Glowing Mountain Dew

Every now and then you hear about some "sciency thing", some outrageous experiment that everyone has got to try.  Several years ago there were videos on Youtube of people popping popcorn kernals with cell phones.  I read about it and realized it was a hoax, but we I kept that to myself and did it with the kids anyway.  I think it's an important learning process for kids to realize that NOT EVERY SCIENCE EXPERIMENT WORKS.  They aren't really EXPERIMENTING with anything if the results are conclusive.  To feed their intriguing minds, you have to offer doubt.  There has to be some uncertainty, or they are just SCIENCE ACTIVITIES.  The kids were disappointed when nothing happened, but they learned some important lessons, including.... NOT TO BELIEVE EVERYTHING ON THE INTERNET!

My husband was planning one of our weekly Family Mad Science Nights, and heard about making Mountain Dew glow, simply by adding dishing washing liquid, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda.  He was VERY excited about this activity, and eager to get home from work that Thursday and try it out! 

My kids and I gave each other a guilty, but quiet smile.  We had Been There, Done That, already, and we knew it was also a hoax.  During a campout my husband hadn't attended, we tried making "homemade glowsticks".  The concoction was a disappointing dud.  However, when we got home and did more research, I found some fun glow stick activities, and one using a mountain dew bottle. 

Items Needed:
Mountain Dew 16 oz. bottle filled 1/3 way with water
kitchen dish soap
1 capful Hydrogen Peroxide
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 glowstick
scissors

Add all ingredients to the Mountain Dew bottle ( or any green bottle works well).  Activate the glowstick, and then cut it in two and drop into the bottle.  The contents will spill out.  Be careful not to get the chemicals on your skin or in your eyes.  Replace the lid on the bottle and tighten.  Shake and watch as the entire bottle glows! 

Dr Dreadful Zombie Lab

Summer is wearing down on us, we were so exhausted yesterday after a full day of fun and sun, that we skipped our weekly Family Mad Science Night, and dinner too.  So today, while my little one wasn't quite feeling himself, we had a Family Science Night - Afternoon Edition! 

I bought the kids a Dr. Dreadful Zombie Lab kit.  I love any activity that makes kids follow WRITTEN directions, and there are unrepairable consequences if you don't follow them correctly!  It's one of the reasons I will buy those expensive novelty cake and brownie mixes for them, too!

We set up the lab, which is a skull, and then made "edible" things like brain juice, barf and gummy bugs!  Trust me, it all taste terrible, sour and nasty, but we all have to at least taste it.... as any self respecting mad scientist would! 
 

Ivory Soap Science Experiment

This is a science experiment that really "cleans up"!

My daughter's best friend did this experiment at school, and after she told us about it, we just had to try it out!  We took a bar of Ivory soap and place it in the microwave on high for 2 minutes.  While it's in there, I asked the kids what they thought would happen.  My son had a friend over, he said he thought it would melt.  My daughter said she thought it would burn. 
After 2 minutes, I took it out and it has become a cloud!  A wonderful, Ivory soap smelling cloud!  It looks like whipped cream, but the texture is more like meringue.  It immediately "falls" and stiffens, which is so fun to watch!   Then we placed the foam in water, and just like the bar, it floats!  Guess how my four year wants to take a bath tonight!
The scientific explanation is that the soap, which floats in it's bar form, is different from other soaps because it's whipped!  Whipping the soap causes lots of tiny air bubbles, and has captured water inside the bubbles.  Like popcorn, when it is heated, it expands!  Thanks to Steve Spangler Science for explaining it to me.  For more information;  http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/soap-souffle