Balloons were on sale at Target. The vinegar was left in the cabinet by a previous teacher.
So cheap . . . and sooooo exciting.
Lots of learning, too.
In preparation, we started with a lesson on conservation of volume.
"If I pour the liquid from this graduated cylinder into this container, what do you think will happen? Will it fit?"
Chants of "Do it! Do it!" "It's going to overflow!"
Nope. Our brains sometimes fool us into thinking short, squatty containers will hold less than taller, narrow ones, but scientists pay attention to what they observe with their senses. Every container pictured held 1000 milliliters (one liter) of liquid.
After a short lesson on how to get down at eye level with the liquid and measure at the center of the meniscus, Cooperative Investigation Teams were ready to begin.
Great opportunities for measuring volume
(170 milliliters of vinegar)
and mass (15 grams of baking soda).
This is also a great way to experiment with matter--combining a solid (sodium bicarbonate) with a liquid (vinegar) to create a gas (carbon dioxide)!
Just look at those bubbles go!
Yep. Matter takes up space . . . even when it's invisible, like this carbon dioxide gas.
What you can't see in these photos (darn my slow trigger finger!) is that there was a slit in one of the balloons, and baking soda/vinegar solution sprayed out in a super-exciting fine point stream. Crazy, jump-around-and-scream fun. (Seriously: First graders so excited they're running around, screaming . . . ah, first graders . . . so many first graders).
Please do try this at home!
What is the World Made Of? All About Solids, Liquids, and Gases by Kathleen Zoehfeld (a paleontology friend!)
So awesome! I wish you had been my science teacher!
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