In the Balloon Bursting Experiment, 2 balloons are filled with equal volumes of water and air; a match is then lit and held beneath each balloon. Students wait for the balloons to pop and record their bursting time. They will find the air-filled balloon bursts more quickly, while the water disperses the flame's heat and keeps that balloon's material from reaching its melting point. This experiment helps students grasp the concepts of melting points and boiling points.
The Egg Experiment teaches air pressure. After the teacher drops a lit match into a jar, students stand a hard-boiled egg on the jar's mouth (the egg should be able to fit within the rim but not fall into the jar), creating a seal. First, the air inside the jar begins to heat and expand, causing the egg to jump as pressure increases and air tries to escape the jar. Then, as the flame dwindles and the air begins to cool inside the jar, the air pressure outside the jar is again greater and will now push the egg all the way into the jar.
The Burning Candle/Fuel experiment teaches children that fire needs fuel to burn. The teacher lights a candle and asks students to cut a 4-inch square piece of aluminum foil with a narrow slit cut from one side's center to the square's center point. Using tongs, the foil is held between the candle and the flame (the wick aligns with the slit). Students record the burnout time and are encouraged to answer pertinent questions, like What is the candle's fuel? and What blocked the fuel usage; and how? This experiment demonstrates the wick's role in transferring heat to the candle to melt the wax and provide fuel. As the foil blocks the wick from melting the wax, fuel is unavailable.
Children are taught that plants release oxygen during photosynthesis. Seeing the process occur, though, can crystallize the concept. Fill a sink with water. Set a water plant (pondweed for example) inside a beaker with an inverted funnel covering the plant; under the water (to keep air out), slide a test tube over the end of the funnel. Once together, move the apparatus -- keeping water in the beaker -- into direct sunlight. Students will begin to see bubbles form on the plant's leaves and eventually float up into the test tube: this is the oxygen. Light a wooden splint with a match and blow out the flame; quickly remove the test tube and place over top of the splint. The wood will begin to glow or even re-ignite because of the flammable oxygen in the test tube. Student can create variations of the experiment, using a different light source, warm water or another plant, to compare levels of oxygen produced.
Fuel utility and availability is an important concept in ecology and natural science classes. Burning Efficiency of Vegetable Oil and Petroleum is an experiment that can reinforce the "save the earth" concept. Bend 2 paper clips into the shape of a clothes hanger, with the "hanging" end bent straight up rather than curled; this end will hold thick cotton ropes soaked with vegetable oil and petroleum. Place a thermometer-fitted jar filled with water in a ring stand above the fire source. Strike a match to the ropes, one at a time, and allow them to burn out. Students record the initial water temperature; the time for each fuel to burn off; and the difference between the initial and the final temperature of water. Repeat the process at least 5 times for each fuel to find the average water temperature change. This is one measure of the fuels' energy efficiency. This experiment answers questions like which oil produces more energy, burns faster, and determines whether vegetable oil is a viable replacement for automobile oil.