Published October 1, 2012 at 4:00 a.m.
You don't have to leave your kids' science education up to their teachers or after-school-program leaders. There are lots of fun experiments you can do at home to encourage them to develop their skills. This project, for example, uses cabbage juice to teach kids about chemical reactions; we use it as a lesson about acids and bases at the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich.
Cabbage juice is an indicator of pH, and it will reveal whether a chemical is an acid or a base. Cabbage juice turns pink when you add an acid, such as vinegar. It turns blue, or even green, when you add a base, such as baking soda. A chemical reaction occurs when an acid and a base are mixed together.
Don't worry, the actual chemistry isn't that important to explain. The most valuable part of this activity is being able to experiment and see the results. Making and recording observations and putting items into different categories — pink or blue — are key scientific skills.
Rather than tell the kids what results to expect, ask them at each step to explain what they think will happen. Use simple questions and prompts, such as: "What do you think? Let's try. What do you notice? Show me. Can we do that again?" They'll enjoy the process — and that's the point.
— Amy VanderKooi, Science Educator/Program Manager, Montshire Museum of Science
Test different items from the fridge and pantry, such as juices, dishwashing soap, milk, baking powder and soda. Keep a list of what you test and your results.
Looking for more activities like this one? Check out pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/.
This article was originally published in Seven Days' monthly parenting magazine, Kids VT.
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