For parents, the approach of summer camp also brings questions regarding what they should pack for camp for their child – what is too much, what is too little. Parents can contact their camp for specific packing lists and guidelines. In addition, the American Camp Association® (ACA) suggests the following guidelines for parents to keep in mind when they pack for camp:
Carbonated drinks like most sodas are pumped with carbon dioxide to give the drinker the fizz feeling. This gas is suspended within the soda. Any shift in the forces inside can cause these gas molecules to come out of suspension. This effect can be seen when you shake a can. When shaken, the pressure increases as the gas inside tries to expand. When you open the container, this gas will push out to an area of lower pressure (a.k.a. the outside). As it leaves the container, the quick eruption will cause liquid to come out at the same time causing the subsequent spray!
When Mentos are dropped in, the surface tension of the soda is disrupted, allowing bubbles to form. Added to that, Mentos have thousands of microscopic pits that allow bubbles to form. As the bubbles expand, they are released and will push the soda out. In the video below, you can see the effect Mentos has on a bottle of diet coke — how cool is that soda geyser?
by Amy Egan
Very little can disturb a parent’s peace like children fighting. And it seems that very little we do to alleviate it does much, if any good. Most of us use knee-jerk reactions when we hear our kids fight or throwing punches. Those reactions being either yelling at them and telling they must learn to get along, or stepping in trying to find out who started the whole darn mess.
The problem with telling them, in our sternest voices, that they must learn to get along and quit fighting is that it doesn’t work. How many times have you said something like this to your kids? And how much better do they get along now? The real problem is that whenever we command our children to do something and they don’t do it, we look very wimpy! I’m pretty sure that we can all agree we ought to toss this technique into the trash bin.
