Hello friends of @steemit, nice to meet you, the education of our children is very important for all, so we always try to offer the best possible, but we should not delegate this responsibility only to teachers, we as parents have the duty to be fundamental part in this process, so today I bring you a very practical initiative, dynamic and above all fun but at the same time educational.

Home experiments offer us endless possibilities that can help us in the education of our children, and it is not necessary that we have a laboratory to teach them science, with simple materials that we have regularly at home we can achieve.

Today we will study the properties of Wood and the process of Absorption, so let's start with the fun;

Absorption experiment: star with toothpicks!!!

Wood is a hygroscopic material, that is, it is capable of absorbing or expelling water depending on the humidity conditions of the environment in which it is located. Wood swells when it absorbs water and contracts when it dries. With this experiment we will observe this property in action while creating a star from toothpicks.

Materials:

• 5 toothpicks

• Water.

• A spoon, dropper or straw

Process:

• Fold the chopsticks in half in the form of a V.

• It is imperative that they do not break completely. Place them on a smooth surface forming a circle with the vertices inwards.

• Add a few drops of water in the center of the circle.

• You will see how the chopsticks move little by little and then they will be arranged forming a star.

To use the water we use a dropper.

A nice 5-pointed star.

What happen?

The wood is composed mainly of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Both cellulose and hemicellulose form the fibers of wood, while the function of lignin is to act as an adhesive that holds the other constituents together.

Cellulose and hemicellulose are hydrophilic in nature, which means that they have great affinity for water, so much so that it is capable of absorbing water either in the liquid state or in the form of vapor (from the atmosphere).

This characteristic of wood is responsible for doors and windows (which are not properly treated), swell during the seasons of greater humidity and, therefore, do not close or open well. But the absorption of water is not always a disadvantage, in prehistory took advantage of nothing less than to cut rocks. A series of holes were made in the rock in which a stake or a wooden wedge was inserted. Then it was moistened well so that it absorbed water and swelled. The pressure generated by the increase in volume of the wood was high enough to split the rock.

Everyone who has put vegetables in soaking will know that the seeds of the plants behave similarly in terms of water absorption, and that for germination to be possible, every seed must absorb water. When the seed increases its size, the protective layer that wraps it breaks and begins the development of the embryo.

In our experiment, the wood fibers of the sticks absorb water, swell and straighten, giving rise to a star.

And for more fun, our star stays stuck on the plate thanks to the water!

Children love to do experiments. With them, while having fun, they learnand 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 by the amount of experiments that can be done with some home materials. So do not wait any longer, get 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 publication.

Regards!!!

Pages reference:

https://www.arqhys.com/contenidos/madera-propiedades.html

http://www.areatecnologia.com/materiales/madera.html