Hello friends of @steemit today we will carry out some super fun and educational experiments, this time our little ones will have fun puncturing a plastic bag with pencils and a balloon with a wooden stick, I promise it will be very fun and educational.

On this occasion our children will learn about Polyethylene and Elastomers.

Before starting with the fun we have to know the theory, in such a way that we learn through our experiments!

What is an Elastomer?

Elastomers are materials composed of interconnected and enormously long molecules. An example so that our children can understand more easily what this means is using a network of those used to package potatoes, oranges ... If the network is not subject to much tension you can go through with your finger without anything happening. The net molds to our finger deforming without breaking. However, if we do the same, but with the network subjected to a greater tension, the finger destroys its links and breaks.

Imagen source

Imagen source

Now, let the fun begin!

Globe that does not explode

With this experiment you will go through a balloon with a wooden stick without exploding. It's super fun and you'll learn a lot of things about elastomers, which is the kind of material that balloons are made of.

Materials:

• A wooden stick or a metal skewer, like that of the Moorish skewers.
• A balloon.

Process:

• Inflate the balloon and observe the areas where the rubber is more and less stretched.

• Where would you cross the globe?
  Clear! by the areas in which the rubber is less stretched, which are the part of the knot and its opposite end.
  Very carefully begins to cross the globe through one of these two areas. By turning the stick gently you will not have problems to pierce it. To facilitate the process you can spread the stick with a little oil, but it is not absolutely necessary.

• Keep it up until the stick comes out the opposite end.

This experiment must be done very carefully because there is a possibility that the balloon will explode. But nothing happens is part of the fun, my little Sophia happened to her but everything ended with a lot of laughs so I had to take her place and do it so we could appreciate how we puncture the balloon and it did not break !!

What has happened?

The balloons are made of rubber or latex, an elastomer. The part of the balloon where we introduced the toothpick is not subject to much tension so you can go through without anything happening. The balloon molds to the stick deforming without breaking. However, if we introduce the stick to the part of the balloon where it is most tense it destroys its links and breaks. When the stick is inserted, the molecules separate and deform. But they keep surrounding and pressing the stick so that the air is locked inside the balloon (it will escape but very slowly).

Before performing the other experiment let's know the theory:

What is Polyethylene?

Polyethylene is a polymer, that is, a very large molecule formed by the repetition of many smaller molecules called monomers. The word polymer comes from the Greek poly (many) and grouper (parts). The chemical reaction by which this grouping of molecules takes place is called polymerization.

Although in the manufacturing processes the molecules are oriented in a certain direction, they are not found in the plastic distributed in an orderly manner. Rather they resemble a ball of tangled wool or a plate of spaghetti.

This could be a model of how macromolecules are arranged: a few tangled spaghetti that, with patience, one can untangle (they are not permanently attached as in the case of elastomers, which we saw in the balloon experiment that does not explode)

Imagen source

Go through a bag full of water with pencils

If we were surprised when we skewered a skewer stick in a balloon and it did not explode. In this experiment we are going to have fun by boring a bag full of water with several pencils. Will we get wet?

Materials:

• A ziploc type plastic bag preferably, although it can be made with any other.
• Pencils with point or similar.
• Water.
• A place on the outside in case there are leaks.

Process:

• Fill the bag with water and then close it. If the bag is ziploc it will be easier.
• With decision, cross it with several pencils. Do not worry, the water will not escape.

Children love to do experiments. With them, while having fun, they learn and ask questions about the world around them. Among its many benefits, scientific exploration feeds the child's natural curiosity, fosters his interest in science, stimulates reasoning and logic, improves his ability to solve problems, increases his self-esteem and prepares them to understand more complicated scientific concepts in the future.
To enjoy science is not necessary to have a laboratory, you will be surprised at the amount of experiments that can be done with a few homemade materials. So do not wait any longer, get down to work and have fun with your children or students.

I hope that this article has been of your interest and help and I hope you in my next post.