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How can you keep track of changes before, during and after this experiment?
What do you think is going to happen? (Guessing what is going to happen during an experiment is called a ‘prediction’ or ‘hypothesis’)
Will you do this experiment in pairs or small teams?
What supplies will you need for this experiment?
Do
Safety first! Start by putting on your safety glasses.
Place your plastic bottle in the tray or tub for easy clean up.
Measure ½ cup of hydrogen peroxide and pour it into the bottle.
Add a big squirt of dish soap to the bottle and swirl it gently to mix
If you want to add food colouring, add a few drops of food colouring to the bottle.
In a measuring cup, mix together one tablespoon of yeast and three tablespoons of warm (not hot!) water. Stir for about 30 seconds.
Pour the yeast mixture into the bottle then quickly step back and watch your reaction go!
Review
What happened when you added the yeast mixture to the hydrogen peroxide?
Was your prediction correct? What happened?
When hydrogen peroxide comes into contact with yeast, it starts breaking down into water and oxygen. Oxygen is a gas and wants to escape the liquid. The dish soap traps these bubbles and makes a foam.
Materials
Empty plastic bottle per pair or team
A stir stick that will fit through the opening of the bottle
Dry yeast
Warm water
Liquid dish soap
3% hydrogen peroxide
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Safety glasses
Large tub or tray to catch the foam
Garbage bags to go under the tray in case of overflow
Liquid food colouring (optional)
Different-shaped bottles or glasses (optional)
Keep it Simple
Do this experiment as a big group or in Lodges/Lairs. Work together to measure out the ingredients carefully with the help of a Scouter.
Take it Further
Try changing some elements of this experiment to see what changes. What happens if you do not add the dish soap? What happens if you put the ingredients into a differently-shaped bottle
