States of Matter

Last week, all 3rd grade classes got to see a science demonstration done by their teachers!  Teachers started with a clear plastic bottle about half full of vinegar and a balloon with baking soda in it.  We secured the balloon around the lip of the bottle and made some predictions about what was going to happen when we lifted the balloon up.  A lot of students knew that vinegar and baking soda don't mix well.

What ended up happening was the vinegar "fizzled" and the balloon filled with gas.  We determined that the mixing of vinegar (liquid) and baking soda (solid) created a chemical reaction when mixed which resulted in carbon dioxide (gas) and blew the balloon up.

Watch a youtube video of someone doing this experiment here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK5-2X_GqP8


Last week, all 3rd grade students got to participate in a science experiment called "Dancing Raisins!" They used the Scientific Method (Question, Hypothesis, Materials, Experiment, Results, and Conclusion) to record their data.  Many students in Ms. Moran's class predicted that when we dropped raisins into a cup of 7Up the soda would change color and turn to grape juice.  A few also thought that because raisins are dehydrated grapes, soaking them in liquid might rehydrate them, and turn them back into grapes.
What actually happened was the grapes sank to the bottom of the glass but the carbonation in the soda surrounded the raisins and lifted them to the surface.  When the carbon dioxide reached the top, the bubbles popped and the raisins sank to the bottom again.  It looked like they were dancing!

Watch a youtube video of someone doing this experiment here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEGCvj977_A