Inside Story - Saving endangered species

Peka Sains Year 5

Date	:	20-7-2012
Activity Code	:	5 /2 / 2.1 / 1
Theme	:	Investigating Materials
Topic	:	2. Acid and Alkaline
Learning Outcomes	:	4.1.1 Pupils identify acidic, alkaline and neutral substances using litmus paper.
Aim	:	To investigate the relationship between the type of solution and the change of blue and red litmus paper
Apparatus	:	Solution P(mineral water), solution Q (salt water), solution R (vinegar), solution S (panadol solution), solution T (toothpaste) and solution U (lime juice)，blue litmus paper and red litmus paper,beakers and petri dishes
Method	:	1.      Pour small amaunt of solutions given        in the petri dish. 2.      Taste all solutions P,Q,R,S,T and U.        Record your observation. 3.      Then dip a red litmus paper  in the        solution P and observe the colour        changed. 4.      Then use blue litmus paper and        observe the colour change. 5.      Record your finding in the table below. 6.      Repeat the above activity using solutions       Q,R,S,T and U.
Observation	:
Solutions Observations Red litmus paper Blue litmus paper P (Mineral water ) Does not change colour Does not change colour Q (Salt) Does not change colour Does not change colour R (Vinegar) Does not change colour Turn to red S (Panadol Solution) Turn to blue Does not change colour T (Tooth paste) Turn to blue Does not change colour U (Lime juice) Does not change colour Turn to red
Discussion	:
1.      Group the solutions above correctly. Acidic Solution R Solution U Alkaline Solution S Solution T Neutral Solution P Solution Q 2.      Which solution have a same properties as a detergent?        Solution S and T Predict how do the colour of blue  and red litmus paper changed  if we test the lemon juice.             Blue litmus paper will change to red and the red litmus paper does not change its colour. Conclusion   :     Acidic substances change the colour of blue litmus paper to red/ Alkaline substances change the colour of red litmus paper to blue/ Neutral substances do not change the colour of red or blue litmus paper.

Is Pluto a planet?

Peka Sains Year 6

Date	:	15-4-2012
Activity Code	:	6 / 3 / 1.2 / 2
Theme	:	Investigating Materials
Topic	:	1 Food Preservation
Learning Outcomes	:	1.2 Sythesizing the concept of food       preservation
Aim	:	To collect and display examples of food using drying method
Method	:	1. Work in groups to collect      5 dried food specimens. 2. Put each type of specimens      in separate transparent      plastic sachet. 3. Seal each sachet. 4. Paste and label the samples     on the manila card. 5. Present and display the     chart to the class.
Observation	:
1. List the specimens that you have collected. Dried Food 1. Dried Chilies 2. Dried Banana 3. Dried Mango 4. Fish Crackers 5. Squid
Discussion	:
1. What is the condition of the specimens?     Dry, water-free, light . 2. What will happen if the specimens are not dried?     The food will turn bad. 3. Give reason why the dried food will not turns bad?     Microorganism cannot grow in     a water-free environment. 4. What is the conditions for microorganisms to grow?     Microorganisms need air, suitable acidity and      temperature to grow. Conclusion   :    Microorganisms cannot grow in a                          water-free environment therefore                         drying can preserve the food and                         make the food last longer.

Experiment

Camellia Breeding

Endangered Plants-Camellias

Camellias are evergreen and small trees up to 20 meters tall. Their leaves are alternately arranged, simple, thick, serrated, and usually glossy. Their flowers are usually large and conspicuous, one to 12 cm in diameter, with five to nine petals in naturally occurring species of camellias. The colors of the flowers vary from white through pink colors to red; truly yellow flowers are found only in South China and North Vietnam. Camellia flowersthroughout the genus are characterized by a dense bouquet of conspicuous yellow stamens, often contrasting with the petal colors. The so-called "fruit" of camellia plants is a dry capsule, sometimes subdivided in up to five compartments, each compartment containing up to eight seeds.

The various species of camellia plants are generally well-adapted to acidic soils rich in humus, and most species do not grow well on chalky soil or other calcium-rich soils. Most species of camellias also require a large amount of water, either from natural rainfall or from irrigation, and the plants will not tolerate droughts. However, some of the more unusual camellias – typically species from karst soils in Vietnam can grow without too much water.

 

Camellia plants usually have a rapid growth rate. Typically they will grow about 30 cm per year until mature – though this does vary depending on their variety and geographical location.

Camellia plants are used as food plants by the larvae of a number of Lepidoptera species; see List of Lepidoptera that feed on Camellia. Leaves of the Japanese Camellia (C. japonica) are suceptable to the fungal parasite Mycelia sterile.

Human Use it 

Camellia sinensis, the tea plant, is of major commercial importance because tea is made from its leaves. While the finest teas are produced by C. sinensis courtesy of millennia of selective breeding of this species, many other camellias can be used to produce a similar beverage. For example, in some parts of Japan, tea made from C. sasanqua leaves is popular.
Tea oil is a sweet seasoning and cooking oil made by pressing the seeds of C. oleifera, C. japonica, and to a lesser extent other species such as C. crapnelliana, C. reticulata, C. sasanqua and C. sinensis. Relatively little-known outside East Asia, it is the most important cooking oil for hundreds of millions of people, particularly in southern China.