Last week (Term 4, Week 7), me and my class worked on our fire/volcano models, gas testing and we did an assessment of fire properties and risks, we also did a practical, including tea bags and fire.
For me and my groups fire model, we added red and yellow tissue paper for the fire or flames. We also glued a cardboard cut out of a fire truck and a helicopter. Glued to the helicopter was a bucket and we had water coming out from the bucket to put out the fire. I think it looks really good and it captured the events of the Tongariro National Park fire very well.
We also did 3 gas tests. The three gases we tested for was Carbon Dioxide, Hydrogen, and Oxygen. First we did the Carbon Dioxide test. Here is the method and materials:
Materials
- Test tube
- Test tube holder
- 5 mls of Hcl acid (Hydrochloric acid)
- A shard of marble (calcium carbonate)
Method
- First, fill the test tube with 5 mls of Hcl acid
- Next, gently drop the shard of marble into the test tube
- Watch as the acid causes the marble to fizzle like soda and makes the water murky
The second test we did was for Hydrogen. Here is the method and materials:
Materials
- Test tube
- Test tube holder
- 5 mls of Hcl acid
- Flint/stick
- Magnesium shard
- Candle with flame
Method
- First, fill the test tube with 5 mls of Hcl acid
- Next, place the magnesium shard into the test tube before quickly covering the top so now oxygen enters
- Light the flint/stick with fire before bringing it close to the top of the test tube where your finger is covering the test tube
- Lift your finger from the test tube and there should be a pop sound.
- Once you hear the pop sound, quickly cover the test tube again, and you can repeat the process until you can’t anymore.
The final test we did was a test for Oxygen. Here is the method and materials:
Materials
- Test tube
- Test tube holder
- 5 mls of Hcl acid
- Manganese dioxide
- Flint/stick
- Candle with a flame
- Peroxide
Method
- First, add the 5 mls of Hcl acid to the test tube
- Next, add a small teaspoon of Manganese dioxide into the test tube
- After that light the flint/stick with fire
- Add 2 mls of peroxide into the test tube
- Blow out the flame on the stick before holding the flint above/in the test tube
- It should be able to light up again due to the oxygen in the test tube
- You should be able to repeat this multiple times before the oxygen in the test tube disappears
Later in the week, we also did a fire risk assessment. For this, we were given a sheet of paper and we had to identify the risks. Some of the risks included, high temperatures from the sun, dry fuel for the fire (such as dead trees and bushes etc.), some other risks could be unattended fires.
We also did a practical activity. The practical activity was called the ‘Teabag experiment’. Here is the method and materials:
Materials
- Teabag
- Tray
- Flint/stick
- Candle with a flame
Method
- First, you gently empty the tea bag of the tea leaves so it’s just left with the cylindrical paper
- Next, you place the cylindrical paper of the tea bag into a tray standing vertically
- After that, you light a flint and hold it against the teabag so it lights.
- The tea bag should burn and then fly into the air
That’s pretty much all we did last week. Thank you for reading my blog!