Read The Case of the Mossy Lake Monster for Free Online Page B

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    PROCEDURE
    1 . Set pie plate on a table. (Think food dish.)
    2 . Rub the balloon in your hair until your hair stands on end. (This works best on cool, dry days with clean, grease-free hair. Hey—all you grunge-heads out there … take a hint!)
    3 . Your balloon is now charged with extra electrons in the form of static electricity. (Think Zappy. Think pink, tender schnozzola.)

    4 . Bring the balloon close to the pie plate—two inches … one inch … (Sudden exchange of electrons! ZAP!)

    5 . Poor, poor Zappy! Dab your eyes with a tissue and blow your nose.
    6 . If you can stand the sadness, go into a dark room, wait one minute for your eyes to adjust, and try the experiment again. You can actually see the sparks.
    Good Science Tip
    All good scientists observe carefully. They record what they see and everything that happens in their experiment, whether or not they believe it’s important. Sometimes what they think isn’t important turns out to be the key to the puzzle! Here’s an activity you can do to sharpen your observation skills: Examine an ordinary leaf with a magnifying glass and write down ten things you observe about the leaf. (Example: tiny hairs, different colors, a soft texture.) You will be surprised at how many things you can observe when you try!

If you’re a penguin, oil spills spell disaster . And if you happen to be a penguin who can spell D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R, you’re very smart indeed. For this experiment, pluck a couple of your penguin feathers and get ready to see the effect that oil has on them.
    MATERIALS
    • two small bowls
    • 1 tablespoon water
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • two downy-soft feathers *
    * Note: Craft stores carry feathers. Don’t use feathers that you find outside—they may carry germs that cause disease.
    PROCEDURE
    1 . Pour water into one bowl. Pour oil into the second bowl.
    2 . Dip one of the feathers into the water. Take it out and blow on it gently until it dries.
    3 . Dip the second feather into the oil. Take it out and blow on it for about the same length of time as before.

    4 . Now answer this question: Which would you (a penguin) rather swim in—oil or water?

    How Can I Help?
    While there’s not much you can do to prevent an oil tanker from running aground, you can still help. The surprising fact is, most of the oil in our oceans comes from motor oil that is dumped down the storm drain. If your parents change their own car oil, ask them to try to recycle the oil through your local recycling center or auto repair shop.
    Did you know?
    Did you know that Drake and Nell’s idea for the penguin sweaters is based on a true story? In 2000, there was an oil spill off the coast of southeast Australia, near Phillip Island. The tiniest penguins in the world live on Phillip Island and were endangered by the oil spill. Thinking quickly and creatively, workers dressed the penguins in doll sweaters. Soon sweaters knitted by people from all over the world poured into Phillip Island, and the little penguins were saved! For more information, see:

    www.penguins.org.au
    www.factmonster.com/spot/penguinsweater.html
    www.adorablog.org/penguins/index.html
(Full of cool pics of sweatered penguins!)

The Scene: You are camping with your family beside a lake. The birds are chirping. The squirrels are scurrying. The flowers are blooming. All in all, it is rather peaceful. Your family goes fishing, hoping to catch a fat trout for dinner. Suddenly, a monster rears its ugly head! It’s slimy. Horrible. Ghastly. All of the above. Your family screams and scampers into the hills.
    The Secret: You’re the culprit! Yes, you! You were sneaky. Sly. Crafty. All of the above. Using the principles of buoyancy, you constructed a monster just like Code 61. Here’s how:
    MATERIALS
    • empty 2-liter plastic bottle
    • scissors
    • 12 quarters
    • duct tape
    • large balloon
    • several long twist ties
    • 12 feet of plastic or rubber tubing from a hardware store, approx. 3/8 inch