT'S
THE WAY THAT CHEMICALS MOVE
THROUGH THE ENVIRONMENT.
SO IF YOU PUT STUFF ON YOUR
LAWN, IF STUFF GOES THROUGH THE
LAKE, IT MOVES THROUGH THE
WATER AND THE SOIL.
AND RACHEL CARSON WHO WAS THE
AUTHOR OF THE "ENVIRONMENTAL
MOVEMENT" WAS THE FIRST PERSON
TO TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF
THIS WHEN SHE NOTED -- SHE
WROTE A BOOK CALLED "SILENT
SPRINGS" SHE WROTE A BOOK THEY
WERE SPRAYING ALL THE PLANTS
AND SHE COULDN'T HEAR THE SONG
BIRDS IN THE SPRING.
SO YOU PUT GELATIN AND THEN YOU
PUT IT IN A DISH AND THEN YOU
USE A STRAW TO POKE HOLES IN
THE GELATIN, AND THIS IS ON MY
WEBSITE, THEN YOU PUT FOOD
COLORING INTO THE HOLES AND YOU
CAN SEE HOW THE FOOD COLORING
DISBERNIE SANDERSES, HOW IT
MOVES FROM THE AREA
CONCENTRATED FROM THE GELATIN
OUT INTO THE GELATIN AND YOU
CAN CUT A LITTLE PRETEND STREAM
INTO YOUR GELATIN AND THEN PUT
WATER INTO IT AND KIDS CAN SEE
HOW THE FOOD COLORING WILL MOVE
FROM THE GELATIN INTO THE
WATER.
IT'S A COOL EXPERIMENT THAT
DEMONSTRATES ABOUT WHY YOU HAVE
TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT
CHEMICALS YOU PUT INTO THE
ENVIRONMENT.
IT ALSO LOOKS COOL.
YOU'VE GOT A LITTLE WATER AND
LAND.
WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE
CANDLES HERE.
OKAY.
SO IT'S FUN FOR KIDS TO THINK
ABOUT WEATHER, RIGHT.
OUR ENVIRONMENT IS AFFECTED A
LOT BY THE WEATHER.
AND WE LIVE UNDER A GIANT
SWIMMING POOL OF GASES SXB AIR.
SO, ONE THING YOU CAN DO TO SEE
THE POWER OF ATMOSPHERIC
PRESSURE IS TO USE IT TO PUSH
HARD BOILED EGGS INTO A BOTTLE.
SO I'M LIGHTING SOME CANDLES.
I HAVE A COUPLE OF EMPTY JUICE
BOTTLES HERE AND WE CAN SEE THE
COMBUSTION IS A CHEMICAL
BURNING REACTION.
WE CAN SEE AS THE OXYGEN'S USED
UP, THE CANNELS WILL GO OUT AND
THE EGGS WILL POP UP INTO THE
BOTTLE.
THAT IS FANTASTIC.
SO THIS IS REALLY COOL.
MY DAD JUST TOLD ME ABOUT THIS.
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD FREE BAROMETER
APPS ON YOUR PHONE THAT SHOW
YOU HOW ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE IS
CHANGING.
KIDS CAN KEEP TRACK OF IT.
AND AS A THUNDERSTORM'S ROLLING
IN, THEY CAN WATCH THE MILIBARS
YOU KNOW, THE MEASUREMENT FOR
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE AND THEY
CAN EVEN KEEP A WEATHER
NOTEBOOK.
COOL.
OH,.
AND THIS IS COOL TOO.
YOU TAKE ONE OF THESE
BAROMETERS AND YOU PUT IT IN A
PLASTIC BAG, SEAL THE BAG, AND
SQUEEZE THE BAG REALLY HARD.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN SEE
THIS BUT YOU CAN WATCH AS THE
PRESSURE IN THE BAG INCREASES,
YOU CAN SEE THE BAR METTIC
MEASURE DROP.
.
WHAT ARE THESE BEAUTIFUL
BRACELETS OVER HERE ON THE
SIDE?
OKAY.
THIS IS DUCT TAPE.
I LOVE THIS PROJECT BECAUSE
EVERYONE'S BEEN OUT A LOT WITH
THEIR KIDS, RIGHT.
WALKING AROUND.
SO KIDS CAN TAKE DUCT TAPE AND
ADULTS, I ACTUALLY LIKE DOING
THIS TOO, PUT IT INSIDE OUT ON
THEIR RISK AND MAKE NATURE WALK
BRACELETS.
AS YOU'RE WALKING WITH YOUR
KIDS OR BY YOURSELF, COLLECT
LITTLE THINGS.
RIGHT NOW THE FLU BELLS ARE
BLOOMING.
AS SPRING COMES ON, MORE AND
MORE PLANTS WILL EMERGE,
FLOWERS WILL EMERGE, YOU CAN
STICK THEM ON AS YOU'RE
WALKING, COLLECT THEM, AND WHEN
YOU GET HOME YOU CAN TRY TO
IDENTIFY THEM.
THERE ARE LOTS OF COOL APPS FOR
IDENTIFYING LEAVES AND FLOWERS
AND SEEDS.
FLYING OFF TREES BUT IT'S A
REALLY FUN WAY TO INCORPORATE A
LITTLE ART AND FASHION INTO
YOUR SCIENCE PROJECT FOR EARTH
DAY.
GOOD STUFF, LIZ.
THANK YOU.
THANKS.
THAT WAS FUN, RIGHT.
YOU CAN SEE MORE OF LIZ'S