Erupting Apples

Activity Overview

Whether we are aware of it or not, children are always engaging with the scientific method approach to solving problems. Every day as they explore the world around them, they are conducting experiments, making observations, creating guesses about what might happen, and repeating the experiments in different ways. This is a hands-on activity in which students will create a chemical reaction using household objects, many of which the students may be familiar with. The guiding questions ask students to make predictions and observations along the way. How does one make a guess about something that is brand new to them? This activity asks students to do just that. It is also an activity in which we encourage the students to get as messy as they like, so if you may choose to do it outside or in the bathroom if you are concerned about making a mess.

What You Need

• Tray to work on (a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper works well)

• Small bowl

• 1 cup baking soda

• 1 tablespoon water

• 1 tablespoon liquid soap

• Liquid watercolor (regular watercolor or watered down tempera paint work as well)

• 1 cup vinegar

• Pipette, water dropper, turkey baster, or liquid measuring cup

Steps

1. In a small bowl, mix the baking soda with water and liquid soap until combined.

2. Add your watercolor and mix until combined. The mixture should feel moldable and not too wet. If it is too loose, you can add more baking powder.

3. Mold your mixture into the shapes you like: balls, planets, apples, pumpkins, stars, shapes, animals - whatever inspires your student! Once molded, place the baking soda shapes onto the tray.

4. In a separate bowl, pour 1 cup of vinegar. Using the guiding questions, determine a guess about what will happen when everything is combined.

5. Using your pipette, collect a bit of vinegar and begin to slowly squirt it on top of the baking soda creations and notice the reaction. This is a time for your student to explore textures and the science that is taking place. Allow them to get as messy and into this as they would like.

Guiding Questions

• What do you think will happen when we add each ingredient?

• Do you recognize these ingredients from other experiments? What about from cooking?

• How does the mixture feel?

• What are you going to make?

Extensions

• Create a second experiment. This time, encourage the students to use different amounts of each ingredient or double the ingredients. Before doing this experiment, make predictions about whether the reaction will occur and what will change.