Additional experiments for Super Session
Going, Going, Gone!
Children will discuss how to better take care of the earth: reduce, reuse and recycle!
What you need: plastic bowl for water, medicine dropper, Styrofoam packing peanuts (polystyrene),
biodegradable packing peanuts (starch-based), For Extension 1: 5 starch packing peanuts, salt, sugar, 5
clear plastic cups, 5 plastic spoons; For Extension 2: lots of polystyrene packing peanuts, 2 plastic cups
(not clear ones), acetone
Currently about 200 million cubic feet per year of polystyrene packing peanuts are used in the United
States. Although some companies try and reuse the packing material, most of these packing peanuts are
sent to landfills. They take up a lot of space and don’t break down. Fortunately, environmentally
conscious companies use starch-based packing peanuts. These can be reused and they readily
decompose in water. Starch packing peanuts are made using corn, and a water-soluble polymer which,
like corn, is made from carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. These are the building blocks of life! Bacteria in
landfills will use these ingredients as food so the packing peanuts break down and disappear.
Give students 1 each of both types of packing peanuts. Use a medicine dropper to put a few drops of
water on each one. Observe what happens.
Application questions: What happens to the packing peanuts when water is added? What is different
about the two types of packing peanuts? Which is better for our environment? Why? What are ways to
reduce, reuse, and recycle? Think of the two types of packing peanuts. Reduce: A good suggestion is to
use as little of the material as possible. Reuse: Use packing peanuts again. Recycle: This will help in
reducing waste in landfills but that’s not the whole solution. It helps to use a material that breaks down
naturally.
Extension 1: Children can compare the effect of different types of water: icy, hot, salt, and sugar water
on starch packing peanuts. People who get a lot of things shipped to them need a way to get rid of their
packing peanuts without filling up their garbage cans. Luckily, there are many ways to break
down starch packing peanuts. Your students’ job is to find the best one.
Put ¼ cup each of room temperature water, ice water, warm water, salt water and sugar water into 5 clear
plastic cups. (The salt and sugar water should be saturated which means they contain as much dissolved
material as they can. You have added enough salt or sugar when some salt or sugar remains on the
bottom of the cups even when you stir them.)
Add a starch packing peanut to each cup at the same time. Stir and observe for at least 10 minutes.
Remove the packing peanuts from the cups at the same time, and place each beside its cup.
When the starch dissolves, carbon dioxide within the peanut escapes into the air, making the peanut
much smaller and slimier. Heating the water causes its molecules to move around faster, speeding up the
dissolving process. Cooling the water slows down the dissolving process. Because the salt water already
has so much salt dissolved in it, there’s not much room left for starch molecules, so the peanut does not
break down as much. The sugar solution also does not have much room for the starch, but since sugar
and starch are very similar, it is easier for the starch to dissolve in a sugar water solution.
Application questions: What do you see? What effect do the different types of water have on the
packing peanuts? Why? What substances break down starch packing peanuts the fastest? Why are
starch packing peanuts better to use than Styrofoam peanuts?
Extension 2: There is a chemical that will break down ordinary Styrofoam (polystyrene)
but it is costly and leaves a rubbery residue. It is a solvent called acetone. It seems to make Styrofoam
magically "disappear." *Only the teacher should handle the acetone.
Unseen by the children, fill a plastic cup (not a clear one) half full with acetone. Leave the other one
empty. Put the two cups side by side. Engage two students in a race by seeing who can fill their jar with
packing peanuts the fastest. Of course, the cup that secretly contains acetone won’t fill because the
Styrofoam is dissolving!
It’s also fun to hide a medium-sized jar containing acetone in a paper lunch bag. Challenge students to
count how many packing peanuts it takes to fill the bag. They will keep adding and adding peanuts with
no success at filling the bag! Where have all the peanuts gone? So fun!
Application questions: What did you observe? What happened to the packing peanuts? The acetone
easily dissolves the polystyrene molecules, leaving very little residue. The packing peanut material is
actually dissolving (not melting) in the acetone (melting requires heat).
Bubble Snakes
This fun experiment helps children create long strands of bubbles which we call bubble snakes!
What you need: empty 16 oz plastic bottle, bowl of bubble solution, scissors, piece of fabric (similar to a
washcloth or sock), liquid food coloring
Make the Bubble Solution using the recipe in on page 3. Hold a clean, empty plastic bottle and carefully
cut the bottom off. Cover the freshly-cut hole with a piece of fabric that is similar to a washcloth or cotton
sock. Use a rubber band to keep the fabric in place.
Dip the fabric-covered end of the bottle into a bowl of the bubble solution. Blow into the mouth of the
plastic bottle and create a bubble snake! It’s also fun to add color. Add a few drops of 2-3 colors of food
coloring to the fabric on the end of the bottle. Dip the fabric in the bubble solution and give the bottle
another blow.
Bubbles form because of the surface tension of water. Hydrogen atoms in one water molecule are
attracted to oxygen atoms in other water molecules. They like to cling together. When you blow air
through the bottle, you are making hundreds of tiny bubbles that attach to each other in a long continuous
string of bubbles.
Application questions: What happens when you blow air into the bottle? Did it take a big breath or a
small one? Why do you think bubbles are round? (Scientists have shown that bubbles enclose as much
air as they can in the minimum amount of bubble solution, so that's why they are always round.)
Glorious Goldenrod Paper!:
Little ones will enjoy the cause and effect results while with older children you can discuss acids and
bases.
What you need: small piece goldenrod paper per child, q-tips, vinegar or lemon juice, bowls, small
amount of baking soda
Acids and bases are very important to understand for many reasons. You probably use them every day!
Very acidic substances can be dangerous, as can very basic substances. Tell the children that they
should never touch any type of chemical without an adult’s permission. However some acids and bases
are safe to use. Acids like apple or orange juice and vinegar are safe. Bases have a bitter taste and tend
to be slimy or slippery. They can break down dirt by forming hydroxide bubbles and are often used for
cleaning. Soaps, dishwashing liquids, detergents, hair conditioners, and baking soda are all examples.
Put lemon juice or vinegar (acid) in one bowl. In another bowl, put 1 tbs. of baking soda (base) in 1/2
cup of water.
Give each child a half piece of goldenrod paper, which is special paper that is made from a dye that can
indicate acids and bases.
Show the children how to dip one end of their q-tip in the baking soda. Next, teach them how to lightly
rub the q-tip on the paper in squiggly lines or other designs. It does not require too much wetness to
work. What happens? (The paper turns bright red.) Blow on the wetness to dry it.
Next, dip the other end of the q-tip in the vinegar. Rub the dried red parts with that end of the q-tip. What
happens to the red? (It turns bright yellow.) Make a larger area of the paper turn red with the baking
soda water. Blow on it. Now make yellow designs in the red by using the vinegar!
Remember:
bases (baking soda, ammonia, soaps, detergents, etc.)--turn the paper bright red
acids (lemon juice, vinegar, fruit juices, etc.)--turn the paper bright yellow
The paper turns bright red when a base touches it.
Application questions: Why is it important to learn about acids and bases? What acids and bases are
used at your home? Should you ever touch a chemical without permission from an adult? Why? Why
does the goldenrod paper change color with different solutions?