Pour clear soda into a tall glass. Sprinkle a few raisins in the glass. Ask the students what they think might happen to the raisins as they watch. Wait a few minutes as the carbon dioxide bubbles attach to the raisins at the bottom of the glass. Watch as each raisin floats to the top of the glass when enough bubbles have attached. Once at the surface, the bubbles will detach and gravity will again pull the raisin to the bottom of the glass to reload with bubbles.
Fill a white bowl with water. Sprinkle a good amount of black pepper across the surface of the water. Ask students to try to move the pepper flakes to the edge of the bowl. Praise the volunteers for their efforts and ideas. Place a dab of soap on one finger. Touch the center of the surface of the water with that finger. Watch as all the pepper scoots to the edge of the bowl. It is not actually the pepper that is repelled by the soap. Instead, soap changes the water's ability to hold together. Water tension is what holds water together in droplet forms and keeps the surface of water relatively strong. When soap touches the water's surface it interrupts the water tension and causes the top skin of the water to scoot away from the soap, taking the pepper with it.
Discuss the fact that snakes are often seen flicking their tongues out so they can "taste" the air to gain information surrounding them. Place several fruit slices on one plate per student. Choose fruits that are juicy with a strong taste such as lemons, grapefruit, oranges or lime. Cover each plate with a cloth. Place the plates in front of the students. Blindfold each student. Remove the cloth covering the plate and have the children use their tongue to gain information about their surroundings. Ask the students how they felt at the conclusion of this experiment.
Divide a class into groups of three of four students. Give each group a glass baby food jar. Pass out a good amount of play dough to each group of students. Instruct the groups of mold a mountain surrounding the baby food jar. Place one tablespoon of baking soda into each jar. Drop a few drops of red food coloring into each jar. Pour about one tablespoon of vinegar into each jar. Watch as the mini volcanoes erupt. Compare and contrast these volcanoes with real volcanoes.