Air Science

If a color blind person saw a pile of green crayons with one red crayon on the top, they might think all the crayons were the same color. But if there was an orange crayon on top of the green crayons, a color blind person might be able to see it.

Q: Why would a color blind person be able to see an orange crayon but not a red crayon? What is the difference between red and orange?

A: Orange is made of both red & yellow; a color blind person could tell that crayon was different because they could see that it was partly yellow.

We’re going to take a test to make sure we can tell the difference between colors.* See if you can observe the numbers and shapes in each picture.

* Don’t be alarmed if this is somewhat difficult; it is normal for young children to experience blue/green confusion.

Materials

• Color blindness tests

• (3) 4”x4” squares of cellophane per group: (1) red, (1) green, (1) blue

Procedure

• Allow the children to examine the different color blind tests
• Hold up each one, one at a time, and allow them to identify the symbol in each test
• Distribute the 3 colors of cellophane to each group
• Allow them to experiment with filtering different colors of light
• Ask them about the differences they observe using the cellophane filters

Roylco Color Vision Perception Kit

Materials

• Several shades of WATER BASED Colored Markers (permanent markers won’t work)
• Coffee Filter per child
• Eye Droppers or straw per child
• Water

Procedure

• Draw spots on the coffee filter with the markers (Don’t draw them too close together – keep plenty of space between each color)
• Add a few drops of water to each color
• Observe the way the spots expand and colors separate
• Discuss the combinations of colors involved
• Allow the coffee filter to dry for best results

Procedure
Instruct the children to mix their paint the same way we added colors together in the previous activity:

o Squirt yellow & red into one cup & stir to make orange.
o Squirt red & blue into another cup & stir to make purple.
o Squirt yellow & blue into a 3rd cup & stir to make green.

Add the primary colors to each of the other 3 cups, then paint a picture using all the colors of the rainbow.

Q: How many colors do you think exist?
A: Millions!!

Q: What are the colors in a rainbow?
A: Red, orange, yellow, blue, green, & purple

Did you know that we could make every single color that exists by mixing just three colors together? We call these three colors the PRIMARY COLORS.

Q: Do you know what the primary colors are?
A: Red, blue, & yellow

We can make all the colors of the rainbow just by mixing these three colors together!

Materials
Dry Erase Board
Dry Erase Markers: (1) red, (1) blue), (1) yellow
(to keep your markers clean, start with the lighter color for each “equation”)

Procedure

Set up three “color equations” on the dry erase board with circles of color.

Ask the kids to predict each outcome before combining the colors!

Yellow + Red = Orange
Red + Blue = Purple
Yellow + Blue = Green

INTERACTIVE DEMONSTRATION: MAKING A RAINBOW

Materials

Prism Set
Flashlight

Procedure
Demonstrate how the prism works by allowing the children to shine a flashlight into it and identify the different colors they see. Results may be more effective with the light off.

Q: What material acts like a prism in nature? Hint: The sun has to be shining at the same time this material is falling from the sky.
A: Water

Q: How is water like a prism?
A: When sunlight shines through raindrops, white light is separated into the SPECTRUM.

Q: What happens when water acts like a prism?
A: We get a rainbow!

When light shines on an object, the object ABSORBS some of the light (like a towel absorbs water) and REFLECTS the rest (like a mirror). The color of that object is the color of light being reflected back into our eyes.

Imagine there is a red rose growing on a rosebush. If the rosebush is outside, what kind of light is shining on it? Sunlight! And what kind of light makes up sunlight? White light! And what colors make up white light? All of them! So when white light hits the rose, every single color in the white light is absorbed into the rose except for one; red light is reflected back into our eyes.

Q: When white light hits the LEAVES on the rose bush, what color is reflected back into our eyes?
A: Green

((Point out children’s shirts and various brightly colored objects in the room, asking the same question; do not choose black or white!!))

Q: So if all the colors of light mixed together make up white light, what color do you think we see if ALL of them are reflected back?
A: White

Q: What color do you think we see if ALL the colors are absorbed and NONE of them are reflected back?
Hint: What’s the opposite of white?
A: Black

Next, let’s talk about mixing colors together!

We perceive color as a result of light reflecting at varying frequencies. Low-frequency light appears red while high-frequency light appears violet; the frequencies in between make up the rest of the spectrum.

When all frequencies are combined they appear white. Receptor cells in our retinas – cones – cause our brain to perceive color; damage to these cells results in color blindness.

OBJECTIVE
To familiarize children with the concept of color in terms of how it is created and how it is perceived.

CONCLUSION
Many things are related to the colors we see: types of light, the way colors are mixed together, and how our bodies work all affect the way we see colors.

The colors of objects are reflections of the light that shines on them. Without light, there would be no colors.

All colors are combinations of the three primary colors: red, blue, and yellow.

Our eyes have cells called cones that help us see colors; if our cones are damaged, we might be color blind.

VOCABULARY

Prism – triangular see-through object that separates (refracts) light into the spectrum
Spectrum – band of colors that combine to make up white light
Absorb – to soak up, like a towel; towels absorb water
Reflect – to bounce back, like a mirror; mirrors reflect images
Primary colors – red, blue, & yellow; they combine to make all other colors.
Color blindness – a condition that makes it hard to tell the difference between colors
Cones – special cells in our eyes that help us see colors

RECOMMENDED READING
All the Colors of the Rainbow (Rookie Read-About Science) by Allan Fowler
Light and Color (Straightforward Science Series) by Peter D. Riley
The Science Book of Color: The Harcourt Brace Science Series by Neil Ardley

Vocabulary:

• Air
• Volume
• Pressure
• Wind
• Force
• Push
• Air Pressure
• Movement
• Air Movement
• Air Flow

Materials:

• AirZooka
• Stomp Rocket (I recommend getting extra rockets. They do soar high and can get stuck on roofs.)
• Paper
• Small objects of different weight

Procedure:

1. Bring out the Airzooka. Talk about it and have the children predict what it does.
2. Show the children what it does by having it blow against their hair or hands.
3. Ask them to predict what would happen if you use it on a small object or paper.
4. Experiment with the paper and different objects to see what it moves.
5. Sort the items into movable and not movable piles.
6. Bring out the stomp rocket. Set up the use much like the Airzooka. Remind the children about the Airzooka and the experiment that you did with it.
7. Discuss the difference between the Airzooka pump and the Stomp Rocket Pump.
8. Ask them what will happen to the rocket if a person jumps on the pump.
9. Have a child stomp on the rocket.
10. Discuss what happens.
11. Using the stomp rocket pump, try to move the items that were too heavy for the Airzooka. Is there any difference in air pressure?

Questions to ask:

What do you think this is and how do we use the Airzooka?
What do you think will happen when I use the Airzooka?
Do you think the Airzooka can move the paper? The small objects?
What do you think the Stomp Rocket is and how would we use it?
What are the differences between the Airzooka and the Stomp Rocket?
Which one do you think will create more air pressure (wind)?
What do you think will happen to the rocket?
Do you think the Stomp Rocket pump could move the objects the Airzooka couldn’t?

Things to do:

Document predictions and outcomes of the experiment. Have the children explain what is happening and why they think it is happening.

Let the children have a hands on experience with the materials and see if they can find items that can be moved with both the Airzooka and the Stomp Rocket. Have them explore different ways to use both and decide on which way produces the best outcome.

Extension:

Try to find ways to make your own air pump or Airzooka. Use them to push air onto different objects, document what happens.

Another great extension is to set up an aquarium with a pump. Much like the stomp rocket, the air is forced through a tube and out into the water. The children can document its course as the bubbles rise to the surface and burst.

Teaching children about air can be a difficult task since air is relatively invisible. In fact, one of the few times that air is truly noticeable is when it is in the form of wind. This, however, does not mean that air should not be a viable topic in your classroom or home; it simply means that you need to be a bit more inventive in the activities that you choose.

Learning about air and its properties is an early lesson on physics. It can lead to many other subjects, including eco-conscious topics or even the topic of gravity and will open up a child’s existing vocabulary more than many other topics that we teach children.

Lesson Objective:

Children will begin to understand the world around them and how it is affected by air. It will build skills and processes that are used during physics at a later age and will help with problem solving more abstract questions.

It will help children understand the properties of air and will open up opportunities to learn about other gases, such as carbon dioxide, and scientific topics, such as gravity.

Understanding the Science of Air is an excellent lesson in itself but it can also be used as a lead in to other science, weather and “eco-conscious” topics.

The Lesson

Group discussion:

Did you know that air is all around you and without it there wouldn’t be any life on Earth?

Air is the gas that floats all around you and makes up our atmosphere. We can’t see it, since it is made up of colorless gases and although we usually can’t feel it, air is always touching us.

Some of the gases that make up the air around us are oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and water vapor. All of these gases combine to give us air and it is what we breathe in to our lungs.

Although we can’t see air, it is all around us and it fills up spaces. This is actually called volume, and is similar to liquids. If you have a glass of water, you have a volume of water. Pour out that water and you will be replacing the volume of water with a volume of air. Since air has a volume, it is able to exert pressure on objects, like us.

We constantly have air pushing against us but we cannot feel it because our own body presses back against the air. One of the few times that you can actually feel air pressure is when it is windy. This is when you can actually feel air and see its effects. It is being forced against us and the pressure of the air will cause our hair to move or our clothes to stick to us or the trees to sway.

We can also feel air when it heats up and cools down and it is one of the reasons why we feel different temperatures. During the day, the sun will heat the air, which gives us warmer temperatures and hot days. At night, when the sun has gone down, the air begins to cool down.

Scientists have learned how to use air and its volume and pressure for many different things, including flying planes. Air is also used for many different reasons. It can be used to push objects across a surface, such as a sail on a sail boat, and it can be used to create electricity with a windmill. Astronauts wear special suits that are filled with air when they are in space since there is no air in outer space.

Everything on Earth needs air to live, even plants and animals. In fact, most of our air, and specifically oxygen, comes from plants. So although we are not aware of air all the time, it is always there and all you need to do is take in a deep breath to see that it is still around you.

Books that encourage learning:
Regardless of the topic, there are always several books that not only encourage learning but also put your lesson into a more manageable context. Air is a hard subject to grasp; it is an invisible presence around us and despite all the best experiments, it has an imaginary quality to it.

When you begin any project with preschoolers, it is better to start with a book or several books to start explaining the concepts. Providing books that give a question and an answer that children can further explore, is an excellent way to promote learning.

With air, there are several books available but I would strongly recommend the following:

Air Is All Around You by Franklyn M. Branley and illustrated by John O’brien. It covers air and how it is around us and also has a few easy activities to do with your children in both the classroom and the home.

If We Could See Air by David T. Suzuki and illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes. This is a book that not only covers air but also how air affects the world around us.

Vocabulary:

•    Air
•    Volume
•    Pressure
•    Wind
•    Force
•    Curve
•    Blocked Air
•    Separation
•    Air Travel
•    Movement
•    Air Movement
•    Air Currents
•    Air Flow

Materials:

•    One strip of paper that measures 1in by 3in (2.5cm by 7.6cm)
•    Tape
•    Small square box
•    Large square box
•    One 1-liter bottle
•    One 2-liter bottle
•    One Cylinder (optional)

Procedure:

1.    Introduce the materials, preferably after you have read one of the books that we recommended.
2.    Discuss the materials and ask them to make predictions on how you will be using the materials and what they feel the outcome of the experiment will be.
3.    Set up the strip of paper on a table and tape one end down to the table (the one that is furthest from you.)
4.    Ask one child to blow on the paper.  What happens?  The paper should flutter.
5.    Now ask the children to predict what will happen if you place an item in front of the paper.
6.    Set up a box or a bottle and have a child blow on the object (not on the paper).
7.    Talk about what happens. With the curved objects, the wind will move around the curved surface and the paper will flutter.
8.    Repeat with the different objects.

Questions to ask:

What do you think will happen to the paper if we blow on it?
Why do you think the paper moved when we blew on it?
What do you think will happen if we place a box in front of the paper?
What do you think will happen if we place a bottle in front of the paper?
Why do you think the paper fluttered with the bottle but not the box?
Do you think the paper will flutter with a bigger bottle?

Things to do:

Document predictions that the children make and the final outcome of the experiment.

Have the children document the experiment themselves with drawings or models.  Show them how to use arrows to show air currents.

Extension:

Although this experiment is fairly straight forward, you can expand on the experiment by having the children place different objects in front of the paper to see if it is just curved objects that separates the air.  You could also attach a curved object to a table and place a strong fan in front of it.  Have the children place their hands on the sides of the curved object to feel the air currents running along the bottle.  Try the same experiment with a large box.  Do they feel wind on the sides and back of the box?  Lastly, try using the airzooka, from the first experiment to determine if it changes the air flow.