Science Day: Vanya and Friends Explore the Wonders of Nature

One autumn day, Anna Petrovna announced to the children that today they would have a Science Day, where they would participate in various experiments and learn how natural laws work. Vanya, Lisa, and Pasha listened with interest; this was something completely new for them. Anna Petrovna explained that science helps us understand why things happen the way we see them, and that during this day, they would discover many fascinating and exciting things.

The first experiment was with water and oil. Anna Petrovna poured a little water into a clear glass and then added oil on top. Vanya and his friends were surprised to see that the oil didn’t mix with the water but stayed on top. Anna Petrovna explained that water and oil have different densities, which is why oil always floats. Lisa asked if other liquids would separate like that too, and Anna Petrovna suggested they test it in the next experiment.

In the next experiment, they added colored dye drops to the glass with water and oil, watching as the drops slowly descended through the oil layer, creating beautiful patterns. Vanya marveled at how the colorful drops floated down like little comets, and he thought it looked like a tiny universe in a glass. Lisa decided this was her favorite experiment because the colors were so bright and beautiful.

Next, Anna Petrovna showed them how to make a volcano using baking soda and vinegar. She poured a little baking soda into a small plastic jar, added red food coloring, and then poured in vinegar. Suddenly, the mixture started to fizz and bubble, as if a real mini-volcano was erupting! Pasha was thrilled and exclaimed, “The volcano is erupting!” and laughed. Anna Petrovna explained that this was a reaction between baking soda and vinegar, releasing carbon dioxide and creating foam.

Then Anna Petrovna suggested another experiment using balloons. Vanya and Pasha blew up the balloons, and with Anna Petrovna’s help, Lisa rubbed them with a wool cloth. When they held the balloons near their hair, their hair started to stand up, as if pulled towards the balloons! Lisa giggled as she watched her hair reach up. Anna Petrovna explained that this was static electricity caused by friction, making the hair "attracted" to the balloon.

At the end of Science Day, Anna Petrovna suggested the children make their own “rainbow jars.” She gave each of them a glass of water and some food dyes in different colors. The children added drops of dye, watching as they blended to create new shades. Vanya made purple by mixing blue and red, Lisa made orange by mixing red and yellow, and Pasha created green by combining blue and yellow. They were delighted with their “rainbow jars” and the way they could make different colors.

When all the experiments were finished, Anna Petrovna praised the children for their curiosity and patience. She explained that science helps us understand the world better, and each experiment reveals something interesting and amazing hidden around us. The children agreed that they now saw things a little differently and wanted to learn even more about how nature works.

Moral: Science helps us uncover the mysteries of nature and teaches us to see the world in a new way. Each experiment is a step towards knowledge that makes us wiser and encourages respect for the world around us.