By Meg Hodson
On a recent school holiday over Veterans' Day, I created a fun "science day" for my kids. It's sometimes a challenge to keep them happy and entertained on days off. Instead of the usual reading and "let's finish our homework" routine, I opted for some fun experiments.
I researched 3 experiments that I thought would please them all. I highly recommend all three of them, the main reason being they are easy to pull off! I hope you enjoy recreating these with your children.
1. Exploding Soda. Most people have heard of the Diet Coke/Mentos science trick. The key to success with this experiment is to follow these tips:
- Use diet soda (it will explode better!)
- Use 6-8 Mentos that you can rapidly add all at once to the open bottle of soda.
- Find a funnel large enough to deposit the Mentos quickly to the bottle....or make your own funnel out of heavy paper, like card stock.
- Be quick with your camera as the exploding happens almost instantaneously.
- Buy numerous bottles in case you make a few mistakes.
2. Hopping Corn. This is a simple, fast experiment that my kids enjoyed! In a clear glass jar or vase, mix 1 cup white vinegar with 2 tablespoons of baking soda (feel free to double or triple the amounts depending on how large your container is). You can also add a drop or two of food coloring, if desired. Then, take about an 1/8 cup (small handful) of unpopped corn kernels. Drop in the container and watch the kernels "hop around". It should last for at least 20 minutes or so, sometimes longer!
3. Colorful Carnations. Buy white carnations and snip them so they are about 5-6 inches tall. Fill individual glasses halfway with water and add 25 drops of food coloring. Place the carnations (one or numerous) in each glass. Check them every couple of hours to see the stems soak up the color and change the colors of the flowers!
