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indoor project

This mechanical muscle machine models how your bicep and tricep muscles make your arm move. By linking levers together, you can create a complex motion and get pumped! Download the printable <a href="https://icdn.kiwico.com/diy_ad/KiwiCo-Muscle-Machine-Printable.pdf">here</a>.

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Print the printable. Then, cut out the pieces. 

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Set the bicep and tricep pieces aside. Trace the rest of the pieces onto the cardboard and use the pushpin to mark where the holes are.

The holes are indicated by the small circles on the printable.  

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Use double-sided tape to stick on the bicep and tricep pieces on the oval-shaped cardboard cutout. Then, widen each of the marked holes with a brad. The brads should easily fit into each hole.

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Fasten the bobbins to the cardboard pieces with the brads as pictured. 

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Use another brad to connect the cardboard pieces (bicep and shoulder) as pictured.

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Fasten two brads to the cardboard piece (forearm) as pictured. 

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Cut two pieces of string about 18” in length. 

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Tie a loop-knot on one end of each string. Then, wrap the loop around the two brads on the forearm.

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Connect the cardboard pieces (forearm and bicep) as pictured.

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Thread the string onto the bobbins as follows: clockwise for the top string (bicep) and counterclockwise for the bottom string (tricep). 

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Use the pushpin to make a set of holes just above and just below the bobbins. Then, thread the zip ties through the holes. 

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Secure the cardboard arm to the bottle with the zip ties. Then, start experimenting! 

To move the arm up and contract the bicep muscle, pull on the top string. To move the arm down and contract the tricep muscle, pull on the bottom string. 

When you have gotten a hang of how the muscles work, see if you can pick something up! 

There are way more muscles involved in moving your arm than just your biceps and triceps. Extensor and flexor muscles run through your forearm to move your wrist around. The deltoids on top of your shoulder, the pectoralis major on the front of your chest, and the latissimus dorsi on your back all help move your shoulder around. Your body has 650 muscles!

Many muscle groups work in pairs like the bicep and tricep. Flexing one will move a limb one way, and flexing the other will move it back. Which other muscle pairs can you find?

Some to check out: flexing your foot up and down, bending and unbending your knee, moving your leg away from your body and back, and bending forward and backward.

printable

scissors

crate box (or cardboard)

pencil

push pin

brads (8)

bobbins (4)

string

double-sided tape

zip ties (2)

plastic bottle (or glass bottle)

water (optional)

Muscle Machine

science project

quick experiment

experiment

heart

household craft

Curious about how your heart pumps blood? Use this model to learn about the right atrium and ventricle!Discover more about the science of pressure with a <a href="https://www.kiwico.com/us/store/dp/store-bottle-rocket-project-kit/4588" target="_self">Bottle Rocket kit</a> from the <a href="https://www.kiwico.com/store" target="_self">KiwiCo Store</a>! Assemble a launcher, rocket, funnel, and launch mixture to experience some extremely fizzy fun.

If you’ve ever squeezed your hand together to shoot pool water, you’re familiar with the basics of how your heart works. It’s a muscle that squeezes together to pump blood around your body! But shooting pool water with your hand is pretty messy and splashy. Your heart has to be a lot more orderly. In fact, because of how your body uses blood, your heart needs to pump blood in just one direction. Blood carries oxygen on it, and all the parts of your body need oxygen to work right. If the blood pumped backward, your body would get blood that had no oxygen in it!In order to keep your blood flowing in the right direction, your heart has two pretty cool design features: chambers and valves. The chambers fill with blood, then squeeze tight to pump it out. Each side of your heart has an entry chamber called an atrium and an exit chamber called a ventricle (so your heart has four chambers total!). The entry and exit chambers pump one after the other to push your blood forward.Each chamber also has an exit door called a valve. These keep blood from getting pumped backwards. When the ventricle contracts, the atrium’s exit valve closes so blood won’t push back into it. When the ventricle relaxes, its own exit valve closes to keep blood from spilling backwards into it. That way, the pumping of each chamber moves your blood forward! To see more about how the chambers and valves work, follow the steps to build this model.

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Cut the neck off of two balloons. Then, tape the cut end of the balloon neck closed. 

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Cut a very small slit (enough to insert a straw) in the neck of each balloon about ½ inch below where you taped. Then, insert a clear straw into the slit of one balloon. Set the other balloon aside. 

This should be a very tight fit. You may need an adult to assist you. 

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Cut the bendy straw so that there is about 1 ½ inches on either side of the bend. Then, cut the other clear straw in half. 

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Tape the bendy straw in between the two half-length straws. 

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Cut two small slits directly across from one another near the top of one of the balloon tops. 

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Insert the long straw and the bendy straw into the two slits. 

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Insert one of the half-length straws from the bendy straw into the slit of the balloon neck you set aside in step 4.  

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Stretch the balloon over the top of the small container with both straws inside of it.  

This balloon should be as tight as possible. You may need an adult to assist you. 

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Fill one of the cups about ¾ full with water. Then, drip about 5 drops of red food coloring into it. 

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Place the cup filled with water on the other end of the bendy straw and the empty cup underneath the other straw. Then, push down on the balloon and watch what happens! This is how the valves in your heart work. 

This particular model shows the right ventricle “receiving” oxygen-poor blood from the right atrium through the tricuspid valve and pumping it to the body through the pulmonary valve.

Do you know what makes the sound of your heart beat? It isn’t the heart muscles contracting (try flexing your biceps and see if that makes the same sound). It’s actually the valves in your heart opening and closing! The first sound from the valve between your atria and ventricles closing. The second sound is from the valve between your ventricles and the rest of your body closing. Doctors think those sounds go “lub-dub, lub-dub.” What do you think a heartbeat sounds like?

cups (3)

balloons (3)

clear straw (2)

bendy straw (1)

water

red food coloring 

Scissors

Tape

Pumping Heart

science experiment

baking soda experiments

food experiments

easy experiment

chemistry

plant science

food science

plants

fall

Fall is coming, which means apple season is right around the corner. We love eating apple slices as a healthy snack. Try out this apple experiment with some basic kitchen goods to see how you can keep your slices from browning!Want to explore more kitchen science experiments? Explore the tastier side of learning with <a href="https://www.kiwico.com/us/store/dp/science-of-cooking-bread-butter-project-kit/5463" target="_self">Science of Cooking: Bread &amp; Butter </a>from the <a href="https://www.kiwico.com/store" target="_self">KiwiCo Store</a>!

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Cut the apples into eight slices each. If needed, have an adult assist with this step! 

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Place 2-3 wedges in five separate bowls and cover the apples with each of the liquids: water, baking soda, lemon juice, milk, white vinegar.&nbsp;

Place three spoonfuls of baking soda in water to make a baking soda solution. Make your predictions-- what do you think will happen to each of the apple mixtures? One of these solutions will prevent the apples from oxidizing (or turning brown!). Which solution do you think it is and why? Let the apples sit, and check up on them the next day. Were your guesses correct?

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What's going on? When apples are cut, an enzyme (polyphenol oxidase),  that reacts with oxygen, is released-- causing the apple to turn brown. Lemon juice is full of ascorbic acid, which will react with oxygen before the enzymes in the apple. Lemon juice also is very acidic, about 2.0 pH, and the enzyme in the apple oxidizes in environments between 5.0-7.0 pH. Can you find other acidic ingredients that could prevent apples from browning?

2-3 apples

knife

5 bowls

baking soda

lemon juice

milk

white vinegar

Apple Experiment

flowers

spring

With Halloween around the corner and the days turning shorter and darker, my kids have been obsessed with all things glow-in-the-dark. With their newfound interest, we decided to try out this DIY glowing project. All you need is a flower and a few household objects. What else can you make glow?Want to explore more glow-in-the-dark awesomeness without the hassle of gathering materials? Discover the science of glowing slime with <a href="https://www.kiwico.com/us/store/dp/chalkboard-slime-project-kit/2095" target="_self">Chalkboard &amp; Glow Slime</a> from the <a href="https://www.kiwico.com/store" target="_self">KiwiCo Store</a>!

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Test a highlighter and see if it glows under the black fluorescent light. We tested a few colors and found that yellow worked best!

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Partly fill up the clear vase with water.

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Use a box cutter to cut open the highlighter until you reach the inner fibers, which contain the ink. 

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Remove the ink fibers from the pen base and place them into the water. 

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Take your white flower and cut the end so that it will be able to take up water efficiently.&nbsp;

Cutting the stem diagonally increases the surface area exposed to the water. This allows the flower to "drink" more of the low water in a shorter period of time.

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Place the flower into the vase. Allow the flower to sit in the water for several hours to absorb the fluorescent highlighter ink! 

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When the flower has adsorbed the water, its petals will glow!&nbsp;

What's going on?
This project uses a "black light" to make a flower glow. Black lights look a little bit purple, but it's the light they produce that you can't see that's really interesting. Black lights produce ultraviolet (UV) light. Our eyes can't perceive UV light, but our skin can feel it; UV light is the reason we get sunburns.
Some substances, like the ink in many highlighter pens, will glow under a UV light. The fluorescent ink absorbs the energy in the UV light, and then emits it as visible light. Groovy!

clear vase

white flowers

highlighters

box cutter or saw 

paper towel (optional)

black light/uv light (you can find this at Target, Walmart, or Amazon)

Glow in the Dark Flower

nature science

Have you ever noticed how plants grow toward the light? Build this simple light maze, and watch the plant grow around the obstacles to reach the light! Try experimenting with different mazes and see how the plant reacts. Can your plant complete its maze?Explore more ways to harness the power of the sun with a <a href="https://www.kiwico.com/us/store/dp/solar-crayon-recycler-project-kit/5702" target="_self">Solar Crayon Recycler</a> from the <a href="https://www.kiwico.com/store" target="_self">KiwiCo Store</a>. Make your own crayon recycler, transform crayon pieces into custom rainbow crayons, and more!

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Prepare your plant. We picked a bean because it grows pretty quickly. Plant the seed in a cup of dirt (about 1 inch under the surface) and add water so that the dirt is moist.You may want to plant several cups ahead of time to make sure the bean sprouts.Optional: Place the plant near a windowsill and wait a few days until a small plant sprouts. This will ensure you are starting the experiment with a good seed.

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Now it's time to create the light maze!Start by cutting a large hole at the top of your box. This acts as the exit of your maze.

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Close your box and make sure nothing obscures the hole you just made. If needed, cut off any blocking material and open the box back up.

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Measure the inside of the box to create a divider. Add about a 1/2-inch border to three sides. Those will act as a glue flap in the later steps. Make sure you use a thick paper that does not let light through. We first tried using white cardstock, but found that it did not block the light out. So, we switched to a thick, black cardstock.

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Draw and cut out a circle in the divider, on the opposite side of the hole at the top of the box.

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Place your plant cup inside the box, and glue or tape in the shelf above the plant cup.The fun part of this project is designing your own maze, we decided to go with a single divider, but you can get creative! Just make sure you don't block off the light completely.Note: We also cut out a white backboard just so we could see the plant better.

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Close the box up and place it near a window. Now watch your plant grow! Make sure to keep your plant well hydrated. Check back every day and see your plant travel through the light maze.ongate.

What's happening?
Plants grow toward the light as a way of generating more energy through photosynthesis. So how do the plants grow toward the light? Plants contain a hormone called auxin, which causes plant cells to grow longer. Plant cells on the shady side of a plant contains more auxin hormones, making the plant bend toward the light as the cells in the shade el

Panda Crate

Sprout: Koala Crate

Labs: Kiwi Crate

World: Atlas Crate

Studio: Doodle Crate

Labs: Tinker Crate

Studio: Maker Crate

Labs: Eureka Crate

9 easy biology projects for kids

Screen-free fun!