Sometimes a full moon can be so bright, you can walk around in the dark without a flashlight. How much brighter is a full moon than the other phases of the moon? How is the brightness of the moon measured?

Do you like your strawberry jelly with or without the seeds? Are you glad to have a seed-free watermelon, or do you enjoy spitting the seeds into the garden? You might not like to find seeds in your fruit, but fruit is nature's way of...

Animals come in all shapes and sizes, each a small part of the amazing diversity of life. These differences can also help us to classify animals into different groups. Which group do you belong to? Do this experiment to investigate the...

Riding on a hovercraft is like gliding on a cushion of air. Make your own mini hovercraft in this experiment to test how hovercrafts work.

A tried and true balloon activity is to rub a balloon on your head to make your hair stand up. Learn how the rubbing builds up static electricity using this experiment to see if the number of rubs makes a difference.

Polyester clothing was generally accepted as a popular trend in fashion at one point in history. Now everybody wears cotton, which doesn't get static cling nearly as much. Why are some materials more susceptible to static cling than...

Have you ever had to dig a hole in really hard dirt? It is a lot of work. In this experiment you can make an instrument to test the soil and find out how compacted it is, before you dig.

When you step in mud it can be very messy. How can you tell if soil is wet or dry before you step in it? In this experiment, you can see if color can help you figure it out.

Often, when we think of something that is solid we think about rocks. But in reality, rocks have tiny holes of air inside them. This is called porosity. In this experiment you can find out what it means to be "solid as a rock."

Have you ever stopped to watch a trail of ants moving back and forth between a food source and their nest? Have you ever wondered how they establish their trail? You've probably read that ants use chemical signals to communicate with one...

Did you know that the color of your house could save money? Do this experiment to see which colors regulate temperature best in different environments. Learn how painting the house can save money on the energy bill.

While looking at a package of dry yeast it is hard to believe it is alive. But add the right ingredients and presto, the mixture becomes a bubbly, oozing, mess of life. What are the right ingredients? Do this experiment and figure it out...

If you have a garden, you probably know about snails (or their shell-less relatives, slugs). You may even be looking for a good way to keep them from getting into your garden and eating up the results of all your hard work. Here's a...

Physicists sometimes study matter under extreme conditions. For example, think of the emptiness of interstellar space vs. the unimaginable crush of pressure at the center of a neutron star, or an object dipped in liquid nitrogen vs. the...

Ultraviolet light can damage DNA molecules. If a cell's DNA repair mechanisms can't keep up with the damage, mutations are the result. As harmful mutations accumulate, the cell eventually dies. How much ultraviolet light is too much for...

On a windy day it is hard to keep your hat on. The power of the wind can even be strong enough to power large wind turbines to make electricity. In this experiment, find out how you can make your own instrument to measure the speed and...

What makes some objects more streamlined than others? Find out which ordinary objects around your house are made to move smoothly through the water in this easy experiment. Which objects will produce the most drag when pulled through the...

Ever used a pair of molecular scissors? Restriction enzymes are molecular scissors that cut DNA into pieces. Find out which enzymes will cut, and where by making a restriction map. Then you can figure out what will happen if you change...

From the name, you might guess that a psychrometer is an instrument designed to measure your thoughts. Actually, it is an instrument that can help you forecast the weather. Read more to find out how it works.

Music boxes, bicycles, and clocks all have one thing in common: GEARS. You might say that gears make the world turn, since they are in so many mechanical instruments. How do they work and how do you know which gears to use? Find out in...

If you've ever been shot with a rubber band then you know it has energy in it, enough energy to smack you in the arm and cause a sting. How can the energy of a rubber band be put to work? In this experiment you will find out how the...

When you think of a machine, you probably think of computers or robots. Try this experiment to see how simple machines are used everyday around your house.

All living things have DNA inside their cells. In this experiment you can make your own DNA extraction kit from household chemicals and use it to extract DNA from strawberries.

Do you like solving mysteries? In this experiment, you can find out how a DNA fingerprint can help you figure out whodunit. The answer might just be in the "sequence" of events.