Earth Day

This is one of my favorite pictures. I took it in while driving through Parker Ranch, in Waimea, Hawaii. Other that proving that there seems to be cows and not a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, it's a good lead-in to a science experiment for Earth Day.

You will need

A ripe avocado

Toothpicks

A tall, clean jar

Water

1. Have an adult cut open an avocado and give you the pit. Rinse off any avocado left on the pit.

2. Stick 3 or 4 toothpicks evenly around the center of the avocado and push them in about 1/4 of an inch.

3. Place the avocado, fat end down into the opening of the jar. The toothpicks should keep the avocado pit from falling into the jar. Fill the jar with water to the top. The bottom of the avocado should be covered with water.

4. Carefully put the jar in a warm spot. Keep the jar filled with water over the next few weeks until the pit starts to grow roots and a stem.

5. When the stem grows to several inches, plant the avocado into a large pot. Keep it in a warm and sunny spot.

Unless you live in a very warm place, like Hawaii or California, you may not be able to grow your

avocado outdoors. Avocado trees can grow to be over 60 feet tall and may have hundreds of avocados!

popcorn on the cob

It's a perfect time to start a science activity! Have you ever wondered where popcorn comes from, other than the back of your cupboard?

Try this:

1. Take some unpopped, popcorn kernels from a jar. Don't use the kind found in a microwave bag.

2. Fold a piece of paper towelling in half and place the kernels between the folds.

3. Lightly damped the towelling with water and put the towelling and popcorn kernels in a plastic zip lock bag. Seal the bag and leave in a warm place, like a window ledge.

4. When the kernels sprout, and tiny thread-like hairs appear in the bottom of the kernels, remove the kernels from the zip-lock bag.

5. Plant each sprouted kernel in a small pot and leave in a warm spot indoors until the plant is several inches high.

6. Transplant the popcorn plants into large pots or in a south facing spot in the garden. Watch over the summer as the plant grows and corn cobs appear on the plant.

7. Harvest the corn when the cobs are about 6 inches in length. The corn on the cob will look like popcorn and not sweet corn on the cob, the kind you boil and eat with butter.

8. You can pull off the husks (the covering from the corn) and have an adult microwave the popcorn right on the cob.

Belated Passover/Easter Science Activity

Here's an activity that I used to do with my kids when they were young. You will need
Raw Eggs
Coffee Grounds (available for free from most coffee shops) NOTE: coffee grounds not ground coffee.
Onion Skins
Olive Oil
Salt, Pepper
Water
Roasting Pan with lid

1. Put a layer of onion skins in the bottom of a heavy roasting pan.
2. Gently place an egg into the onion skins.
3. Drizzle olive oil onto the eggs. If you wish you can even use a clean paint brush to paint on a design using the olive oil.
4. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the eggs.
5. Use your hand to scatter the dry coffee grounds over the eggs. Cover the eggs with another layer of onion skins.
6. Have an adult put the roaster in the over, and add enough water to cover the eggs. Have the adult cover the roaster with a lid and turn the oven on to 225 degrees.
7. Leave the roaster in the oven overnight.
8. Wash your hands with soap and water after touching the eggs.

In the morning have an adult use oven mitts to remove the roaster from the oven. Using a slotted spoon, remove each egg from the onion skins and rinse in cold water. The eggs have turned a rich, brown color, with blotches of bright yellow and streaks of white. When you remove the shell, you will find the egg is a mocha color. Presuming you don't have any food allergies, eat the egg for breakfast. Does it taste like coffee?