Hay-Wire 29th April 2005 Issue: 20

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29^th April

2005 Issue: 20

Welcome to Hay-Wire – the Planet Science newsletter for ALL young scientists.

This issue we’re celebrating ‘International Turn Off Television Week’, so reach for the TV remote, press the off button and find out what you could be doing instead!

Here’s what’s coming up:

PLANET PICKS -– something fishy is happening on the Planet Science website!
TUMMY TICKLERS – ‘Sea’ if these jokes make you laugh...
CRASH BANG – Your very own deep-sea diver in a bottle!
WEB WATCH – Meet Reeko and his pet monkey!
PLANET PALS – There’s no (alive) flies on this plant...

1. PLANET PICKS – News from the world of Planet Science...

Calling all couch potatoes! It’s ‘Turn Off TV Week’ so what are you going to do? Well, at Planet Science we’ve got an idea or two up our sleeve, so how about throwing a science party?

First, there was the ‘Little Horrors Party’ for all you little monsters. Then, there came the ‘Science Sleepover Party’ for all you little angels. Now, let me introduce you to the ‘Under the Sea Party’ for you and your fishy friends!

Included in the treasure trove of party activities are fishy invitations, messages in bottles, decoration ideas and how to make a spread fit for a sailor, including octopus sandwiches and jelly boats! As always, there’s lots of science to play around with and learn about, so cast your eyes on the party activities section. Here you’ll find out facts about jellyfish, our eight-tentacled friend – the octopus and whether it is really the sea you can hear in a shell!

So ANCHORS AWAY and click here for details:
http://www.planet-science.com/parents/party_time/undersea

We’re sure you’ll think the party is just ‘fin-tastic’ and your friends will have a whale of a time too!

That reminds me of some jokes a Hay-wire subscriber sent in...

2. TUMMY TICKLERS – It’s the way you tell them...

Thanks to Christopher Bennett, age 9, for this selection of hilarious, watery-themed jokes, which have been tickling our ribs at the Planet Science office:

Q) Why did the whale cross the road?
A) To get to the other tide!

Q) What do you get if you cross a goldfish with an elephant?
A) Swimming trunks!

Two goldfish are in a tank. One turns to the other and says, “How do you drive this thing?”

Q) What’s the best way to get in touch with a fish?
A) Drop it a line!

Q) What’s the best way to catch a fish?
A) Ask someone to throw one at you!

If you’d like to send in your best (and worst!) jokes to Hay-Wire then send an email to: Hay-Wire.Clubhouse@nesta.org.uk and look out for your tummy ticklers in a future issue!

3. CRASH BANG – Exciting experiments for you to try at home...

If you’re getting a sinking feeling during ‘Turn Off TV Week’ then look no further than this experiment you can try with your parents at home. It’s a really simple experiment that uses even simpler ingredients:

Stuff You Need:

1 litre plastic bottle
Ball point pen lid that doesn’t have a hole in the top
Plasticine

What You Do:

Wash off the label from the plastic bottle so you can see what’s going on inside the bottle.
Fill the bottle with water, to the very top.
Place a pea-size piece of plasticine at the bottom of the stem on the pen lid.
Slowly put the pen lid into the bottle. Don’t worry if a little water spills over.
The pen lid should just barely float. If it sinks then take some plasticine away. If it floats too much then add more plasticine. Lastly, screw on the bottle lid tightly.
Get ready for the fun part! You can make your ‘diver’ (the pen lid) rise and fall by squeezing the bottle. When you squeeze the bottle hard – the pen lid sinks. When you stop squeezing the bottle – the pen lid rises. With a little practice you can even get your ‘diver’ to stop right in the middle of the bottle!

What’s Going On?

When you squeeze the bottle, the air bubble in the pen lid compresses, which means it gets smaller. When this happens more water goes into the pen lid. The lid now weighs more (because it has more water inside it) and this causes it to sink. When you stop squeezing the bottle, the bubble of air inside the lid gets bigger again so the water is forced out of the lid. The lid is now lighter again and it rises!

Watch your diver rise and sink and rise and sink again, over and over until the cows come home!

4. WEB WATCH – For great science websites you’ve come to the right place...

For more exciting experiments to try at home during ‘Turn Off TV Week’ you can always visit Reeko the Mad Scientist at:
http://www.spartechsoftware.com/reeko/

I guess you’ve heard the expression ‘mad scientist’ but until you visit this site, you truly don’t know how mad these people can be! ‘Reeko’ is seriously one sandwich short of a picnic but that’s what makes this site so much fun!

Let Reeko, his chess-playing monkey and his cat, show you how to turn your kitchen into your very own scientific laboratory. However, before you begin to try Reeko’s experiments, you must visit ‘In the Lab’ where you can find out how to do this safely and please, try not to dissolve your parents! Then you could follow the simple instructions (that’s instructions and not destructions!) and make your own hovercraft or maybe a volcano or you could even experiment with air pressure and gravity.

For some of Reeko’s experiments you may need equipment that you’d only find in a classroom but don’t let that put you off – there are plenty of other experiments here to keep you mad scientists busy!

5. PLANET PALS – It’s your corner of the Hay-Wire Club...

And finally, here at Hay-Wire we’re always happy to help solve your science stumpers. So when we received this email from Aisha Bates, we jumped at the challenge:

DEAR HAY-WIRE,

I was wondering if you could settle an argument between me and my friend? I say that there is such thing as a plant that can eat insects and he says that I’m wrong. Who is right?

THANKS, AISHA

DEAR AISHA,

A plant that eats insects sounds like something from a horror film, but you’ll be pleased to know that you are RIGHT! There are, in fact, around 500 species of plants that feed off various insects and spiders.

The most well-known is the Venus Flytrap. This plant has a special set of leaves that act as traps to capture tasty insects. The plant produces nectar to first attract its prey. Once inside the trap, the insect brushes against stiff bristles on the surface of the leaf, and the trap snaps shut...

Once the trap has shut, the leaves form an air-tight seal so that the plant can fully enjoy its dinner! Just like the acids in our stomach digest our food, the Venus Flytrap also uses digestive acids to break down the insect to digest it.

Hope that answers your question and make sure you show this answer to your friend, Aisha, just to prove you are right!

If you have a question you’d like to ask Hay-Wire then send an email to:

Hay-Wire.Clubhouse@nesta.org.uk and look out for the answer in a future issue.

Until the next issue of Hay-Wire, remember to turn off TV and turn on life!

INFORMATION OVERLOAD

Planet Science has gone Hay-Wire and now you have too!

That’s all for this issue. The next issue of Hay-Wire will be with you in two weeks time so until then, why not ask your friends to join the Hay-Wire Club?

They can visit the Clubhouse for more details at:

http://www.planet-science.com/wired/hay-wire/clubhouse

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