The Saskatchewan Science Centre Online! Check out our hilarious and educational web series “SSCTV”, find downloadable resources, explore other cool science links, and tune into the live BUBOCam!
Science At Home - Polymers
Learn how the science of polymers keep this bag from leaking, and prevent the balloon from popping! Or will it?
Hey Science Fans!
Here’s a couple of great activities that you can do at home to amaze your friends and family (and explore learning with your kids!)
Instructions
ZIPLOC BAG DEMONSTRATION
Here’s what you’ll need:
Ziploc Bag
Water
2 Sharp Pencils
Fill the Ziploc bag with water and seal it. Poke the pencils through the bag, being careful not to tear the bag.
What’s happening?
The polymers in the bag (in this case polyethylene) are flexible enough to allow the pencils to pass in between the molecules. Because they are slightly stretchy, they fill any gaps between the pencil and the bag, keeping leaks to a minimum.
Experiment!
What happens if you use something really thin, or really thick instead of a pencil?
Further Reading:
https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/leak-proof-bag/
BALLOON DEMONSTRATION
Here’s what you’ll need:
Latex Balloon
Toothpick
Deep breaths
Inflate the balloon about halfway so that it has a nice round shape, but isn’t completely full. Tie it off so that it doesn’t leak. Insert the toothpick in either the base of the balloon, or near the top of the balloon.
What’s happening?
The polymers in the balloon (in this case latex), are very stretchy AND thicker near the base and top of the balloon. Because the balloon isn’t fully inflated and the balloon is thicker near these points, the polymers can still stretch to fill the space created by the toothpick. The balloon pops if you stick it on the side because the balloon is thinner there and the polymers are stretched further apart.
Experiment!
Using a wooden skewer, try to pierce both the bottom AND top of the balloon at the same time.
How big can you inflate the balloon before it pops when you try the demo?
Further reading:
https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/skewer-through-balloon/
Watch America's Musical Journey Online - Free!
In 2018 the Saskatchewan Science Centre rocked out with a visiting exhibition about music and a great IMAX documentary called America’s Musical Journey. We even partnered with Balfour Collegiate to recreate a flashmob from the film! Now you can watch America’s Musical Journey for free!
*Note - There are links, videos, and resources at the bottom of this post.
In 2018 the Saskatchewan Science Centre and Kramer IMAX Theatre rocked out! The Science Centre’s visiting exhibition was called Rock U, in which visitors could play instruments such as guitars and drum sets, listen to hundreds of popular rock ‘n roll songs from different decades, and learn about the history of the music business. It wasn’t all rock ‘n roll specific either - I even learned that an ocarina was a real instrument and not just something that Link plays in the Zelda games!
We paired that exhibition with America’s Musical Journey - a fun, toe-tapping movie featuring star musician Aloe Blacc. Even though it was called America’s Musical Journey, the film was really all about popular music through the decades, placed in the context of the cities where the styles came from. It’s easily one of my favorite IMAX films.
That summer, the Science Centre partnered with the new Balfour Arts Collective to stage a giant flashmob in downtown Regina, inspired by a scene in the film. And now you can watch the film for free!
Here’s s link to the flashmob that I mentioned above: Balfour Arts Collective Flashmob
And here’s the complete film for you to enjoy!
Download The Educator’s Guide Here
Atom + Geek Science Shop Home Delivery - Tin Can Cable Car
Introducing the Tin Can Cable Car: This kit introduces the basics of mechanical engineering and renewable materials in a fun, hands-on way!
Are you feeling stuck at home? Looking for fun things for your kids to do?
The Atom + Geek Science Shop is now offering FREE HOME DELIVERY* in Regina!!
*Free home delivery is next business day Monday - Friday.
Introducing the Tin Can Cable Car: This kit introduces the basics of mechanical engineering and renewable materials in a fun, hands-on way!
Explore the exciting worlds of mechanical engineering and green science with the 4M Green Science Tin Can Cable Car Kit. Assemble the cable car using a recycled soda can, then string the cable between two points and watch the car make its ascent.
This kit contains all the parts necessary to assemble one cable car. Requires one soda can, a screwdriver, and two AAA batteries. Detailed instructions included. Recommended for ages 8 and up.
Need help with assembly? Check out this video and follow along!
Sask Science Centre Online - A Video Experiment!
We’ve been working on finding new and innovative ways to bring you a virtual science centre experience. The team here at the Science Centre are talented, creative, quirky, geeky, and fun! So we set off on the task of delivering science programming in an exclusively online format. This video is the first result from a couple of crazy days.
Hello Internet!
Like you, our world has turned upside down as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Many of us at the Saskatchewan Science Centre are working from home and practicing social distancing, but we know that you are going to turn to us for fun and educational science content.
We’ve been working on finding new and innovative ways to bring you a virtual science centre experience. The team here at the Science Centre are talented, creative, quirky, geeky, and fun! So we set off on the task of delivering science programming in an exclusively online format. This video is the first result from a couple of crazy days.
We made a lot of mistakes and learned a lot of new things - it's an experiment, after all!
One of the things we learned is that the format presented here doesn't work very well - we also learned how to get audio that doesn't clip!
We want your feedback! Please, tell us what you love! Tell us what you hate! Tell us what we should do instead!
Perhaps most importantly, please like this video and subscribe to our YouTube channel and then bookmark this page so that you can see what we do next!
Proving The Earth Is Round With Kurtis Baute
In 2018 Kurtis Baute biked across Saskatchewan to measure the Earth and test it's shape. Staff from the Saskatchewan Science Centre helped to recreate the experiment that Eratosthenes first performed more than 2000 years ago!
In 2018 Kurtis Baute biked across Saskatchewan to measure the Earth and test it's shape. Staff from the Saskatchewan Science Centre helped to recreate the experiment that Eratosthenes first performed more than 2000 years ago!
Enjoy!