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🔅 Recommended Daytime Activity
Ninety years ago, Maria Telkes was fascinated with the Sun. She figured out how to use the Sun’s heat to warm up a whole house! Later, she invented a machine that could use the Sun’s power to turn saltwater into fresh (non-salty) water that we can drink.
If you’ve seen Blaze help Darrington launch to the moon, you’ll know that the power of the Sun helped them get there. Let’s do a super solar power experiment! Let’s learn about how the Sun can turn saltwater into freshwater.
☑ Bowl
☑ Salt
☑ Water
☑ Drinking glass
☑ Plastic wrap
☑ Something heavy (like a small rock)
Here’s how to explain this activity to your child:
Watch Darrington and Blaze speed off to this solar-powered song during their mission to the moon!
Words to Use
Simplify
Do a simpler experiment to learn about the Sun’s power. Put a glass or jar with some water in it in the window. Mark how high the water is. Check again tomorrow and the next day. Does the water level change? Talk about how the Sun has the power to turn water into gas — which then floats out of the cup!
Stretch
Create an observation journal to track what happens to the experiment over time. Sample the water in the cup at the end. Does it taste salty at all? See if your child can explain what happened!
Why?
This experiment helps your inventor learn math, problem solving, and observation skills. Every time your inventor asks “WHY?” he or she is learning!
Conversation Starter
Try asking these questions at lunchtime or dinnertime:
Tell me the funniest/weirdest/silliest thing you learned recently!