Kitchen Chemistry

These are center activities for a 2 week unit on Kitchen Chemistry. Hands-on activities are adapted from suggestions in Steve Spangler's book, "Naked Eggs And Flying Potatoes Book: Unforgettable Experiments That Make Science Fun!" QR Codes linked to each center (to print as center signs) are available as a Google Doc. The PDF file I'm using to manage student groups and daily center assignments is also available via Google Drive.

Check out IESYukon student "Narrated Slideshows" (created with the iPad app Explain Everything) describing some of the procedures and things we learned in our Kitchen Chemistry experiments and activities! These are linked in a YouTube playlist. Here is one example.

There are 8 center activities for this unit. 5 of the activities are hands-on labs, and 3 are videos. For each center, students will post a reflection to their blog or to our class AudioBoo account. On day 2 of this unit (because of a teacher absence) students are watching Geek Week - The Spangler Effect LIVE! from August 6, 2013 on YouTube.Experiments

  1. Color Changing Milk

  2. Soap Souffle

  3. Taco Sauce Penny Cleaner

  4. Sinking Soda Surprise

Chemistry Videos

  1. Dry Ice Fun

  2. Mentos Geyser

  3. Elephant Toothpaste

  4. Explosive Pringles

Want more? Check out the 55 videos in Steve Spangler's "Sick Science" Chemistry YouTube playlist!

Advance Preparation and Supplies

Needed Supplies

    1. Cooler for water (sinking soda)

    2. Microwave (soap souffle)

    3. measuring cup

    4. measuring spoons

    5. safety glasses

    6. dinner plates

Needed Consumables

    1. 6 12 oz soda cans: 3 diet, 3 regular

    2. double pan balance (scale)

    3. Taco Bell taco sauce packets (LOTS - different flavors)

    4. small styrofoam plates (taco sauce penny cleaner)

    5. large styrofoam plates (soap souffle)

    6. Iodized salt

    7. Vinegar (taco sauce penny cleaner AND Auto-inflating balloon)

    8. Tomato paste

    9. Ivory soap and other kinds of soap

    10. Banking Soda

    11. Latex balloons

    12. small plastic bottles (auto-inflating balloon)

    13. milk (whole)

    14. food coloring (read, yellow, green, blue)

    15. cotton swabs

    16. Dawn dish soap

For clean up

    1. Tubs for rinse water