Snails & Buoyancy

[Melody]

My Son's Science Fair entry is on buoyancy. Along with the good ol' raisin & egg experiements, he has Applesnails with him! I'm willing to bet that not one Teacher will know what a prime example of buoyancy they are.

Applesnails have both a gill and a lung. Ventilation of the lung is also used to adjust buoyancy levels. The snails expand and contract their body against the lung to adjust the amount of air, enabling them to hover in the water at any level.

I sent him with five colors for interest. He's got an empty Critter Keeper tank w/lid, a few plants & dechlorinator, so the class can keep them for the week if they want.

He no sooner arrived and a kid asked what he had in the little clear container I put them in. When he replied that they were snails the kid said "Oh COOL!" He'll be quite the popular young man today, I suspect. Since he's just about 13, I included a pink snail to get the girls' attention ;) . He can thank me for that later.

So if you or your kid ever needs a science project and you own Applesnails, you have a very cool example of buoyancy in your tanks.

Should have sent him with an order form.... :laugh: .

[Melody]

:pompom: So step one was doing the experiments in class, then the finalists were chosen from each grade. They will go on to the school Science Fair, and the winners there will go on to the District Science Fair.

Them there snailbies are sliming on to step two! He'll be in the school Science Fair with them on Friday. :Applaud:

Make room - proud Mama coming through.... :biggrin:.

[CACAdmin]

Tell the kid 'Congrats' and that we'll be cheering him on! :D

[Melody]

Thanks, will do. I told him I was bragging about him on the internet again. Got me a bonified 'MOMMMM...:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: ' response....lol.

[Melody]

Well roll me over and call me slimey, those snails are going to the District Science Fair! Blanked out the school name, but here's the evidence! They don't do 1st, 2nd & 3rd at the school level, they just select the finalists - he's one of six!

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f227/canadiansinternetdotcom/ScienceFair2007-Finalist.jpg

:biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:

[Mrs.JP]

Tell him congrats that is so cool.

[blainep]

Congrats to your son Melody, thats gotta make momma proud !

[Melody]

Thanks! Of course, my only reason for posting is to help members children if they ever need a science project.

Did ya buy that noise? :laugh:

Still BEAMING!

[CACAdmin]

Congrats to your son:Applaud:... & tell him we'll be rooting for him at the District Science Fair.

[Melody]

Thanks, I'll do that! And if the day won't already be a day for a Mom to enjoy, there's a fish store there!!!! Could life get any better?

[CACAdmin]

I can just hear you saying, "Wow, these science projects are really fascinating, but I have an very important errand to run (ahem...:secret: to the fish store). I'll be right back." The kid will probably just roll his eyes, and say "Sure, Mom." and won't be the least surprised when his mom doesn't return for a couple of hours.:laugh:

[Melody]

Nonesense, I'm a better Mother than that!

I'll stay at the Science fair and then tell him he owes me a wait at the fish store! lol He's getting the majority of the day's funding so I can take a deserving kid out for dinner, so he won't complain. ;)

That's one thing about the fairs though, they have to keep the total cost of the project under $25 so nobody gets an unfair advantage, and recycling is encouraged.

[CACAdmin]

Yeh, I know you're a good mom! :yes: He likes fish too so he won't mind the trip to the fish store... especially knowing he gets treated to dinner out afterwards. It ought to be a fun day, all round.

Glad to hear they have a cap on the spending for the project. That ensures faireness and with it being at $25 then it's affordable.

[Melody]

Well children today never cease to amaze me. A couple got together and mixed up a salt solution and poured it in the tank. Sick, sick kids, who will probably get a 'you shouldn't do that dear, even if they are only snails' from their parents. :mad: One of them is also in the District Science Fair - guess he wanted to eliminate the competition. At the ripe ol' age of 12.... man, do they have a bright future. Off to Applesnail.net to see if I should be euthanizing the survivors.

[CACAdmin]

That's awful! I can't believe they'd do something like that!The poor snails... and your poor kid... he must feel awful. Give him a hug from all of us here. :grouphug: As far as I'm concerned, that should mean immediate disqualification from the Science Fair for starters.

Sick minds! Win at all costs mentality... imagine what they might do in the future to 'get to the top'. But of course, someone will say "but they're only snails" :rolleyes: But they're still living creatures!:mad: Now, if it had been someone's cat or dog or bunny, there'd be heck to pay!

[Melody]

I have to commend the Teacher. He spoke to the class before anyone knew who did it (some kids told my Son later). He told them that it was no different than killing a cat and if he found out who it was before someone came foreward on their own, he'd see to it that they were expelled.

My Son felt 2" high bringing those home to me. I never see him really angry - its just not him, but this one might hurt his Mama and as every guy knows, you don't mess with someone's Mama. ;) He said he wanted to go break their submarine (their science fair entry). We had a chat about keeping himself above people like that. I told him he would get to them far more by simply telling them that they are sick and he hopes they get the help they so obviously need.

The odd thing is, I have a friend who had the same thing happen to a tank he put in his Son's school, only that was soap. There are some very troubled kids out there.

[hp10BII]

That's really sick, to get some sort of twisted pleasure of destroying a living creature/project for no good reason than their own self gratification.

I try not to get mad when people act stupidly. Doesn't help your stress levels when you do. I try (I know it's not easy), to feel sorry for them...that their lives are so miserable and meek that they have a need to lash out at anybody else to feel that they've accomplished something in there life...

[Melody]

Well said.

[CACAdmin]

Did you have to euthanize the surviving snails? And how is the kid today... still pretty upset I guess. I certainly hope there is not only discussion with the kid's parents but that the parents follow through with some sort of discipline.

[Melody]

Frankly, if you raise kids that would do that I highly doubt you'll discipline them to any degree, but the school is usually pretty tough on anything violent. I'll find out after school today. The kid has a better grip on things now after our chat about the lowlife people of the world.

Four died, I euthanized one that was so badly swollen he couldn't pull into his shell, which makes five. Three are alive so far today, but I'm pretty sure they're blind.:no:

[Osprey]

I'm so sorry. That's just... sick.

I've been all the way to the CWSF (Canada-Wide level), and I've never seen behavior like that tolerated. Forget competition, nothing justifies that kind of behavior.

[Melody]

That's the part that makes it so senseless - they don't compete against each other anymore. They are awarded one of three ribbons based on their personal performance. There is no competition at the school level, even in the Districts. I just found that out yesterday, but the kids knew it all along.

[Melody]

Brought home the Silver :Cool: :biggrin: :pompom: :thumbup: :Applaud: :red_dance:

[CACAdmin]

Congrats to your son! :Applaud: :Applaud: :Applaud:

[Melody]

It was a long day, but its something he'll always remember.

The snails performed wonderfully, even dropping down to demonstrate their abilities. We added fish to the project, or their swim bladder specifically. We had a baby Lyre Swordtail, a baby Molly and one of Blaine's baby Green Swordtails.

Blaine, the kid thanks you for the tiny baby Swordtail - it proved to be an ace chick magnet :laugh: .

He got dinner out and Purdy's chocolates to round out his day in the spotlight. :yes:

[blainep]

It was a long day, but its something he'll always remember.

The snails performed wonderfully, even dropping down to demonstrate their abilities. We added fish to the project, or their swim bladder specifically. We had a baby Lyre Swordtail, a baby Molly and one of Blaine's baby Green Swordtails.

Blaine, the kid thanks you for the tiny baby Swordtail - it proved to be an ace chick magnet :laugh: .

He got dinner out and Purdy's chocolates to round out his day in the spotlight. :yes:

The girls do love the babies, regardless of the animal. :laugh:

[Melody]

"Aaaaaawwwwwwwww that's SO cuuuuuuuuuuuute!!!!" LOL Heard it repeatedly all day. Every time one arrived, he'd bury his nose in his notes - not quite ready to deal with them one on one yet. :laugh:

[BC Mosaic]

:ShakeHands: :cheers: (Thats lemonade in those stiens;) ):red_dance: :Applaud: :Applaud: :Applaud:

[Melody]

LOL Thanks!