We did a pretty cool (simple) science experiment last week. It's one that many elementary teachers use called "dancing raisins". I love experiments that don't include much seeking and gathering;) For this one you just need water, baking soda, vinegar and raisins.
This is what worked for us after fiddling around with it for a LONG time.
about 1 cup water
about 1 heaping tablespoon of baking soda
about 1 1/2 tablespoon vinegar
2-3 raisins
* Have the child measure the water and put it into a clear glass
* Add baking soda and stir to dissolve
* Put in the raisins
* Add the vinegar
* Turn on some music (must upbeat, maybe some kidspop?!)
* Voila! You should have some dancing raisins
Here is why it works (in super simple terms): CO2 builds up from the mixing of the baking soda and vinegar and attaches itself to the rough edges of the raisins and causes the raisins volume to change allowing them to float.
We had covered density earlier on so we talked about that while doing this experiment. The boys had a blast dancing around trying to get their raisins to dance faster and faster. They also did it many different times and with different amounts of the ingredients. We did have a few "mad scientists moments" with a little overflow-age but it just added a little excitement to the whole deal.
Fun, easy experiment!
No comments:
Post a Comment