bubbles
Ketchup Volcano!
Tweet Ketchup Volcano! ( A longer-lasting volcano with ‘Natural Orange-Red Nontoxic Lava’ !) The acetic acid in ketchup reacts with baking soda to produce an extra-special type of lava for a chemical volcano. This non-toxic volcano recipe is sure to please! You will need: Small container (we used an empty travel-size bottle.) Volcano (You can [...]
Honeycomb Candy
Tweet This is an easy-to-make kitchen science confection that has an interesting texture caused by carbon dioxide bubbles getting trapped within the honeycomb. Ingredients 150 gms sugar 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons water 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda Greaseproof paper Oil, butter or non-stick cooking spray Instructions Coat a sheet of greaseproof paper using oil, butter, [...]
Diving Ketchup!
Tweet There are many variations on this effect – we’ve covered the concept before. However this has to be the simplest to do with the best explanation. Place a ketchup packet in a bottle of water and make it rise and fall at your command, as if by magic. Of course, the magic involves some [...]
Sponge Rock
Tweet This experiment will show you how a piece of chalk can absorb a great deal of water in a short time. You will need: A piece of chalk Cup of water A Spring Balance or Newton Meter (either way it needs to show grams) Instructions 1. Weigh the chalk with the spring balance [...]
Naked Eggs (Part One)
Tweet A naked egg is an egg without a shell. Using vinegar, you can dissolve the eggshell—without breaking the membrane that contains the egg. You will need: a few eggs white vinegar a container big enough to hold all your eggs and a cover for the container a big spoon Instructions: Here’s how you [...]
Mutant Marshmallows
Tweet In the microwave, an ordinary marshmallow will puff up until it’s enormous! You Will Need: marshmallows paper plates or paper towels microwave oven toothpicks (if you want) food colouring (if you want)…and adult supervision. Instructions Put two marshmallows on a paper plate or paper towel. Put the plate in the microwave. Set the timer [...]
Sudsy Lemon Science
Tweet Here’s a fun activity with a dash of ‘science magic’ that children can perform with your help, using basic materials found in the kitchen. You will need: Empty plastic cups Fresh lemons, sliced into quarters 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons washing up liquid Measuring spoon Plastic spoon or straw for stirring Wet and [...]
Scientific Slushy!
Tweet Cool off and amaze your friends by making any soft drink or soda turn into a slushy on command. Here’s how to do this fun and refreshing supercooled science project. You will need: A soft drink A freezer Any soda or soft drink works for this. The slushy project works especially well with 16-oz [...]
Spooky Lava Lamps
Tweet Lava lamps are easy to make, but really impressive for children to watch. You will need: A clear plastic bottle or jar A bottle of vegetable oil Water Alka Seltzer Food colouring (a spooky colour!) Instructions Fill the bottle or jar a quarter full with water. Top up to the (near) top with the [...]
Investigating Soft and Hard Water
Tweet Tap water in many parts of the country contains minerals that can interfere with the cleaning ability of detergents. Water softeners remove these minerals. In this experiment, you will make “hard” water from distilled water, which contains no minerals, and is therefore “soft.” You can then compare the sudsing ability of a detergent in [...]