Gaelscoil Chill Dara

Grow some crystals

CLASS LEVEL Fourth - Sixth classes
SKILLS Observing, Experimenting
CONTENT Materials
CROSS - CURRICULAR
LINKS Geography – Natural Environments, Rocks and soil
EQUIPMENT Sodium bicarbonate (bread soda), cream of tartar (or Bextartar) (both obtainable in
supermarkets), plastic container, stirrer (e.g. plastic spoon), cold water, bowl of hot tap
water. Hand lens to look at crystals.
PREPARATION Collection of materials
BACKGROUND INFORMATION Most solids are made up of lots of crystals.
Crystals come in many shapes and sizes. Sometimes you cannot see them because
they are too small or are stuck together. If you look at sugar under a magnifying glass
you will see tiny glassy cubes. These are sugar crystals.We sprinkle tiny crystals of salt
on our food. Diamonds are probably the most beautiful crystals of all. Their clear flat
faces sparkle in the light.
Crystals of a substance have a regular pattern; there are seven main crystal shapes.
Crystals of the same substance are always the same shape.
To make good crystals you need to make a concentrated solution of the substance, i.e.
keep adding the substance to the water until no more will dissolve. Sometimes putting
a small crystal of itself into the solution can act as a ‘seed’ to produce a large crystal.
TRIGGER QUESTIONS Here are some questions to ask the children to set the scene for the activity
What is a crystal? How would you describe a crystal? (A crystal is a substance with a
regular shape).
Do you know of any crystals? Where would you find crystals at home? (salt, sugar,
washing soda (take care), jewellery)
What shape are they?

Make a Rocket

CLASS LEVEL Fourth - Sixth classes
SKILLS Experimenting
CURRICULUM LINKS English:
Rockets and space can be used as a theme for different styles of
writing about space
Geography
Art
CONTENT Materials and change
Forces
MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT Film canister (no hole), any tablet that dissolves and fizzes e.g.
Alka-Seltzer, Vitamin C tablets, blu-tack,water
PREPARATION Collection of materials, test the activity.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION When water is added to the tablet the gas carbon dioxide is released. The pressure of the carbon dioxide gas builds up inside the canister until it becomes so great that it blows the canister from its lid. The gas rushing out of the end of the canister pushes
it in the opposite direction. The ‘rocket’ can shoot up to 5 metres into the air.
TRIGGER QUESTIONS What is a rocket? A cylinder full of materials which can produce gases.
What are rockets used for? Signalling; sending space machines with great
force into the air to get outside earth’s gravity
What gives a rocket its energy to ‘blast off’? A jet of gases released from the
back of the rocket sends it forwards.
The children can blow up a balloon and let it go. Ask them which direction the
released air goes and which direction the balloon goes.
They go in opposite directions.
Note: You may have done the Rocket Launch activity in the Activity Support Booklet.
This works on the same principle.
SAFETY Keep the children (and yourself) well back from this activity as the lid can take
off with some force and could damage eyes and faces. This activity is probably
best done outside – it can be messy.

Make a paper helicopter

CLASS LEVEL First – sixth class
OBJECTIVES Content Strand and Strand Unit
Energy & forces, Forces
Through investigation the child should be enabled to come to appreciate that gravity
is a force, SESE: Science Curriculum page 87.
In this activity children explore how some things fall and how varying the size of the
rotor blades, the shape of the rotor blades and the weight of a paper helicopter affect
the way a helicopter spins.
Skill development
Through completing the strand units of the science curriculum the child should be
enabled to design, plan and carry out simple experiments, having regard to one or two
variables and the need to sequence tasks and tests, SESE: Science Curriculum page 79.
This activity helps them understand fair testing by
changing only one variable (i.e. shape only or length
only) at a time.
Investigating; experimenting; observing; analysing;
measuring/timing; recording and communicating.
CURRICULUM LINKS Mathematics
Data / representing and interpreting data
SESE: History
Continuity and change over time/ technological and
scientific developments over long periods
BACKGROUND A previous activity on how things fall (i.e. the weight of
the object is not a factor – Galileo and the Leaning
Tower of Pisa) would help understanding of this activity,
but not essential.
MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT Paper, Ruler, Paper Clips, Scissors
Templates of different sizes
PREPARATION Test out a few thicknesses of paper/cardboard first to
see that some of them spin.
BACKGROUND The shape of the helicopter rotor blades make it spin
INFORMATION when dropped from a height. Gravity pulls the
helicopter down. The air resists the movement and
pushes up each rotor separately, causing the helicopter
to spin.

Dancing Raisins

EQUIPMENT A jar of water, A jar of clear fizzy drink, e.g. 7-UP or soda water
(freshly-opened: must be very fizzy)
A handful of raisins
PREPARATION None
BACKGROUND INFORMATION The raisins are heavier than the drink so they sink to the bottom. At the bottom
of the fizzy drink they collect bubbles of carbon dioxide and now the ‘raisins +
bubbles’ are lighter than the drink so they rise to the surface.
When they reach the surface the gas bubbles burst and the raisins sink; then they
collect more gas bubbles etc.
This will continue as long as the drink is quite fizzy.
SKILLS Observing
ACTIVITY (Note: this may be best done as a demonstration – something going on in the
background during another activity)
Drop a handful of raisins into a jar of water. (They sink to the bottom.)
Drop a handful of raisins into a jar of freshly opened fizzy drink.
After a while the raisins will rise to the surface, sink, rise again, etc. thus dancing
up and down.
SAFETY Care with liquids
FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITY Weigh the raisins before and after the
activity.
Do you notice anything?
Can you explain?

Mirror Writing

EQUIPMENT Small flat plastic mirrors
White paper
Pencils
Markers
PREPARATION Collection of equipment
BACKGROUND INFORMATION When white light meets a shiny surface like a mirror, it bounces off it and is reflected back.
In these activities when you look in the mirror the top of your picture becomes the
bottom and vice versa. This makes it very difficult to draw around, especially when
you change direction.
All of the letters in ‘CHOICE DICE’ are symmetrical (top to bottom).
These activities appear simple but are actually quite difficult – try and see!
SKILLS Investigating and experimenting
ACTIVITY (These activities probably work best in twos – one holding the mirror while the
other writes. Then swapping around.)
With a mirror standing at right angles to a piece of paper try to go over a simple
shape with a marker while looking in the mirror only.
Try to write your name on a piece of paper while only looking at the mirror
(and not looking at the paper).
Again looking only in the mirror,with a pencil try to find your way around a maze
from start to finish.
Hold the mirror behind each of the shop signs.
CHOICE DICE is the same.
SAFETY Use plastic mirrors – obtainable from scientific suppliers.