We had two scientific experiments in December. The first was examining the fat content of food. This was a fun one for kids, who got to mush up a bunch of food. It was also educational, as we made some surprising discoveries about how much fat is in those chips.

As always, Whole Foods Market was a great host, and provided all the samples for us to use.

Then our second experiment turned out to be lots of fun, too. I thought when we started that this would be an experiment that would last about 1 minute for kids, but it turned out that some kids did this one over and over for a bunch of the morning. One dad, a structural engineer by training, got very involved in helping us figure out the science.

The experiment was very simple. Hold a piece of uncooked spaghetti at each end and slowly bend it so that it will break in half.

The interesting thing is that it almost never does. You think it would snap in two pieces, like a pencil, but instead a third, and sometimes a fourth or fifth piece pops out. Even if you try it on a shorter piece, the pasta will split off into three pieces.

Why?

Well, the structural engineer has some theories. Some great physicists have reportedly spent many hours in the kitchen breaking noodles on the kitchen floor. We explained the science some during the event, but most of the kids left with the idea that there’s still more to learn about the spaghetti phenomenon, and that’s OK. Our goal is not to teach everything, but instead have fun with science, and with luck leave the kids with a thirst to do more science experiments.

So, we hope you will join us for the next Second Saturday Science!

The second installment of Second Saturday Science was not quite as crazy as the first one, but that’s probably to be expected when we weren’t setting off any bombs!

We had another excellent group of young scientists and their grownup helpers. The experiments were all about what floats, both in water and in saltwater, and how to keep a boat floating even when pennies keep getting dropped in.

Here are a few photos and videos of the fun:

Here’s one of the boat floaters:

And here are a couple of others:

This month we’ll have another fun event, checking the fat content of food. We hope you can join us!

The particulars are the same:

• We open it up from 10 a.m. to noon on the Second Saturday of each month.
• The experiments are designed for a young scientist from the age of about 6 to about 12 and a grownup to do together.
• They typically take about 15-20 minutes to complete, but you can stay as long as you like.
• It’s totally free for all involved, with thanks to Whole Foods for the space and the supplies.

It seems that bad weather and free science projects go hand-in-hand.

Our first-ever Second Saturday Science came on a snowy day in October, and if the forecast holds it will be a cold and snowy morning tomorrow for our second event.

It will be another fun one, though, so I hope you can join us. Just to recap, here are the details:

• The projects will take 15-30 minutes, and you can stop by anytime between 10 a.m. and noon.
• They are designed to be done by a grown-up along with a student roughly from 6- to 10-years old, but we won’t be checking IDs or anything.
• It’s at the Whole Foods Market, 1111 S. Washington St.
• It’s totally free, with the generosity of Whole Foods in supplying us the space and the materials.

No bombs this time, but you will get to build something and then try to destroy it! As always we’ll have full instructions and use only stuff that you either have at home now or can get from the grocery store.

We listened to the feedback from last time, and so this time along with the fun we’ll add a small bit of explanation of the science behind what we are doing, and something about the environment, too.

Also, if you are Facebooky type, we have a new Facebook Group page. Don’t be alarmed by the lack of activity on it; I just started it and haven’t yet promoted it at all. We’ll get that ramped up as we keep going. If you are on Facebook, though, do become a member of our group.

We had a big crowd last time, and this time we are going to be in the café area so we’ll have plenty of room even if we have more people.

So, we are looking forward to seeing you there. In the meantime, thanks for reading!

Click for pictures of our first fun, free science event.

Well, the reviews are in and even though we just about broke Whole Foods Market, we have been invited back for a second event on Nov. 14.

That’s right, it’s a second Second Saturday Science. Say that two times fast.

We’ll have more details on that soon, but first here are some photos from the first event:

And here’s a video of one of our “bombs.”

Thanks to Evelyn and Karen for the photos and Evelyn for the video.

Of course a big part of experimenting is figuring out the result. Why did the bomb work? Why did the volcano not erupt?

I’d like to hear from those who attended: Was this experiment in a Saturday morning activity good for you?

Here’s a quick poll, and under that if you want to leave comments you are welcome to. If you want to send comments that won’t be seen by others, you can contact Scott Yates through his blog, or you can use this site’s contact form.

Soon we’ll have some pictures and possibly a video of our first one.

If you did not come, well, hopefully we’ll see you on the next Second Saturday Science!

If your kids’ soccer game isn’t cancelled in this record cold, it should be! Lodge your protest by skipping soccer and coming to the first-ever Second Saturday Science at Whole Foods on Washington at I-25.

Just a quick review:

• Stop by anytime between 10 and noon, but the whole thing should take about 20 minutes.
• We’ll have instructions and helpers, but these experiments are designed to be done with a parent and child working together.
• For more details check out our first post below.

We are very much looking forward to it, so we hope to see you there!

Welcome to Second Saturday Science.

Our first-ever event will be this Saturday, October 10, at 10 a.m.

That’s right, 10/10 at 10. Show up 10 minutes late, and it will be so many 1s and 0s that your computer might blush. (Sorry, geek joke there.)

Actually, you can show up anytime between 10 and noon.

What can you expect? We will have some experiments all set up, and I will be there to guide, but it will not be a class. The kids will do their own work, find their own results, and go home with some new understandings. And with luck they will have had a bit of fun.

I’ve modeled this after the excellent Kids Workshops at the Home Depot. Every first Saturday my son and I head down to that store and build whatever project they have.

My son is growing up, and I can see a time when he will outgrow those projects. Also I’m concerned about him getting enough exposure to science.

Also we just like going to do free fun stuff on Saturday mornings.

There wasn’t a place we could go on the Second Saturday of every month, so we invented this.

Our project the first month is… TOP SECRET!!!

I can tell you that it will involve experiments using all household stuff, and yet it will be explosively fun! (Ummm, if you have some safety goggles, you might want to bring them.)

I can also tell you that it’s designed for kids ages 6-12, but we’re not exactly going to be checking IDs at the door. We do ask that at least one parent stay with kids while we are doing the workshop to help guide them and make sure everyone stays safe.

So come this week to the Whole Foods at 1111 S. Washington St., where the management and the incomparable Heather Larrabee have shown great enthusiasm for this idea.

(You don’t have to, but if you think you are going to come, please leave a comment at the end of this post and tell me how many will come so we are sure to have enough supplies. Thanks!)