Creating an erupting drink will demonstrate the chemical reaction when ingredients combine. Children will have a lot of fun while watching a glass of soda suddenly fill and overflow with bubbles and foam. To demonstrate, pour Diet 7-Up soda into a tall glass and then drop in a couple of Mentos candies. The coating on the candy will cause the soda's carbon monoxide bubbles to expand, rise and foam.
When making homemade ice cream, a child can learn that temperature changes can alter the liquid, solid or gas state of ingredients. To make homemade ice cream, combine 1 cup of milk, 1 tsp. of sugar and 1 tsp. of vanilla into a plastic zipper bag. Add ice to fill a coffee can halfway and then add 1 tbsp. of salt. Place the plastic bag inside the coffee can, then roll the can back and forth for approximately 15 minutes. Children should wear gloves while rolling the coffee can, as it will become extremely cold to touch.
While dry ice is an ingredient that you can use in many science projects, you must take precautions to avoid injury. Participants should wear gloves when handling dry ice. Place thin fruit slices in a plastic bowl with small pieces of dry ice and allow them to sit. The carbon monoxide gas will carbonate the fruit in a short time, but it is not safe to eat until the dry ice warms, in approximately one hour.
This recipe involving various liquid weights will create a tasty drink that children will enjoy as they learn a bit about food science. When preparing the punch, explain to the child that beverages containing more sugar are denser than those with less, resulting in a heavier weight. This recipe is best prepared in a large glass or punch bowl with a frozen mass of ice cube. To prepare a patriotic punch, pour cranberry juice into the bowl. Slowly add lemonade that contains less sugar than the juice. Lastly, add a blue colored juice that contains less sugar than the lemonade. It is essential to pour the liquids slowly onto the ice and not into the other layer of liquid to prevent the liquids from mixing. The result will be a punch consisting of three colored layers.