Everyday Questions, Everyday Science

When kids see something new or unusual for the first time, they become inquisitive and start asking questions. They may wonder, “Why does the sky appear blue?”, “How do plants drink water?” or “Why do plastic stools have holes in the middle?” 

Our SciQ section answers these everyday questions through simple, easy-to-follow experiments. To explain how plants drink water or capillary action, we placed fresh white flowers in vases filled with different colours of water. The next morning, the flowers had turned colourful! They had absorbed the coloured water through tiny, straw-like tubes called xylem. These tubes carry water from the roots to the leaves and other parts of the plant. Once kids understand this process, they start imagining it whenever they see a plant. 

Another one of our experiments answered the question “Why do we slip on rainy days?”

Normally, the soles of our shoes rub against the ground, creating friction that helps us walk without slipping. But when water gets between our shoes and the ground, it reduces this friction, making surfaces slippery.

We can understand friction through a simple pencil-and-bottle experiment. Fill a bottle with uncooked rice and push a pencil into it. The pencil can be pulled out easily at first, but after tapping the bottle to settle the rice, the grains press tightly around the pencil. This creates more friction, allowing the rice to grip the pencil and hold it firmly.

This shows kids how friction works—and why less friction on a rainy day can make us slip!

These experiments show children that science isn’t something that exists only in textbooks or laboratories. It is happening all around them—in the rain, in a bottle of rice or even in the plants they see every day. When children discover the answers for themselves, everyday observations turn into moments of wonder and learning.

In Champak, we look at everyday science being solved through everyday experiments.