Science Discovery Class Creates Liquid Labs

This blog post was sent to us in emails from Erika Alvis, CORE/Labor Source Program Coordinator, and Hannah Kinderlehrer, an instructor for the Science Discovery Class.

One of the classes Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department offers to Imagine! clients is a Science Discovery class. One of the projects in the class is a liquid lab. Some of the liquid lab experiments the class has performed are mixing: oil and water; oil and vinegar; oil, vinegar, and baking soda; and oil and a bubble solution. Below is just one example of an experiment Hannah sent us about creating a liquid lab.

“Lately we've been playing with baking soda and vinegar. Kids of all ages love the result of this reaction. I thought it would be fun to see what happened if we changed things up a bit. What if we used things in addition to the baking soda and vinegar? Would the results change? Specifically, could we change the amount of bubbles? My son, Aiden (age2.5), had a blast with this activity. I hope you enjoy it, too!”

How Does Adding Soap Affect the Reaction with Baking Soda & Vinegar?

Materials
• containers
• spoons
• baking soda
• vinegar
• water
• dishwashing liquid
• food coloring (optional)

The Setup - I placed our containers in a large baking dish to contain the mess and potential overflow. I also recommend covering the floor under you. If your child is anything like my son, there will be a mess. If you are concerned about the mess, take this activity outside or play in the bathtub or sink.

Into each container I added 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 tablespoon of baking soda. Aiden wanted to use green and yellow food coloring, so I also added 2 drops of green and 1 drop of yellow. To one container, I added 1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid. {It is not necessary for the measurements to be exact. I'm just giving you an idea of what I did.} We stirred up each container (with separate spoons). A few bubbles formed in the container with soap. I asked Aiden if he noticed any differences in the containers. He pointed out the bubbles. I added a tablespoon of vinegar to a small plastic container. Aiden added the vinegar to the container with baking soda and water. Fun, normal, expected reaction, right? Aiden added a tablespoon of vinegar to the container with baking soda, water, and soap. The bubbles are different, rise higher, and they stay. Aiden was very pleased with this result.

Hannah, instructor for the Science Discovery class,
assists Rebecca (in pink) in creating a liquid lab.