Science experiments you can do with your kids

More than any degree, what is needed in life is critical thinking, scientific temper and a curious mind.

I had made a list of experiments to inculcate the same.

🔬Create a Sea Breeze

Why is there breeze near the sea?

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/beach-wind

🔬Sink Or Float - Experiment With Oranges And Water

Concept explained - Life jackets

https://sciencekids.in/sink-or-float-experiment/

🔬Make a Human Sun Dial

Concept: Time, Shadows, Astronomy, etc

https://teachbesideme.com/fun-dial/

🔬How Much Salt is Needed to Float in Water?

Concept: Density

https://www.upliftingmayhem.com/much-salt-needed-float-water/

🔬How to fit a boiled egg in a bottle?

https://www.scienceworld.ca/resource/egg-bottle/

🔬Make coloured Convection currents

Concept: Gravity, heat transfer

https://teachbesideme.com/colored-convection-currents-experiment/

🔬Separating colours

Separate colours into their constituent colours

https://buggyandbuddy.com/chromatography-butterflies-separating-colors-in-markers/

🔬Potato floating in the center of a glass of water?!

Show your kids some magic!

https://www.encourageplay.com/blog/creative-problem-solving-activities-for-kids

Which STEM activities have you done with your kids?

Do share in the comments.

Where the streets have no name...

I love the rains... when it rains, everything is so lush green and wet and fresh! The moisture laden air feels so pristine and refreshing. It recharges the soul and fills the emptiness with life!

The plan was to go on a road trip to Murud-Janjira from Bombay via Pune while sight seeing along the way. An idea to take the scenic route away from the highway took the car past a beautiful water-body called Mulshi Lake!

Asking for directions in India can be a lot of fun! These are some of the answers that were received -

"Tumhala Mulshi zayacha ka? Mag ithe kuthe aale?"

[You want to go to Mulshi Dam? Why did you come to this side of town?]

(Me (thinking): why not? Is this side of town so bad? why are you here then???!!)

"Mulshi dam? I know the way to Bushi dam!"

(Me (thinking): You %^&%&$% I know that way too!!!!)

"Go this way and you should be there in 5 mins."

Me: "Thank you"

"What?"

Me: "Thank you"

"ok..." (looks suspiciously as to why would I thank him - It is common for people to just drive away without being overly courteous. No one has time for that in India. Time is money!)

After asking 10 and a half more people (drove away when one person started scratching his beard upon hearing the words "Mulshi Dam" - I'm pretty sure he didn't miss me.)

The most common answer was "its only 5 mins away". Whether I was directed to a street full of traffic or onto an empty road, the next milestone was never more than 5-mins away! (no wonder google maps did not give me an ETA)!

The fun stopped when I met a guy who used to travel on the same route! He gave directions more precise and clear than even googlemaps or mapquest! As the route map was now known, the journey was smooth again.

From Pimpri -> Hinjewadi -> Pirangut -> Mulshi Dam -> Murud-Janjira

Thanks to the inspiring and entertaining directions and the lack of google maps, it was too late to reach Murud Janjira that day! The night halt at Mulshi Dam turned into the final destination as the beauty of Mulshi was enamouring!

Finally....

The place of lodging was a resort with about 15 rooms. Very cosy. Being the only guests at the resort, the treatment was royal. There was no cellphone coverage in the resort. Had to drive 8 KMs (about 5 miles) to get within cell range. As the winding road to get cell coverage made for a very good drive, I did not mind it :-) It took me back in time where one had to plan phone calls in advance and walk miles before any communiation was possible.

It was refreshing to see Mother Nature working her magic at the lake. The weather changed so soon and severely - the mountain on the other side of the lake would get engulfed in the clouds within seconds. The rain would cut visibility to nearly zero and the wind would lash out at the trees making a howling sound that would send chills up the spine. The lake created by the dam would have waves that would have one believe its a sea. At times, the water would be very calm. There were impromptu water-falls created in the hills by the rain that had clear sparkling water flowing from them. It was a slice of heaven.

On the way back, there were many people in cars and on motorbikes working their way up the ghats to have fun at Mulshi for the weekend. Many stopped on the winding roads to enjoy fresh roasted bhutta (corn) sprinkled with red-chilly, salt and lemon. It is a tasty delight to be enjoyed in the rains!

The journey back home was fast. In Pune, I saw MONAFOOD and remembered a blogger mentioning it in their post! :D

On a separate note, a blog pal Rip-Val-Wrinkle has given me an award for International Blogger's community. I have not yet accepted it, bcoz I don't know what is it about. If you have received/given this award and know what is it about, please do enlighten me! In the mean time, thank you Ripples! I am still trying to figure it out!

Considering the wet roads and the rains, it was surprising to see there was no accidents encountered on the streets! Its very surprising to see so many rules in the US and still there are so many accidents. And here in India, many times, people drive as per their whims n fancies and yet there are none!

OK, I did see one accident, but it was due to overloading and not bad driving.

Could it be the handiwork of the devil?? (are you happy the sketch is now complete :P)

PS: This is my 1st video blog. Your suggestions/comments/compliments are more than welcome.

PS2: An important point to mention - On the way to Mulshi dam from Pirangut, there is a restaurant that has internet access. Please resist the temptation to logon and DO NOT use it. I checked my emails from there and could not login to my mail account a day later. Its fishy!

PS3: I see many new people following my blog. Thank you for enduring following me and a warm welcome to my blog.

PS4: It is still in production and will be released by Sony soon!

Ann Dee's Challenge and Spike's response!

Yesterday, my new and sassy blog-friend Ann Dee had challenged me to find her identity on MS.

I was reluctant initially since I don't visit that site much these days, I asked the challenger for a prize. She was sweet enough to buy me a cool, crisp, foamy, cold and refreshing glass of beer... !!

(I thought the girl in the center was a dude! Guess I was distracted by the........

pearl necklace!!)

The spoils were agreed upon, but there was a slight problem.... we are both in a different geographic locations, so to keep things simple, I agreed to a virtual beer that I can display on my blog along with this caption -

"Ann Dee bows to thee and promises to never ever mess with the smart and cool dude, eye-in-sty-in, at least in this lifetime".

If I am not able to find her ID on MS, I'll buy her a virtual beer and she get to display it with the caption, "eye-in-sty-in bows to thee and promises never to mess with the sassy Ann Dee" - after all, the deal should work both ways, right?

But when I asked her for the prize, she told me that the link to her profile was already on her blogger profile. However, I DID NOT go there as I was already in my "challenge" mode!

But Ann Dee refused to trust Eye-in-sty-in... "I dont know you well enough" she said and went to hog on a tuna sandwich before she chickened out when I raised her wager! So I thought.... Hmmm..... a chicken hoggging on a tuna sandwich makes for quite a zooo!! I digress!

Since the hype was built up, I said to myself, "So what if she chickened out! To heck with the prize... I'll do it just for the joy of sleuthing!" :D

And off went the Spikemeister to trace down this damsel who goes by the name of Ann Dee!

A little sleuthing revealed that "Ann Dee" was a jazzed up version of ND! Searching for Ann Dee on MS was now a waste!

"What have you got yourself into this time, Spike!!" said Eye-in-sty-in. "How could you put my reputation at stake like this!".

"Chill out dude! How can I refuse a beer man! That too when its offered by a pretty and sassy woman! Besides, it was a challenge dude. What was I supposed to do? Back down?!"

"Oh pipe down!" retorted Eye-in-sty-in. He didn't sound happy at all. Spike now had to make sure the damsel's profile was found!

But then, poor Spike had no clues! No leads to follow... just ... Wait a minute! Didn't Ann Dee comment on Eye-in-sty-in's previous post about traffic signs? Lets look there!!

With a smug look on his face and armed with this new found info about her location, Off went Spike in the hunt of this saucy sassy damsel who goes by the name of ND!

He took his hand,

pulled up his pants!

He pulled out his wand,

and stuck the sand!

He cast a spell,

into the well!

"Google me this... Google me that! Show me a big blind bat"

Thwack!

"What the.... Why did you hit me, Eye-in-sty-in?"

"You were saying it all wrong!" said Eye-in-sty-in.

"What was I saying wrong?"

"The spell. You were saying it wrong! You We are looking for ND, not a big, blind bat".

This Eye-in-sty-in was such a know-it-all! thought Spike, muttering under his breath!

"I know that!" he said out loud and went back to casting the spell again...

"Google me this... Google me that! Show me a dandy Ann Dee"

We have found 500 profiles matching 'Ann Dee' ...... proclaimed MS!

Grrrrrrrr!! Spike should have known... Mouthshut search sucks!

Spike and Eye-in-sty-in look at each other in surprise.... and thats when it stuck them!

"Wait a minute" they said at the same time, looking at each other - as it finally dawned upon them!

"Google me this... Google me that! Show me a dandy ND"

Voilaaaaa!!

So here she is... The soon to be All-New-And-Fantastically-Awesome One.....

Scrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!

That's not Ann Dee! That's Eye-in-sty-in's friend B!!!

Beep-Beep! Go back go back!

(Note to self - Give wand for servicing after finding Ann Dee's profile and getting the beer trophy from her!.... maybe....)

Poof!

And, there we have it folks!

The oh so sassy,

and not so naughty!

The one with the almond eyes,

and the lovely smile!

She has no beard,

just a moustache!

What???????? Curse this wand!!! It is definitely going for a checkup!

Whaddaya say folks! Doesn't Nidarshana have a lovely pair of eyes!

O Sassy one, I'd like my beer chilled and inscribed please! That is, if you are still game :-)

However, if you sulk, lemme know and I will remove all traces of the moustache... Althought I must admit, you carry it with elan! ;-)

PS: No hard feelings, eh? :-))

Roller Coasters!

Yesterday was fun - I discovered myself actually peaking while having fun. It was different from the other times because usually I go from 0 to 100% in no time when it comes to doing such things! Yesterday was different because it took me a good 8 hours before I started enjoying the roller coasters in the park! 8 hours! Can you imagine that?

Now before the smart asses start getting ideas about me turning older, etc, etc and invoke my wrath upon them - let me clarify, it was because of food! I ate too much and the drive to the park did not leave enough time for the food to settle down. Not the one to waste time, I jumped on the "Son of Beast" as soon as I entered the park and really "felt" the effects when the ride was over. I decided to take it slow and give myself some time to chill before I hit other really good coasters.

Thanks to new friends and old, a few hours were spent talking to them! Good conversations from the heart even though I was speaking to some after ages... picked up right where we had left off and the fun, flirt and leg-pulling started! Amazing how you can love certain ones while actually hurling abuses at them... marvelous joy! Cheers to such friendship!

A few conversations and a coke later, the spirits were lifted... - Coca Cola, an amazing dark bubbly liquid - what a business idea. BTW, do you know, the formula for making coke is known to only 3 people in the whole world. The other 2 cannot travel in the same airplane and they both have a key to the safe in which it is stored! And now, just because you are a loyal readers of my blog, you will know it too...
So ladies and gentlemen and whoever-you-are ... Here it the formula for Coke - the best selling soft drink in the world!

water + color + CO2 + addiction = handsome profit!

Genius! I do realize, this actually makes me an addict and also a fool, but hey, it makes me feel great! And if it makes you feel good, it has to be good for you, right? RIGHT! (I know the effects - so spare the wise comments about how its good for cleaning toilets and such... I have read that forwarded email already)

Now where were we? Ah yes, coasters! Amazing creations of steel, wood and concrete! They give such an adrenaline rush while keeping the rider in a safe and controlled environment!

Frankly, "Son of Beast", with its shaking wooden frame, harsh ride and the steep drop, provided more excitement than the newest addition - diamondback.

So which is the best coaster in the park? According to me, it has to be "Firehawk".
It makes you feel you are hanging in mid-air held and gives you the feeling of flying in the air! I thoroughly enjoyed riding it - twice!

Unfortunately for me, "The Beast" was closed, so missed out 1 coaster - that should be reason enough to visit the park again!

The park is called Kings Island and it has many Nickelodeon based attractions for kids and it also has many water rides. The water rides I plan to check out in my next trip whenever it happens.

Some free survival tips while visiting an adventure park -
1. Never eat too much food. It'll make you queasy. If you have to eat, do it in moderate quantities and have east food like fries, chips, etc. A 7 course meal and coaster do not match!
2. Water is your friend. Stay hydrated at all times. Often times its not the ride that will wring your guts out - its dehydration. Spot the signs.... If you are not sweating like a pig when its warm outside, its not the new anti-perspirant you are wearing - you are just dehydrated!
3. Dress for the occasion - water parks + bikini/swimming trunks = fun! - for everyone ;-) A spare set of clothes would come in handy after the water rides.
4. Hot sun - Sun block = dark burnt skin
5. Travel light. Some rides can be topsy-turvy, so its better not to carry a $500 cell-phone with you. Laptops are a strict no-no ... unless you have a girlfriend by that name (That was for guys and open minded girls reading this blog)
6. Carry a camera to capture the moments, but try not to make the curvy blond in the skimpy bikini the sole objective of your trip! She may have a tattoo sporting boyfriend watching you while you watch her!!
7. Makes friends with the boyfriend first and click the blondie snaps later!
8. Why are you still looking for more tips? This is not a project for God's sake! Go and be yourself, the point is to have fun.

So folks, do you like roller coasters or are you the ones who cannot handle them? or do you need to be called chicken before you hop on to one to prove the person wrong? Are you an adrenaline junkie too?

PS: Does any one have the video of Aakash and Shalini in Dil chata hai where he calls her a chicken before she hops on to the coaster?

Kitchen tales of a bachelor - How to start an oil fire!

1. Take a pan and pour some oil in it
2. Put it on a flame
3. As the gas takes time to heat the oil, you cool off with a chilled beer
4. Since cold beer does not go with hot kitchen, retire in bedroom
5. You have lots of work to do later that involves cooking! Pop in a movie dvd to relax
6. Get engrossed in movie and fall asleep
(In the mean time, the hot oil has started smoking and managed to catch fire)
7. Wake up when the smoke alarm goes off
8. Call friend on phone to ask what is this buzzing noise and why wont it stop
9. On finally noticing the smoke, run into the kitchen
10. Take the hot flaming pan of oil - which by now has burnt half of the microwave - and place it on the kitchen floor
11. Leave a burnt mark in the kitchen floor with this brilliant maneuver, so perfectly round, it'll make your geometry teacher proud and your apartment owner really mad.
[Its just a parting gift for him to remember you by :-) ]
12. Blame friends for leaving cold beer in the house that almost caused the building to burn down!
13. Open another beer to relieve you from the stress you just had to undergo
14. Finish off all cold beer in the house to prevent another fire

The next lesson will be on how to kill the colluding cooker - be on time for the lesson and bring your own beer!

PS: Post inspired by THIS article by Abha!

A completely 'satisfactory' post!

Me: "Lets go get some chinese, I'm starving"
Friend: "hmmmm... ok"

it was 0 deg F (-18 deg C) outside and we went in our PJs to get it - there were 2 jackets worn but I forgot the gloves! Hands and everything else was frozen! Glad I was not driving.

20 minutes and 2 stops later, the food was in the house.

Friend: "Man, when the fealla said 'large', he really meant large! The quantity of this food is amazing"
Me: "No kidding. And the food is heaped into this large container. This reminds me of college days. Loads of junk Chinese food at night with Pepsi. The only thing missing is...."

Friend: "A glass of daaru"
Me: "Not just any daaru, it has to be Old Monk rum. Say, we have not had OM right?"

Friend: " No. I didn't think we get it here"
Me: "We should ask someone to get it from India"

Friend: "In this economy, everyone is going back"
Me (laughing and opening a 2nd can of Pepsi): "You are right"

Friend: "The quantity of this food is enough for 2 people or 3 meals!"
Me: "I have complete faith in ur appetite. Am sure u can polish this off urself"

Friend (laughing): "No way. But it will suffice for lunch and breakfast tomorrow". (Yep, Chinese for breakfast - that's him!)
Me: "If you 'ration' the food, it can even last for dinner"

Friend: "Naa... I think making it stretch till lunch is enough"
Me: Laughing heartily and thinking to self (Didn't the bugger say the quantity was not huge)

Friend opens up his fortune cookie: "My fortune is great. it says 'enjoy and relax'. Its the perfect thing to do after this heavy meal"
Me: "yep.... u do that. I'm off to play the game for an hour or so"

Friend: "You had 2 cans of Pepsi?"
Me: "Yep. I thought about it for a minute - and could not decide if I want to have it or not. The I thought, if I die in the middle of the night, my aspiration of having the 2nd can of Pepsi will be left unfulfilled. So I decided to go for it"

Friend (laughs heartily): "Its the right thing to do"
Me (opening up the fortune cookie and laughing like a hyena): "I know it was right.... guess what my fortune cookie says"

Friend: "What?"
Me (pointing to the can of Pepsi) : "It says 'The majority of the word can't is can!' "

Friend: "No way!"
Me (hands him the paper): "I know now I did the right thing by opening up the 2nd can of Pepsi!"

(Both laugh hysterically)

Me: "You know the food was delicious. I'm feeling like I was craving this food since a long time. It hit the spot!"

Friend (packing his lunch): "Oh yes. The food was delicious indeed! Aren't you packing ur lunch?"
Me (with an evil gluttony smile): "What lunch? Unlike you, I finished off all my food"

;-)

Btw, just listened to "Nothing else matters", Metallica, "You Give Love A Bad Name", Bon Jovi.... Ah! What a perfect way to culminate the evening with some Nirvana and Prodigy....!