Activity Title: Rainbow Wizard’s Brew
Age Group(s):
- PreSchool
DESCRIPTION:
What Do I Need?
- Baking Soda
- Liquid Watercolors or Food coloring
- Glitter
- Dishsoap
- Vinegar
- Glass jar
- Small plastic containers
- Tray
How Do I Do It?
- Fill the jar halfway with vinegar, then add a few drops of one color of liquid watercolor/food coloring and some glitter.
- Squeeze in some dish soap, stir, and place the jar on a tray.
- Now have your child add in a heaping teaspoon of baking soda, stir again, and watch the foaming begin!
- The soap makes it foam rather than fizz. To keep the reaction going continue adding baking soda and vinegar when the foam starts to slow.
- To make it change colors, add a tablespoon of vinegar mixed with one color of liquid watercolor/food coloring every so often. Make sure to dump the colored vinegar into the center of the brew.
What Is the Science Behind It?
The reaction between the hydrogen peroxide and the yeast is called an exothermic reaction. You will feel a warmth to the outside of the container because energy is being released.
The yeast helped to remove the oxygen from the hydrogen peroxide creating tons of tiny bubbles that made all that cool foam. The foam is just the oxygen, water, and dish soap that you added.
If you pay close attention, the reaction continues for quite a while and looks quite different depending on the size of the container you use! Experiment with different sizes of flasks for your wizard’s brew!
