For this Kick Start activity, I experimented (and drank it afterwards) science using milk, water and a torch. I followed the instructions in order to have this experiment working.
First, I found a tall glass and filled it with drinking water. Next, I added a few drops of milk. My mum helped me do that. When the milk slowly dropped down into the water, it was a stunning fusion scene. I then stirred the mixture with a chopstick. Now for the experiment to begin!
I shone the torch from above the glass and looked from the side. It did not work at first, and I figured out that the torch was too bright. I tried again, with another torch that was dimmer than before, yet still it didn’t work. I tried again, this time with a piece of paper between the torch and the glass. It worked! It was all blue, as predicted from the instructions. I looked from below. Same again, the instructions predicted the colour: apple juice snow (a yellowish tint).
Blue from the side: This happens because of colour wavelengths. If you look out to the ocean, clean water should look blue, right? So, each colour has different wavelengths, from red of the rainbow to purple of the rainbow. Red has the shortest wavelength, which means purple has the longest. The water is made of tiny things humans cannot see called molecules. They absorb most of the colours that are too short. Imagine them going nom nom nom to red, orange, yellow and green, and burp out blue and purple, which makes the water blue or purple. But they also go nom nom nom to purple as well, which is why we have blue oceans, not purple. Another fact is reflection. The sky is blue, which causes the oceans to be blue as well.
Nom nom nom means ”eat”.
The first photo shows the blue colour from a brighter torch. Second one with a dimmer torch. Third from the bottom viewing upwards.
Imagine you could find seas of your favourite colour apart from blue. Where do you think you’d find it, and would it be good or bad for us?
Kia Ora Isa,
This is Zana from the Summer Learning Journey. It is awesome to see you posting for this year’s Summer Learning Journey. Is this your first year or have you done it before?
What a fun activity, I love science so it is very exciting to see a science activity that also involves conducting a scientific experiment. Is science something you learn at school? If so, have you done any cool science experiments?
You did such an amazing job introducing and explaining this activity, I was able to follow your process step by step, your images were also very helpful for seeing what you did and how your experiment progressed.
What science did you learn in this activity?
I hope to see more posts from you!!
Ngā mihi nui,
Zana Yates
Kia Ora Zana,
This is my third year doing SLJ, you have asked me before and you have commented on my blog last year. Maybe you have so many students you needed to comment on, so you did not recognise me this year and thought I am new.
At school, we do science with Mrs. Hamilton, our teacher and we sometimes do some cool experiments. One cool experiment we did was an experiment with dropper poppers.
From this activity, I leant how water absorbs different colours because of their wavelength. My dad taught me that water absorbs purple, and the other facts were from the video.
How many people’s blogs have you commented on this SLJ?
From Isa
Hi Isa,
I do remember some of your posts and my apologies for asking so many times!
That sounds like a fun science experiment. Last year my class made slime and sherbet which was quite fun but very messy.
I think I have commented on over 300 different students blogs this summer!!
Talofa lava, Isa!
My name is Leata, and I’m a Year 8 from Pt England School.
Your experiment sounds amazing, and I love how you described the process so clearly! The way you explained colour wavelengths and the “nom nom nom” part was both fun and educational—it made a tricky concept really easy to understand. I also appreciate how you shared the challenges you faced and how you solved them, like using a dimmer torch and paper. Ka pai on your perseverance!
The idea of seas in different colours is so creative—it really got me thinking. Maybe a green sea could exist near a dense forest, but it might mean there’s too much algae, which wouldn’t be great for marine life. What colour would you choose for a sea, and how do you think it might affect the environment?
Ka rawe on your mahi—it’s inspiring!
– Leata.L
Talofa lava Leata!
Thank you for your comment. I watched a video as part of this task, and the pictures showed the molecules eating colour so I decided to call it nom nom nom.
I’d probably keep it blue, or light turquoise, and I am pretty sure that means good to our planet because it means it is clean. Other colours like red/ toxic algae present which would harm the environment.
What would do to help to save our clean waters?
From Isa