My minions are chafing at the bit to escape the clutches of their oppressors, and have declared their intention of bolting to Nana and Pops as soon as they can
The oppressors are chafing at the bit to palm them off to us

Minion no.1 has requested via zoom, that we "do some science", minion no.2 wants to make noise, no.3 wants mukdonnas

I suspect that their Dad has been telling stories to entertain them while in lockdown - and most likely frightening the bejeezus out of their Mum at the same time.....

So, what particular science do you reckon -

- Mini volcano in the backyard, with lots of evil smoke and fire and stuff? [all off the shelf stuff]

- Match rockets [pretty tame , but quick and easy to make]

- Ballistically enhanced teddy bears? [rockets with toys on parachutes attached- takes a bit of messing around to set up]

- Rocket powered cars on a tether, doing donuts in the driveway? [need to find more cars as the last one disappeared down a roadside drain]

Any other suggestions?

Orchy bong science experiment fooled my nanna

Put some metal into water, run some current through it, burn the hydrogen bubbles as they escape the water. I've never done it but this would keep me amused and not just the kids

My son did that with the battery charger in the sink with detergent to catch the gas in bubbles & lighted it up & it wasn't very impressive so he stirred it & a ball of flame took out the kitchen curtains & I said we just get rid of the curtains & hope mum doesn't notice before I replace them but the very first words when she got home was we're is the curtains.

Rockets made out of plastic bottles and compressed air. They're cool fun for all. easy to find instructions online

yes, from memory I think 30% water gives the best result, added bonus is you can set up somebody to get a drenching when it takes off.

I was going to suggest water rockets, they're normally a crowd pleaser, but then I noticed who posted the original thread. Come on, we all know SN has access and skills with... um... stuff that scares normal people

(Oxy acetylene balloon with a fuse, anyone? )

www.google.com.au/search?q=home+science+experiments

Mentos in coke works a treat! To make coke bottle rockets.. heaps on you tube

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nebbian said..
I was going to suggest water rockets, they're normally a crowd pleaser, but then I noticed who posted the original thread. Come on, we all know SN has access and skills with... um... stuff that scares normal people

(Oxy acetylene balloon with a fuse, anyone? )

Yeah, I remember watching a program on forming steel panels by placing them in a pool next to some sort of mold or former, and then exploding something in the pool... I think this is the sort of thing that SN might be good at, but I am not sure the pool would survive.

Kids are amazed by pretty simple things though, and sometimes don't appreciate the dangers. I used to have just with vinegar and bicarb and putting that into small plastic cylinders. Pretty lame, but fun as a kid.

cut a green grape in half leaving a small piece of the skin attached, then put it in the microwave- zappow
version 2 get the skin of an orange and squeeze it so the skin juice sprays onto the grape, then microwave it- ZAPPOW
fruit pyrotechnics, i asked Dr Karl why once and he couldn't answer??

Only because you deal with this kind of stuff, maybe you can make some "sugar rockets"

OK, seeing some of these suggestions, I want whatever experiment that goes ahead to be video'd and posted...
My 2 cents worth, a potato gun always goes off with a bang.

Thermite yum

Nothing like melting thru 2" of steel.

Stephen I have made the sugar / KNO3 rockets too, with the hi pressure PVC. Theoretically up to 2000ft (if that wasn't illegal)

If u want scary fun for the kids ,I'd suggest a Rokit kit on EBay. Its a bottle rocket kit . I bought a few in Canberra years ago . Can't buy them here anymore . Around $50 EBay delivered. You need football field space at least and they go off with vengeance.
Scared me and the kids.
Almost got my boys expelled from school one day when they let it rip during lunch without me knowing.
Im soo proud
The slingshot , starter gun and laser pointer are still out of bounds.

Waiting for grandkids.
Awesome

I came home to find alfoil had been through the ninja blender & I asked have you been trying to make your own thermite ?
Same kid .
He found some iron oxide in the shed & decided to have a go .
It's why we have 6 fire extinguishers in the house now

Exploding Milo tin is always fun. Punch a large nail hole in the middle of the lid, then poke a few slightly larger holes around the side of the tin, near the bottom edge. Then you fill the tin with LPG and put the lid back on, trying to leave as little air in the tin as possible. As long as it is full of only gas, it cannot explode since that would require a gas/air mix. Then you light the hole at the top with a match or cigarette lighter and you have a neat little candle like flame for a little while. However, as the gas is burning at the hole at the top, air is slowly getting into the tin through the holes you made at the bottom, and eventually the gas/air mixture reaches a viable explosive mix. Suddenly...KABOOM....the lid flies about 4 metres in the air.

It's fun because you never know when it's going to blow, takes between 10 seconds to a minute, depending on how well you excluded all the air from inside the tin at the beginning. Also, its relatively safe, since the explosive power is limited to how much pressure can build up before the lid blows off, which is only a few PSI.

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actiomax said..
I came home to find alfoil had been through the ninja blender & I asked have you been trying to make your own thermite ?
Same kid .
He found some iron oxide in the shed & decided to have a go .
It's why we have 6 fire extinguishers in the house now

What a lazy kid! He should have been out there with a hacksaw and some aluminium scrap like the rest of us... ;-)

Chlorine brake fluid

I went to school with a kid who blows two fingers off with the old chlorine & brake fluid in a glass jar .
It didn't go off so he picked it up and gave it a shake.
It went off then .

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slipperyduck said..
Mentos in coke works a treat! To make coke bottle rockets.. heaps on you tube

i was going to say this. good fun

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Harrow said..
Exploding Milo tin is always fun. Punch a large nail hole in the middle of the lid, then poke a few slightly larger holes around the side of the tin, near the bottom edge. Then you fill the tin with LPG and put the lid back on, trying to leave as little air in the tin as possible. As long as it is full of only gas, it cannot explode since that would require a gas/air mix. Then you light the hole at the top with a match or cigarette lighter and you have a neat little candle like flame for a little while. However, as the gas is burning at the hole at the top, air is slowly getting into the tin through the holes you made at the bottom, and eventually the gas/air mixture reaches a viable explosive mix. Suddenly...KABOOM....the lid flies about 4 metres in the air.

It's fun because you never know when it's going to blow, takes between 10 seconds to a minute, depending on how well you excluded all the air from inside the tin at the beginning. Also, its relatively safe, since the explosive power is limited to how much pressure can build up before the lid blows off, which is only a few PSI.

Reminds me too

Stephen will be able to do this one.......
About a level teaspoon of black powder in a 600ml coke bottle, cap it, fuse thru cap.
The burst pressure is very high so the bottle sounds like a shottie going off when it ruptures. Safe - no shrapnel.
Bigger bottles don't work so well, the 390 or 600 are stronger so pop harder.

Or just pump them up with air and hit them with a slingshot, great reactive target

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actiomax said..
I went to school with a kid who blows two fingers off with the old chlorine & brake fluid in a glass jar .
It didn't go off so he picked it up and gave it a shake.
It went off then .

Yeh, it ain't safe for idiots

Bloody hell. Get the kids to make a flame thrower. What could possibly go wrong?

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Rails said..
Yeh, it ain't safe for idiots

It isn't safe for anyone. The reaction goes faster if the chlorine is finer.

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psychojoe said..
Put some metal into water, run some current through it, burn the hydrogen bubbles as they escape the water. I've never done it but this would keep me amused and not just the kids

frequency of that current can play a part as well

Used to make tissue paper hot air balloons. About 3 m hi foil tunnel to stop flame burning it up meth soaked rag in foil cup . then go chase in car prize 4 distance..
Bit of a fire hazhard in wrong spot..
Boom making agenda stopped b4 nitro g... Phew.. We were niave but the amm. onium nitr..ate crystals.. Cause 4 alot of pranks.. Pads of toilet seat was a winner
Cheers
AP

And these can be simple fun, if the mother bans all the previous great ideas.
www.ebay.com.au/itm/10pcs-Amazing-Led-Light-Arrow-Rocket-Helicopter-Flying-Toy-Party-Fun-Gift-Elasti/352918006326?hash=item522b8d6a36:g:hFYAAOSwepleDoBv

We used to make UFL's at school. Instead of a balloon use a franger with magnesium wire attached. Let go up and away!

Well - it was an eventful day...

Two of the minions and myself made a volcano in the corner of the backyard, with a special mix of stuff in the crater which produced a very nice pillar of fire and smoke.... just in time for the Ministry of Supply to walk around the corner to see the boys champing at the bit waiting for my ok to put out the volcano.
Their Nana got a bit flustered, and between the usual "WTF YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SUPERVISING THE BOYS" [in a rather panicky tone] and her trying to get her phone out so as to compile more evidence for the coroners court - she fluffed it and missed out.

Which gave us the perfect reason [excuse] to set up "take two", using the dregs of the mix [about 40 grams] and sacrifice yet another CO2 extinguisher in the name of science








no children were harmed in the course of this "educational experiment", but the sacrificial dinosaurs are now molten blobs - and I think I might give the olives a miss this season
3 x CO2, 1 X 9L water, and 1 x dry powder extinguisher heading for the scrappies next week....






I think it might be a prudent idea to postpone the exploding nerf targets until next visit

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JulianRoss said..
OK, seeing some of these suggestions, I want whatever experiment that goes ahead to be video'd and posted...
My 2 cents worth, a potato gun always goes off with a bang.

sorry mate - spud guns are a bit too....tame, to get any play time around here