Careful observation is a very important part of science. Ornithologists learn to identify birds from a quick glimpse as they fly through the trees. Meteorologists learn to read the clouds in much the same way that most people read books. Geologists learn to look at a hillside covered with gravel, and spot the one piece that happens to be a fragment of dinosaur bone. Part of this is learning what to look for, but part is also training your eyes to really see all the details that are there. To give this a try yourself, you will need:
- several chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, or other cookies. Homemade are tastier, but you can use store bought cookies too.
- paper to draw on
- pen, pencil, crayons, or something else to draw with.
- a ruler
Pick two cookies at random. Eat one. Place the other on the table in front of you. Look at the cookie. I mean, REALLY look at it. Imagine that you are going to have to look at a pile of similar cookies, and know this one well enough to pick it out of the pile.
Draw a picture of your cookie, being sure to note any identifying marks. Maybe one of the chocolate chips has a crack in it, or there may be two raisins at the edge that almost touch each other. Don't worry if your drawing is not perfect. You are recording your observations, so as long as it shows the things that make your cookie special, it is a wonderful drawing.
Measure your cookie, noting on your drawing any measurements that could help identify it. Maybe one side is thicker than the other, or it may be 1/4 inch wider at the point where the two raisins almost touch. Again, pretend that you need to record your cookie well enough to pick it out of a lineup of other cookies.
Once that is done, put your cookie in with all the others. Close your eyes and have someone mix them well. If you are doing this on your own, close your eyes and shuffle them well. Then open your eyes, and find your cookie. Check it against your drawing and measurements to be sure that it is your cookie.
How well did you do? If you want to make it a bit more challenging, try using cookies that are manufactured to be very similar. Oreos work very well for this. They all seem to look alike, but if you look carefully, you can spot irregularities in the filling, top cookies that are not exactly aligned with the bottom, and other small differences.
Want to make it a bit more challenging? Ask someone else to look at your drawing and notes, to see if they can identify your cookie. This takes more practice and skill, but it is a skill well worth learning.
Once you are done, you will have a pile of cookies that have been handled. That means that you can't put them back in the package, so dispose of them properly. I like mine dipped in either milk or hot tea.
The more you practice observation, the more you will see in the world around you. You can do this activity with other objects, such as pennies, rocks, leaves, or sticks, but in that case, skip the step where you eat one.
Haven't really done this
Haven't really done this activity in science back in school. But this sounds really fun and a good way to learn.
-forex contest
Cookie Science Class
I homeschool my two teen boys. Anything to do with food for school was great when they were younger (now food just disappears in the vortex around them 24/7). Well, they do cook alot, too. Anyway, I have other "cookie science" things I do.......for my after school science class and 'take to homeschoolers' classes this activity made me realize I could do a cookie science class! Thanks so much! Also, any time you add a printer friendly version of something I do a happy dance!
A Cookie Science class would
A Cookie Science class would be great! Be sure to check out:
Paleo- Cookies: http://thehappyscientist.com/science-video/paleo-cookies
I'll dig up some more to post. Thanks for the positive feedback on the printer friendly version. I have a small group of homeschool families that have volunteered to give me feedback and suggestions to help improve the site. They helped me tweak the printer friendly version into a decent form. If you ever have any suggestions or constructive criticism, please let me know. I am always looking for ways to make the site more useful.
Fun Friday project!
I am a homeschooling mom of three (11, 8, 2). We have Fun Friday every week where we scrap our usual activities and look for an extra fun activity. This week I am under the weather, so I gave my kids a package of chocolate chips and this activity. They love working in the kitchen so this is perfect! They enjoyed it a lot! Math, science, drawing skills...and now they're writing about it in their journals. Thanks for this idea!!!
This is a hard one...
because I will have to figure out what kind of cookies to bake!! I'm thinking peanut butter or chocolate chip.. man is that a hard decision!
This is a great activity. The exact things that my kids will eat up...litterally! Love it!
Nice activity. Good way to
Nice activity. Good way to teach both observation and scientific/nature drawing.
It would be helpful if there was a way to print activities easily without the sidebars and other comments. Maybe a print button taking the user to a more spartan view.
You can highlight what you
You can highlight what you want, backclick then choose print, and when you printer contols come up click the "selection" spot, click "apply" and then click print.
Printer friendly version
Just added a printer friendly PDF download at the bottom of the page. Let me know what you think. Any suggestions?
I love it! I have two young
I love it! I have two young budding scientists on my hands, school holidays an all, so we will try this one later in the week. :) Thanks for a great idea for teaching observational skills in a fun way!
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