Read an Excerpt
The 101 Coolest Simple Science Experiments
By Rachel Miller, Holly Homer, Jamie Harrington, Josh Manges Page Street Publishing Co.
Copyright © 2016 Rachel Miller, Holly Homer & Jamie Harrington
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-62414-135-5
CHAPTER 1
Kitchen Chemistry
The kitchen is the ultimate laboratory. Ordinary ingredients are transformed by chemical reactions. These things happen every day in the kitchen, but their magic often goes unnoticed.
Holly's pick: Exploding Baggies (here) is one of my kids' favorite experiments. Living in a household with three boys has given me an appreciation for anything that explodes.
Rachel's pick: I think the Creeping Ink (here) is terrific. Your kids will be mesmerized, as mine were, creating one-of-a kind shirts — with science!
Jamie's pick: Bursting Soap Cloud (here) is my favorite science experiment of all time. I like washing my hands with it after!
Bursting Soap Cloud
PREP TIME: 1 MINUTE
EXPERIMENT DURATION: 2 MINUTES
Supplies Needed
* Bar of Ivory soap
* Microwave-safe dish
Science Question:
What happens to gases as they are heated?
Charles's Law (named after a scientist, Jacques Charles) says gases expand when they're heated. We can watch Charles's Law in action with a bar of Ivory soap in the microwave.
The Experiment
Unwrap the bar of soap and place it on the microwave-safe dish. Microwave the soap for 11/2 to 2 minutes, watching closely to see what happens. (This won't hurt your microwave, we promise!) Let the soap cool a bit and remove it from the microwave.
The Outcome
When you microwave Ivory soap, it expands as much as six times in size and feels brittle and flaky. Try washing your hands with it.
Why It Worked
When you heat up the Ivory soap, you get to see Charles's Law — the air inside the soap expands when it's heated. The soap puffs up as the air trapped inside gets bigger.
Tip
This experiment won't work with other brands of soap, because they aren't as porous as Ivory.
Safety First!
The soap will be very hot when you pull it out of the microwave. Be sure to let it cool.
Did You Know?
October 15th is Global Hand-Washing Day. It's a good idea to wash your hands the other 364 days of the year too, though.
Dancing Candy
PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES
EXPERIMENT DURATION: 2 MINUTES
Supplies Needed
* Saucepan
* Water
* Rainbow-colored hard candies
Science Question:
How does water boil?
We can see what happens to water molecules as heat or energy is introduced to the pan.
The Experiment
Fill a saucepan with water and have an adult put it on the stove to boil. When the water warms up a bit, add a few pieces of candy and watch as the water starts to boil. At first, it looks like nothing is happening, but watch closely!
The Outcome
The water starts to boil and your candies bounce all around the saucepan.
Why It Worked
As the water heats up, it expands and tiny bubbles form from gas in the water. The super cool color waves around your candy are from the light being bent as it passes through the steam. When the big bubbles show up you're actually changing the liquid (water) to a gas (steam)!
Variation
• Boil two pots of water, one full of cold and the other full of hot. Which one boils first?
Did You Know?
Roughly three-quarters of your body is made of water. That's almost the whole thing!
Safety First!
Boiling water is VERY hot and so is the stove. Make sure you have a parent close by when you're watching your pot.
Carbon Dioxide Balloons
PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES
EXPERIMENT DURATION: 5 MINUTES
Supplies Needed
* Spoon
* 2 teaspoons (10 g) baking soda
* Balloon
1/3 cup (90 ml) white vinegar
* Old water bottle
Science Question:
Can you combine a liquid and a solid to make a gas?
Baking soda is a solid and vinegar is a liquid, but when you mix the two together it creates a whole new substance: gas.
The Experiment
Using the spoon, put the baking soda into the balloon.
Pour the vinegar into the bottle until it's about one-third full. Keeping the baking soda in the body of the balloon, stretch the mouth over the bottle's opening. Then dump the baking soda from the balloon into the bottle.
The Outcome
As the vinegar and baking soda mix, a gas — carbon dioxide — is created. It is a by-product of vinegar and baking soda reacting together, and the balloon blows up.
Why It Worked
The vinegar is acetic acid, and the baking soda is a base — the opposite pH to an acid. When they mix, it causes a reaction and carbonic acid is formed, separating into bubbles of carbon dioxide (CO2) and water. The CO2 has nowhere to go except up into the balloon, causing it to inflate.
Variation
• Change the temperature of your vinegar, making it hotter or colder, and see if that affects the speed at which your balloon grows.
Try This!
Bounce your balloon. Does it bounce as easily as a regular air-filled balloon? The CO gas is heavier than air. Helium is lighter than air, making balloons filled with that gas float.
Did You Know?
Vinegar has no expiration date. It never "goes bad."
Dissolving Ink
PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES
EXPERIMENT DURATION: 20 MINUTES PLUS DRYING TIME
Supplies Needed
* Spray bottle
* 70% rubbing alcohol
* Aluminum foil or cardboard to line the inside of the shirt
* White T-shirt
* Colored permanent markers
Science Question: Can you make permanent ink dissolve?
A solvent can break the bond of a permanent marker, freeing the ink to spread and burst.
The Experiment
Fill the spray bottle with rubbing alcohol. Cut your foil and put it inside the shirt to keep your marker from bleeding through. Color your shirt with the markers and spray the shirt with alcohol.
The Outcome
Watch as the colors morph into a colorful explosion!
Why It Worked
The alcohol acts as a solvent and dissolves the ink as it saturates the shirt, causing the ink to spread.
Variations
• If you don't have an old shirt to spare, this same technique can be used on paper towels or coffee filters.
• Try hydrogen peroxide or water and see how the colors change (or don't!).
Tip
After your shirt is dry, wash it alone so the colors don't bleed onto the rest of your laundry.
Did You Know?
Way back in 12th century BC, the Chinese used ink from squids to write and draw with.
Rising Raisins
PREP TIME: 2 MINUTES
EXPERIMENT DURATION: 5 TO 20 MINUTES
Supplies Needed
[] A handful of raisins
[] 1 clear glass of water
[] 1 clear glass of soda
Science Question: Why does a raisin rise in soda, but sink in water?
Even though a glass of water and a glass of clear soda look the same, raisins react very differently due to buoyancy.
The Experiment
Add 5 raisins to each glass and watch what happens.
The Outcome
The raisins in the water will stay at the bottom of the glass, but the raisins in the soda will rise to the top.
Why It Worked
Raisins sink in water (and initially in the soda) because they are denser than the liquid. The soda's carbon dioxide molecules stick to the wrinkles of the raisins, causing them to have increased buoyancy and rise. When the bubbles pop or the raisin gets soggy, it will start to sink again.
Variations
• If you're prepared for a mess, try dropping a whole handful of raisins into a glass of soda.
• You can try heating up your soda or making it very cold, too!
Just for Fun
You can make your own raisins by placing grapes on a paper plate on a sunny windowsill or by spreading them onto a cookie sheet in a warm (lowest setting) oven for 24 hours.
Creeping Ink
PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES
EXPERIMENT DURATION: 7 MINUTES
Supplies Needed
* Cup
* Water
* Tablespoon measure
* 70% rubbing alcohol
* Coin
* Coffee filter
* Black marker
* Rubber band
* Science Question: What colors are in black?
Chromatography is a way to separate compounds so they can be seen individually.
The Experiment
Fill the cup with water to about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the top. Add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of rubbing alcohol to the cup. Place the coin in the middle of the coffee filter and trace a thick line around it with your marker. Drape the coffee filter over the cup so that the filter just touches the water. Secure it to the cup with the rubber band. Watch as the water creeps up the coffee filter.
The Outcome
As the water moves up the fibers of the coffee filter, it separates the pigments in the marker ink into their components.
Why It Worked
The lighter particles of ink travel the fastest and farthest, and the heavier color pigments are slower to move.
Can you tell how many colors are in the black pen?
Variation
• Try different brands of black markers. Different companies use different combinations to get black!
Tip
Do this experiment faster by increasing the amount of rubbing alcohol in your water.
Exploding Baggies
PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES
EXPERIMENT DURATION: 2 MINUTES
Supplies Needed
[] 1/3 cup (80 ml) white vinegar
[] 1 zipper-lock bag
[] 10 drops of food coloring (optional)
[] Clothespin
[] 2 tablespoons (28 g) baking soda
Science Question: What takes up more space, a solid and a liquid, or a gas?
Combine a solid and a liquid to see if the resulting chemical reaction is bigger than the components by themselves.
The Experiment
Pour the vinegar into the bag and add a few drops of food coloring. Twist the plastic above the liquid, and hold the twist secure with a clothespin. Now, above the clothespin, add the baking soda and close the bag's zipper.
Take off the clothespin and let the vinegar drop into the bag. Shake it and watch the reaction!
The Outcome
The bag blows up like a balloon.
Why It Worked
When baking soda and vinegar mix together, it causes a reaction that creates gas. Gas molecules take up more space than the liquid and the solid do, which is why the bag expands.
Tip
Do this in an easy-to-clean location. We suggest outside with a hose handy — or maybe in the bathtub!
Grow Giant Worms
PREP TIME: 2 MINUTES
EXPERIMENT DURATION: 2–3 HOURS
Supplies Needed
[] Ruler
[] 6 gummy worms
[] Paper and pencil
[] 2 glass bowls
[] 2/3 cup (160 ml) warm water
[] ¼ teaspoon salt
[] Spoon
Science Question: Is it easier for your body to absorb plain or salt water?
Most of the water on our planet is salt water, yet we don't drink it. Let's use gummy worms to show how different types of water are absorbed by our body.
The Experiment
With the ruler, measure the length of the gummy worms. Write this on a piece of paper. In a bowl, combine 1/3 cup (80 ml) of the water and the salt, and mix together with a spoon. Add the remaining 1/3 cup (80 ml) water to the other bowl. Write which bowl is which on a piece of paper and place under the bowl. Put 3 gummy worms in each bowl. Let the worms sit in the bowls for a couple of hours.
Pull out the worms and measure them again. Are your worms bigger?
The Outcome
The gummy worms in both bowls absorbed water. However, the worms in the plain water absorbed more water and grew much larger than the worms in the salt water.
Why It Worked
When gummy worms are added to water, the water molecules move through the tiny holes in the surface of the candy. The gelatin keeps the gummy worms from dissolving.
Critical Thinking
Plain water is easier for our bodies to absorb. That's why we don't drink salt water.
Variation
• Try different liquids. Will your gummy worms dissolve in soda or orange juice? What about if you heat your water or put it in the refrigerator first?
Did You Know?
Gummy bears were invented 60 years before the gummy worm, and July 15 is National Gummy Worm Day.
Glow Cups
PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES
EXPERIMENT DURATION: 5 MINUTES
Supplies Needed
[] Tonic water
[] 2 clear plastic cups
[] Black light
[] Pliers
[] Neon yellow highlighter
Science Question: How do glow-in-the-dark products work?
A lot of things that glow in the dark do so because they contain chemicals called quinine and pyranine. These chemicals absorb light and create a new wave of light at a lower wavelength, creating a cool glow.
The Experiment
Pour tonic water in one of the cups and turn off the lights. Now shine a black light onto your cup. What do you see?
Fill the other cup with tap water and use pliers to take the bottom off the highlighter. Pull out the ink tube and drop it into the cup. The ink will bleed into the water and make it change color. Now, shine the black light on the water. Whoa!
The Outcome
The black light makes your water glow. The tonic water will be blue, and the marker water will glow whatever color your highlighter is.
Why It Worked
Tonic water contains the chemical quinine that glows a blue color and the highlighter ink contains the fluorescein chemical pyranine. You can't see these chemicals, but when the black light hits them, the light is converted into a new form that you can see! That's what makes it glow.
Variation
• Make Jell-O with tonic water for a glow-in-the-dark dessert!
Tip
If you can't get your highlighter water to glow, cut off the plastic tubing.
Did You Know?
Some scorpions glow bright blue under a black light. Scientists aren't sure why they glow, but they know it happens because of a chemical called betacarabine in the scorpion's back.
Circular Diffusion
PREP TIME: 5 TO 10 MINUTES
EXPERIMENT DURATION: OVERNIGHT
Supplies Needed
[] 2 cups (470 ml) water
[] Microwave-safe bowl
[] 3 packages of plain gelatin
[] Spoon
[] Cookie sheet
[] Straw
[] Food coloring
Science Question: What is diffusion?
When molecules move from a place where there are lots of molecules and spread out to a much larger space where there are fewer molecules, that's called diffusion.
The Experiment
Pour the water into a microwave-safe bowl and have a parent microwave it until the water is boiling, and then carefully remove the bowl with oven mitts. Pour in all 3 packages of gelatin. Stir with a spoon until dissolved. Pour your mixture onto a cookie sheet and let it harden overnight.
Take your straw and poke holes in the gelatin mixture about 3 inches (7.5 cm) apart. Drop 2 or 3 drops of food coloring into each hole and let it sit for 2 to 3 hours.
The Outcome
The food coloring spreads out in a perfect circle around each hole.
Why It Worked
This is diffusion, when the food coloring spreads from one place to over a larger area.
Variation
• Add glitter to your mix or use cookie cutters to make gelatin window clings!
Did You Know?
In the early 1900s immigrants were offered Jell-O when they moved to the United States as a "Welcome to America" gift.
Ice Cream in a Can
PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES
EXPERIMENT DURATION: 20 TO 30 MINUTES
Supplies Needed
[] 1 cup (235 ml) whipping cream
[] ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
[] 2 tablespoons (25 g) sugar
[] Small coffee can with lid
[] Spoon
[] Packing tape
[] Large coffee can with lid
[] 4 cups (800 g) ice
[] ½ cup (145 g) kosher salt
Science Question: Can you speed up the process of changing a liquid to a solid?
In this experiment, we will see how salt makes it quicker and easier to freeze things by making the ice super cold. We are making ice cream.
The Experiment
Pour the cream, vanilla and sugar into the small coffee can, stir with the spoon and seal the lid with the tape.
Place the smaller can inside the large coffee can. Fill the space between the two cans with ice and then salt. Tape the lid on the larger can and roll the can. After 30 minutes has passed, remove the lid from the large can, remove and rinse off the small can and then open it.
The Outcome
You get ice cream!
Why It Worked
When you mix ice and salt, the ice becomes even colder than normal, making it perfect to freeze even moving liquid, like the cream in the can. Because it freezes so quickly, the ice cream has crystals of ice dispersed between the cream, and doesn't freeze into a solid block.
Variation
• Try to make ice cream in zipper-lock bags instead of cans. Pour the ingredients into a quart-size zipper-lock bag. Double bag it with a larger gallon-size freezer bag. Fill the big bag with ice and salt. Gently shake the bag until your ice cream forms.
Try This!
Fill one ice cube tray or plastic container with plain water and fill another with a salt water solution. Put them in the freezer. Which do you think will freeze first?
Did You Know?
Vanilla is the most popular flavor of ice cream.
Secret Mirror Messages
PREP TIME: 10 TO 15 MINUTES
EXPERIMENT DURATION: 5 MINUTES
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The 101 Coolest Simple Science Experiments by Rachel Miller, Holly Homer, Jamie Harrington, Josh Manges. Copyright © 2016 Rachel Miller, Holly Homer & Jamie Harrington. Excerpted by permission of Page Street Publishing Co..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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