Make ocean foam in your classroom!

December 2, 2007

I’m not sure exactly why, but my post on ocean foam in Australia continues to be one of the most popular.

Now you can make ocean foam in your classroom! I suppose this was planned for a science class, but why not use it in geography or world history?

Kid making ocean foam, at NY Hall of Science

Instructions here: What Molecules are in Ocean Foam? (repeated below the fold). This is one of several easy-to-do science experiments promoted at the Pfizer Foundation Discovery Lab at the New York Hall of Science.

Also see this explanation from New Scientist about how foam forms on ocean waves in the first place.

Go ahead. Cover the entire school with it.

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3 Comments | Bell Ringers, Geography - Physical, Lesson plans, Natural history, Science, Warm-up exercises | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Oceans white with foam, mate!

November 19, 2007

This is cool. Natural phenomena, the stuff that makes geography really interesting — where and what is this? (Pictures from August 2007)

Surfer emerges from foam in New South Wales

It was as if someone had poured tons of coffee and milk into the ocean, then switched on a giant blender.

Suddenly the shoreline north of Sydney were transformed into the Cappuccino Coast.

Foam swallowed an entire beach and half the nearby buildings, including the local lifeguards’ centre, in a freak display of nature at Yamba in New South Wales.

One minute a group of teenage surfers were waiting to catch a wave, the next they were swallowed up in a giant bubble bath. The foam was so light that they could puff it out of their hands and watch it float away.

Perhaps a good geography warm-up: Where are these pictures from? What is the phenomenon shown in the photos? Why might it be unusual for these people to be swimming in the ocean in August?

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8 Comments | Geography - Physical, Natural history, Natural resources, Science, Travel | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell