Mom Is Teaching

OK, so sometimes science is boring. Especially when reading from long books with lots of big words written in a dry, flat tone. The concepts themselves might be pretty cool, but they’re not often presented that way. I was lucky enough to have a couple science teachers in school who tried to make science fun and entertaining, though I also had my share of the monotone readers with a thousand and one worksheets and pop quizes.

My point is that when presented right science can be pretty fun. Most people already know about the mentos and soda trick, but here are a few more fun science experiments you can do with your kids. And they involve treats, which just makes them even more compelling. And scientific, it’s all in the name of science.

Light Up Your Mouth

All you’ll need for this is some Wintergreen Lifesavers and a dark room. Hand everyone some of the candies and turn out the lights. Stand facing each other, no more than 6 inches apart to see the effect, and begin chewing up the candies. You’ll get to chew with your mouthes open, much to the delight of some kids, to see what’s going on.

You should be able to see tiny sparks in each other’s mouthes from the chewing. Why? The wintergreen oil in the candies mixed with the sugars in the candies create a small electrical charge from the grinding and chewing. This is called triboluminescence.

Float Your (Soda) Boat

If two cans of soda weight the same ammount they should float on water evenly, right? For this you’ll need two unopened cans of soda. one regular and the other diet. You’ll also need a one gallon jug of water to float them in and some markers to track water levels on the jug. Fill the jug up about 2/3 of the way with water and mark where the water sits at. Now add the can of diet soda to the water. Note where the water level rose to and whether or not the can floated. Once you have made the observations remove the can and add the can of regular soda. Mark the water level and whether or not the can floated.

The can of diet soda should float while the can of regular soda sinks to the bottom. Why? Sugar is more dense than artifical sweetener. So even though the cans have the same volume of liquid their densities are different.

Deep Sea Diving Raisins

Did you know that raisins like to deep sea dive? Sure they do! You can watch them as they dive down, pop back up for air, then dive down again. You’ll need a dozen raisins, a clear plastic pitcher, and a bottle of soda water. Fill the pitcher up with the soda water. Then drop in the raisins one at a time. Watch as they happily dive down in the soda water then come back up for air.

What is really happening is the carbon dioxide gas in the soda water. As the molecules fix themselves to the raisins they make them float up. However once they touch the surface the carbon dioxide is released and the raisins sink back down again, only to repeat the process again.

Bake That Apple

Want to teach the kids have to bake their own treats, without buring down the house? Here’s a great one for a sunny day. You’ll need:

• black construction paper
• aluminum foil
• plastic wrap
• cardboard
• an apple
• glue, scissors, tape, toothpicks, and a paper cup

Cover the cardboard smoothly in the foil and glue it down. Once the glue has dried cut out a large circle of about 5-6″ diameter. Now cut a smaller circle of the black construction paper, about 2-3″ diameter. Glue this circle in the center of the foil circle. Once the glue is dry cut a straight line from the outside of this circle to the center then fold it into a cone shape, use the tape to hold it. Push a tooth pick into the center of the cone and stick an apple slice on the toothpick. Cover the top with the plastic wrap and place the entire thing inside a paper cup. Now just set it outside in the sunshine and wait for it to cook.

The foil reflects the sun’s rays onto the black paper which heats up, the plastic wrap then traps the heat inside. And the poor apple is cooked.

Taste Testing Ice Cream

Who would resist the chance to compare ice cream in the name of science? Oh science, why do you have to be so fattening? For this little experiment your kids will get to make their own ice cream, then compare it to some store bought and see what differences they notice. Caramel, nuts, and sprinkles optional. To make your own ice cream you’ll need:

• rock salt
• crushed ice
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup whipping cream
• empty and clean 3 lb coffee can with lid
• empty and clean 1 lb coffee can with lid
• wire whisk and tape

Mix the milk, vanilla, sugar, and whipping cream in the small coffee can. Put the lid on and tape it shut to prevent any leaks. in the larger can put a layer of the ice and rock salt on the bottom, then sit the smaller can inside. Fill up the rest of the larger can with ice and rock salt, then place the lid on top and tape it shut. You want to make sure there won’t be any leaks coming out of the can. Lay the coffee cans down on the floor on their side and let your kids spend the next 15-20 minutes rolling them back and forth. Check the center can occasionally to note it’s change.

When the ice cream is ready scoop it up and serve it in bowls next to the store bought ice cream. Be sure to label which bowls are the homemade and which are the store bought ones. Let your kids compare the tastes, textures, thickness, and even color of the different ice creams. Look at the ingredients found in each one. Which kind tastes better, which one sounds better for you?

See how yummy science can be? I love the educational value of every day treats. It makes you think what other lessons can be found in your grocery store’s aisles.

science, lesson plans, homeschooling, education, food