This is a lovely activity to show the effect of convection. Little ones will love it just for the moving snake and it is a great way to get older ones to start thinking about the process.
You will need:
The snake picture
Cotton/needle
Scissors
Colouring pencils
A heat source
1. First of all print out the attached picture of the snake or draw your own.
Print This!
2. Colour and decorate as you wish
A spot of decorating!
3. Cut out the snake so that it makes a spiral.
4. Thread the cotton and tie a knot at the end.
5. Thread it through the dot on the tail.
6. Hold it over a heat source…a lamp that has been on for a while works but over the stove is very effective or a candle.
Safety! Please remember to hold the snake out of reach of the flame and that it can be a potential fire hazard. Supervision of children is essential.
Science bit!
Convection is the transfer of heat in a fluid. A fluid is usually a liquid or a gas!
In the case of the snake it is the air molecules that are being moved. As the molecules near the heat source warm, they move further apart. This makes the gas (or air) less dense and so it rises being replaced by cooler more dense molecules. The molecules as they rise lose heat, come back close together (increasing density) and sink again and the cycle continues. This circular movement of air particles rises and falling causes the snake to spin. We call it a convection current.
This process is how radiators work to heat our homes. The hot water inside the radiator heat the radiator by the process of conduction, however the now hot radiator heats the air around it which spreads into the room as it becomes less dense. This is replaced by cooler more dense air which is then heated!
 |
Wow! What a fun experiment!!! Love it! I remember those funny curly whirly things you would place on your palm, but these snakes are much better and show the effect of heat more! Love it!
Thanks for sharing on Kids Get Crafty!
Maggy
Thanks Maggy. We love Kids Get Crafty! xx
Great experiment! I remember making these at school!
Thanks for linking up to Handmade Thursday! My Son will LOVE your site
I hope he does. Let us know if you try any experiments out. x
oh, I love finding fun science experiments so I am SUPER excited to have found you!!
would love to invite you to link this up to the Sunday Showcase – http://momto2poshlildivas.blogspot.com/search/label/Sunday%20Showcase
Bern
great project! and thanks for giving me a refresher course on what exactly convection is! (a little sad given that I have a BS in physiology)
Thanks so much for sharing on Craft Schooling Sunday, great to have you!
That’s pretty cool. I’ve seen this snake for wind, but it’s fun to see it used for something else.