This simple experiment is targeted at students in the first or second grade. To perform the experiment, give each student three film canisters, a glass of water, a sodium antacid tablet, timer and a pair of protective glasses. Then, ask students to fill the canisters 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 full. Ask the students to drop in the sodium antacid tablet and seal the film canister by pressing the top of the base. After sealing, carbon dioxide starts to build inside the canister until the pressure becomes too great and suddenly pops. Students should chart the length of time it takes each film canister to pop, as the different ratios of water and carbon dioxide build-up yields different results.
In order to build a volcano, give your students arts supplies such as clay, a piece of wood or board to serve as the base and acrylic paints to color the volcano. During construction of the volcano, instruct the students to leave a h
ole in the center. After the clay volcano has dried and been painted, students should place a film canister without the lid in the center hole. Next, the students should place baking soda into the film canister using a long spoon. When they are ready to watch it erupt, ask the students to pour vinegar inside the film canister. The more baking soda and vinegar, the bigger the eruption. Students can track how different amounts of each component yield different results.
Explore density and the freezing and thawing of water. Before beginning the experiment, divide students into groups and give them each three film canisters. Students should fill each canister with water and place in the freezer. Once the water is frozen, ask students to fill small graduated cylinders with very cold water and place the "icebergs" (frozen film canisters) in the cylinders. Students will notice that the icebergs initially float. As the water warms, however, the ice will crack inside the film canisters. To educate the students about density, inform them that ice floats because it is less dense than water. Additionally, in terms specific to icebergs, any cracking that occurs during the warming process is analogous to the calving process that occurs for icebergs found in the ocean. Students may also measure items such as volume of the iceberg by taking the difference between the water level before and after the iceberg was submerged.
Film canisters can help demonstrate the conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy. To perform the experiment, students must drill a 1/4-inch hole into a piece of small plywood and insert a 1/4-inch dowel. The top of the dowel is drilled to hold a needle upright. The needle holds a propeller made with four ice cream sticks that are hot-glued together in the shape of an eight-pointed star. Two film canisters are cut into eight equal parts, leaving the piece of the base attached and removing the lip at the top of each canister. To complete the propeller, film canister pieces are hot-glued to the eight points on the propeller. A small indentation is made on the underside of the propeller using a nail and hammer. The propeller is positioned on the needle and secured using modeling clay. Twelve to 24 birthday candles stand in a circle made of extra modeling clay on the plywood base under the propeller. To complete the experiment, students should light the candles and watch the propellers spin. The potential energy of the candle is converted to kinetic energy when the heat rises and spins the propeller.