Chemist are scientists who study chemical reactions!! They learn all about what happens when you add different things together! Never throw a pumpkin away again without doing this first…
Materials:
Hydrogen Peroxide, Dish Soap, Warm Water, Spoon, Food Dye, Small Cup, Pumpkin, Tray, Dry Yeast
Time Estimated:
15 minutes
Directions:
Combine three tablespoons of warm water and one tablespoon of yeast in a cup. Stir well for 30 seconds.
In a small cup (or water bottle if you are using a larger pumpkin), pour in ½ cup of hydrogen peroxide.
Add in a squeeze of dish soap, followed by one drop of food coloring. Stir the mixture well.
Carefully place the small cup into the pumpkin and pour the yeast mixture into the small cup.
Watch the elephant toothpaste start to expand. For a more dramatic effect, make sure that your pumpkin has more cut-outs, preferably towards the bottom.
How It Works:
This is the perfect experiment to use your leftover pumpkins!!
How does it work??
The chemical formula of hydrogen peroxide is H2O2. That means it contains two hydrogen molecules and two oxygen molecules! By adding the yeast into the hydrogen peroxide, a chemical reaction was able to take place!
This is because yeast was able to act as a catalyst! A catalyst is something that is used in science to speed up a reaction!
The yeast was able to break away the oxygen from the hydrogen peroxide. Remember, there are two oxygen molecules in hydrogen peroxide! When the hydrogen peroxide was broken down, we were left with oxygen (O2) and water (H2O)!
This created a bunch of small bubbles filled with oxygen, causing the mixture to foam up!
Guess what, now that you have done that experiment YOU are a chemist!! You are brilliant!
Looking for more fun at home STEM activities for your young scientist? Check out our workbook full of exciting science experiments and empowering activities!
