4 Bouncing Ideas

CHAPTER FOUR Bouncing Ideas Science demonstration (noun). Introducing or explaining a principle of science through a visual example so others can see it firsthand. Like you might create an eruption in a papier-maché volcano with vinegar and baking soda to demonstrate an acid-base chemical reaction. I FLIPPED THROUGH A CHEMISTRY BOOK, searching for the perfect experiment or demo. "Are you guys having any luck finding a project?" "Not yet." Birdie thumbed through The Big Book of Totally Awesome Science Experiments, which was propped on her lap. Right after the assembly, Birdie and I had grabbed a bunch of science books from the school library to look for the perfect experiments together. Elijah and Memito had been hanging out at Elijah's house after school but had come over when they saw me and Birdie on my back patio. Elijah's yard is right next to mine so it's easy for him to hop over the chain-link fence. Now we were all sprawled on lawn chairs in my backyard. "I don't need luck," said Memito. "I've got my project all figured out. I'm going to test different

ways to dry mango and figure out which method tastes the best." He licked his lips. "I'm coming over to your house, so I can be a taste tester," said Elijah. "And celebrate me coming in first." Memito rubbed his hands together. "I'm going to use the prize money to start a cooking club." Elijah tapped on a tree stump. "Bet you can't guess what I'm going to do. Oops, sorry—I mean make an inference." He grinned. "Something with drumming obviously," I said. "Give that girl a pair of drumsticks," said Elijah. "I'm going to use different sticks on my drums and figure out which one creates the best sound quality. And since I'm going to win, I'll use the money to start a battle of the bands." Elijah elbowed me. "What's your experiment, Kate? I bet you already have yours all typed and printed out already." "Actually," I said, "I haven't figured it out yet. The problem is, there are just so many things I'm curious about." I peered up at the sky. "Like why is it blue up there? I'm not sure, but I have ideas. I know it has something to do with chemistry—all the particles and gases in the air." I pointed to a maple leaf that was bright red. "Why is that red? I know it's chemistry."

"So basically, you come up with an experiment about anything that makes you curious," said Birdie. "Exactly!" I said. "It just has to be awesome for Dr. Caroline. I still have no clue what I would do with a thousand dollars though." I glanced over at Birdie, who had a mysterious smile on her face. "You figured out something," I said. "Yup." Birdie peered up from one of our science experiment books. "I want to use the prize money to paint a mural on the library wall." "And what about your project?" I asked. "Not sure." She started flipping through her book again. Then she came to a picture that made her gasp. "That's so pretty." It was a spread featuring colorful strips of paper towels hanging on a clothesline. "They look tie dyed. It's called an ink chromatography experiment. You get to separate colors." Her fingertips slowly brushed the image as if ink might somehow come off the page. "I think I've found my experiment!" "Still don't know what you want to do, Kate?" asked Elijah in a teasing voice. "No," I admitted. "Not yet." I pointed to our trampoline. "Let's stop talking. And go jumping." Everyone rushed over.

Birdie grabbed my hand and we jumped together while Elijah and Memito started tossing as many balls as they could find onto the trampoline. It was like jumping in a hot air popcorn popper, only without the hot air. And without the kernels. After a big flip, I thought about how electrons move around an atom, sometimes in unpredictable ways just like the balls. Maybe I could make a miniature trampoline to demonstrate how electrons bopped around. I peered up at that blue atmosphere. "Maybe I could do a chromatography test of the sky," I said with a wink. "Ha ha," said Birdie. "I don't know," I said with a giant jump, "with chemistry anything is possible."