Steam or S.T.E.A.M.?
We all know that steam is water vapor, but do you know what the “other” STEAM is, the an acronym? It stands for Science Technology Engineering Art and Math and the idea of integrating the different subjects together and doing process-based learning making sure to include inquiry and collaboration. STEAM gets kids learning and thinking globally, seeing the connection and relationship between ideas and concepts, and digging deeper into the subject areas. Today we will be focusing on the S and the A, using science to make art. Before we can make the art, we need to learn about the science that makes it possible.
Where do we get oil?– Primary & Intermediate (K-5)
All about Oil
There are lots of different kinds of oil, and each kind have different uses. From using it to drive our cars to using it in cooking and baking, oil is very important to our daily lives. Even though there are a lot of different kinds of oil, all oil does share some characteristics. One characteristic is that oil molecules are nonpolar. As a result, oil molecules are repelled by water molecules which are polar. This means that they don’t mix. In fact, oil is “hydrophobic”, literally meaning “fear of water”. Think about how you are with something you are afraid of– you stay away from it! Try as you may, it’s nearly impossible to mix the two. Watch the video below to see an experiment of trying to mix water and oil.
Oil and Water– Primary & Intermediate (K-5)
Why don’t oil & water mix by Wonderopolis— Intermediate (3rd++) Click to go to the webpage
Let’s use what we learned to make art!
We have learned that water and oil doesn’t mix, because oil is hydrophobic. Because oil is less dense than water, it rises to the top and “lays on the top” of the water. We are going to use this principle to make art. Materials: a tub or pan of water, food coloring, vegetable oil, white paper, a few disposable cups, spoon, paper towels