Experiment with ice

By Sara Thompson Special to the Enterprise

Winter is still upon us and with it an icy science experiment that can be done at home. Ice is frozen water and will begin to melt soon after leaving a freezing environment. Are there ways we can speed up the melting process? n Experiment: Fill six or more small, paper cups with equal amounts of water. Comparison is best done when the quantities are equal. Place the cups in the freezer for the water to freeze solid. When frozen, use scissors to cut the cups open and place the ice in the muffin tin or other cups.

Materials needed: small paper cups, water, scissors, muffin tin or other cups, salt, sugar, other materials as needed.

Use one ice chunk as a control and do not do anything to it. With the others try different methods of melting such as cold water, warm water, boiling water,

Explorit SciEncE cEntEr

steam, salt, sugar, etc. Again, try to use similar quantities of the additives when testing the melting.

Check on the progress every five minutes and make notes. After an hour or when one whole ice chunk has completely melted you will get a good idea of which method melts ice quicker.

You can repeat this experiment as many times as you would like and test as many safe substances as you would like. It is always best to do home experiments with an adult, especially if one of the melting methods used requires heating water.

Explorit’s coming events: n Our current exhibit “Explorit Rocks!” is open to the public on Fridays from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is $5 per person. Explorit Members, ASTC, and those age 2 and under free. n A Membership to Explorit grants the recipient free visits to Explorit’s regular public hours, discounts on events, summer camps and workshops, and gives you ASTC benefits to visit other museums throughout the world. To purchase or for more information visit https:// www.explorit.org/membership or call Explorit at 530-756-0191. n School Programs are available to schedule. We have educational programs that travel to schools and options for field trips at our facility. Please call 530-756-0191 for more information or to schedule. n Now is a great time to donate and help Explorit continue to educate and inspire the scientists of tomorrow: https://www. explorit.org/donate.

— Explorit Science Center is at 3141 Fifth St. For information, call 530-7560191 or visit http://www. explorit.org, or “like” the Facebook page at www. facebook.com/explorit.fb.

Saturday

n The Belfry, a Lutheran Episcopal Campus Ministry at UC Davis will host a fundraiser to fund replacement of the roof. The event will feature guided beer tasting by UCD professor emeritus of brewing science Charlie Bamforth and Anaheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Malting and Brewing Science Glen Fox. Cheers to the Belfry will begin at 4 p.m. at The Episcopal Church of St. Martin, 640 Hawthorn Road in Davis. The cost $50 per person and the event is limited to those 21 and older. It is listed on Eventbrite as "Cheers to the Belfry." For information, call Portia at 530-756-1550.

Sunday

n Kevin Guse will lead the annual Raptor Ramble. California's Central Valley has one of the largest wintering raptor populations in the country. The goal of this field trip is to see how many species of raptors can be found. Highlights of past trips include ferruginous hawk, rough-legged hawk, golden eagle, peregrine falcon, merlin, bald eagle and prairie falcon. Beginning birders are welcome. For information on how to participate, go Yolo Audubon’s websites: yoloaudubon. org or facebook.com/ yoloaudubonsociety.

Wednesday

n The Valley Oak Chapter of the Embroiderer’s Guild of America will host a Zoom presentation on “Maya Textiles: Colorful Tradition” by Diane Herrmann, at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1. Herrmann has numerous publications on the needle arts and is an awardwinning teacher. She will discuss the efforts to revitalize the needle arts of Guatemala and their cultural roots in Mayan art. To attend, contact Linda Wayne at laws999@ gmail.com by Jan. 26 to join the Zoom list.

n The Davis Progressive Business Exchange will meet from noon to 1 p.m. at Lamppost Pizza, 1260 Lake Blvd. in West Davis. The speaker will be Alan Hirsch, who is a frequent political activist with a table at the Davis Farmers Market. He will talk about political donations in Yolo county and how Davis dominates the county in the number of political donors and amounts of money. He will be using data and figures for the 2022 November election. Contact Bob Bockwinkel at 530-219-1896 or e-mail G. Richard Yamagata at yamagata@dcn.org for information.

n The Davis Flower Arrangers will host Helen Tashima, renowned and respected sensei of ikebana present at 1 p.m. at Stonegate Country Club at 919 Lake Blvd. in Davis. To join the group send a $50 membership check to Davis Flower Arrangers, c/o Jo Anne Boorkman, 2205 Butte Place, Davis, Ca 95616 or bring it to the meeting. Include your name, address, phone number and email address so you receive the monthly newsletter, current updates, and invitations for all special events, workshops and field trips. Visitors are welcome and are asked to donate at least $10. Recordings of the meetings will be available for members. For information, contact Stephanie DeGraff-Hunt at sdegraffhunt@gmail.com.

Thursday n The Davis Odd Fellows' Thursday Live! music series returns with San Francisco musician Maurice Tani, a fixture on the alt-country scene for more than a decade. Doors open at 7 p.m. at the Odd Fellows Hall, 415 Second St., with music starting at 7:30 p.m. All ages welcome. Thursday Live! shows are free, but donations are encouraged to support the musicians.

Friday, Feb. 10 n Logos Books will host a 2nd Friday ArtAbout reception from 6 to 8 p.m. for artist Karen Fess-Uecker as part of her show, “A little bit of Davis, a lot of California,” plein air and studio oil paintings. Fess-Uecker’s work will be up at the bookstore, 513 Second St. in downtown Davis, from Feb. 4 to March 3.