Young Scientist's Guide to Faulty Freaks of Nature - Hardcover

James Doyle lives and works in Belfast, Ireland (most times!). You won’t find him on any social network sites and you won’t be able to track him. He is an expert in remaining “invisible” to the general public and the last eyewitness account of his whereabouts placed him at a remote outpost in the Himalayan mountains where he was setting out in search of the legendary Abominable Snowman.

Andrew Brozyna is a book designer and illustrator living in Boulder County, Colorado. He nearly fell off a cliff while hiking, and he crashed the only two times he went mountain biking.

YOUNG SCIENTIST ACTIVITY

How to make a Stalactite

Hobbits aren’t the only cool things you can find in a deep cave. Some of them are filled with magical shapes and objects created by the processes of nature. With this activity, you can build your very own stalactite. Stalactites form in limestone caves as water packed with minerals seeps through the ground over thousands of years to form amazing icicle-like shapes.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:

Two paperclips

One length of wool

Two empty jam jars

Epsom salt

One spoon

One saucer or small dish

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Take your two jars and fill them with really hot (but not boiling) water.

2. Now take your spoon and start adding the epsom salt to both jars. Keep doing this, stirring the jars until all epsom salts have dissolved.

3. Place a saucer or small dish in between both jars. Take the wool and cut a piece long enough to reach the bottom of each jar and bridge the gap between the jars.

4. Now tie the paperclips to each end of the wool to create a weight and lower the ends into their respective jars.

5. Simply leave for 3 or 4 days and see what happens.

Science Factoid

Capillary action, which is the upward movement of water, helps the water move out of each jar along the piece of wool. As the solution moves along the wool from both jars, eventually the two solutions meet and begin to form drips downward. The water in the solution starts to evaporate and leaves behind a solid-growing stalactite.