Halloween Science

Happy spooky season!  You know how we like to celebrate here at Douglas Space and Science Foundation--with messy, mysterious, and ghostly science projects.  Here are three fun projects you can do at home to get in the spirit of things.

Oozing Monster Heads
Materials:
8 oz water bottles
Glue
Borax detergent
Baking soda
Vinegar

Directions:
1. Decorate your water bottles to look like monsters.
2. Take the lid off a bottle and add about 2 oz of water.
3. Add 1 tsp Borax and 5 tsp baking soda to the water. Put lid back on and shake well.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together 2 Tbsp vinegar, 2 (generous) Tbsp glue and a few drops of food coloring.  Mix well.
5. Shake the bottle of Borax/baking soda again.  Set the bottle inside a large bowl.  Remove the lid from the bottle.
6. Pour the glue/vinegar solution into the bottle quickly and all at once.
7. When your monster's brain as stopped exploding, you can squeeze the rest of the slime out of the bottle and play with it in the bowl!

Vanishing ghosts
Materials:
Biodegradable packing peanuts
Black permanent marker
Small bowl
Water

Directions:
1. Use your marker to draw a ghost face on each packing peanut.
2. Fill the small bowl with room temperature water.
3. Place a ghost on top of the water.  Bubbles will start to appear, and the ghost will vanish before your eyes!
4. Try again with cold and warm water and see which method causes your ghosts to vanish the fastest.

Spooky Ghost Sounds
Materials:
Balloons
Hex nut
Marbles

Directions:
1. Squeeze the hex nut through the mouth of a balloon.  Make sure it falls all the way into the balloon.
2. Blow up your balloon.  Be sure not too blow it up too big or it may pop.
3. Tie off the balloon and draw a spooky ghost face on the side.
4. Hold the balloon in your palm with your fingers and thumb going down the sides.
5. Swirl the balloon in a circular motion until the hex nut begins to spin around the sides.
6. Once you get the hex nut spinning, use your other hand to hold the balloon still.  The hex nut should continue to spin for a few seconds, creating an eerie sound!
7. Repeat your experiment with a marble and see if it creates the same effect.