Forgetful Momma

Secular Homeschooling in Canada

science experiment

Color Changing Water Science Experiment

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Who knew a head of red cabbage could be so much fun? We actually did this color changing water experiment the same day we did the pH indictor testing. One cabbage, two experiments. We love science experiments here and I hope you do too.

Color Changing Water

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This is a very easy science experiment, and super budget friendly science. Everything you need is for this, is in your kitchen. I like experiments to be easy and accessible for everyone.

Red Cabbage Science Experiment

With this experiment, I had no idea what to expect along with my kids. I think those are the best experiments., the ones we get to experience the magic together. It was the same when we did the cabbage pH indictor.

What you need:

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How to Make Water Change Color

The first thing to do it boil water, and pour that boiling water over a head (or half a head) of red cabbage cut up. The more cabbage, the more water you use, the more water you’ll have to do this experiment with.

Let it sit for about 30 minutes.

Now strain the water off your cabbage and into either clear small jars or into glasses. Your red cabbage water is going to look quite purple.

Pour a little white vinegar into your cabbage water.

Color Changing Water (Red Cabbage)

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Add a little baking soda.

Color Changing Water (Red Cabbage)

This color changing water science experiment doesn’t stop at one or two colors but you can add more baking soda to see more change.

Color Changing Water (Red Cabbage)

You do want to make sure that you let each reaction finish before adding more baking soda or vinegar to each glass of red cabbage water. We did end up with a really big mess… think volcano.

Color Changing Water

Color Changing Water (Red Cabbage)

Yield: 1
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Active Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Estimated Cost: $1

Materials

  • head or red cabbage
  • boiling water
  • vinegar
  • baking soda

Tools

  • clear glasses/jars
  • kettle

Instructions

  1. The first thing to do it boil water, and pour that boiling water over a head (or half a head) of red cabbage cut up. Let it sit for about 30 minutes.
  2. Now strain the water off your cabbage and into either clear small jars or into glasses.
  3. Pour a little white vinegar into your cabbage water.
  4. Add a little baking soda.
  5. This color changing science experiment doesn't stop at one or two colors but you can add more baking soda to see more change.

Notes

You do want to make sure that you let each reaction finish before adding more baking soda or vinegar to each glass of red cabbage water. We did end up with a really big mess... think volcano.

© Ashley Mullen

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Easy Red Cabbage pH Indicator

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Easy Red Cabbage pH Indicator

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Getting in the kitchen with your kids doesn’t always mean cooking or baking. It means spending time together doing something, anything, and having fun. This is fun, easy, and a great science experiment using things that you have in your home, mostly in your kitchen at that. Buy a small head of red cabbage, and create this pH indicator.

pH Indictor with Red Cabbage

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Red Cabbage pH Indicator Colors

Write this out and stick it somewhere that you and your kids can see during the experiment so you can decide what the pH is of each of the add-ins.

Red – 2
Purple – 4
Violet – 6
Blue – 8
Blue-Green – 10
Greenish-Yellow – 12

What you need:

  • 1/2 – 2 head of red cabbage
  • water
  • lemon juice
  • baking soda
  • washing soda
  • cream of tarter
  • vinegar

How to Make A pH Indictor with Red Cabbage

Cut up your cabbage. Pour boiling water over it, and wait 30 minutes.

pH Indictor with Red Cabbage - cup of red cabbage

Strain water off of cabbage into small containers. I used wine glasses because I couldn’t find any small clear jars for the amount of water I got off my cabbage.

I had all the solutions that we were adding to our cabbage water in separate containers for ease of adding them for smaller hands.

Add something different to each cup of cabbage water.

Cabbage Acidic & Bases Reactions:

pH Indictor with Red Cabbage

The moment the lemon juice hits the cabbage water, it turned red, a beautiful red as you can see above. Just from lemon juice. What would you guess is the pH here?

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pH Indictor with Red Cabbage (2)

You can see how noticeable the difference is between the plain cabbage water and the water that we added the baking soda to. We did add a little too much, a spoonful and we probably could have gotten away with a lot less.

pH Indictor with Red Cabbage

pH Indictor with Red Cabbage

Yield: 1
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Estimated Cost: $1

pH Indictor with Red Cabbage with different items from the kitchen.

Materials

  • 1/2 - 2 head of red cabbage
  • water
  • lemon juice
  • baking soda
  • washing soda
  • cream of tarter
  • vinegar

Tools

  • small clear glass containers
  • spoon
  • bowl
  • kettle

Instructions

  1. Cut up your cabbage.
  2. Pour boiling water over it, and wait 30 minutes.
  3. Strain water off of cabbage into small containers.
  4. Add something different to each cup of cabbage water. Baking soda to a cup to watch the reaction.
  5. Continue on with the rest of the bases.
© Ashley Mullen

Cabbage pH Indicator Basics

Red cabbage contains a pigment molecule called flavin (an anthocyanin). This water-soluble pigment is also found in apple skins, plums, poppies, cornflowers, and grapes.

Very acidic solutions will turn anthocyanin into a red color. 

Neutral solutions result in a purplish color. 

Basic solutions appear in greenish-yellow.

Therefore, you can determine the pH of a solution based on the color that it turns the anthocyanin pigments in red cabbage juice.

The color of the juice changes in response to changes in its hydrogen ion concentration; pH is the -log[H+]. Acids will donate hydrogen ions in an aqueous solution and have a low pH (pH 7).

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Self Inflating Balloon Experiment

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How about some science fun with a balloon? My seven year old was amazed by this. He had no idea what to expect when we started this self inflating balloon experiment.

Self Inflating Balloon

Self Inflating Balloon Experiment

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I used a Sharpie to draw a face on our balloon just to give it a little more fun, and to pretend we were growing a monster head with Halloween coming up soon.

Gauge loved this, I don’t know if you can hear him in the video or not, but he says “Did you know this would happen?!” Who know inflating a balloon could be so much fun.

What you need:

How to make a balloon self inflate

This is a science experiment simple enough for your kids to do themselves. My almost seven year old did it with very little help from me.

Start by measuring out half a cup of vinegar.

Self Inflating Balloon Experiment

It is very helpful to have a funnel for the next part: pouring the vinegar into a bottle. A funnel means less will get spilled.

Self Inflating Balloon Experiment - pouring vinegar into a bottle

We dried off our funnel, and used it to put half a tablespoon of baking soda into our balloon.

Self Inflating Balloon - filling a balloon with baking soda

Remove the funnel from your balloon, and carefully fit it over the opening of your bottle without spilling any of the baking soda in the bottle. It will cause a reaction before you are ready.

Self Inflating Balloon

Once you are ready and watching you can flip the balloon up to empty the baking soda into the bottle. The reaction does happen quite fast.

Self Inflating Balloon

Now you just wait for the reaction. My favorite part of this is that this science experiment uses things you most likely have around your house already.

Self Inflating Balloon

Self Inflating Balloon

Prep Time: 3 minutes
Active Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Easy science experiment for kids using things you have in the kitchen.

Materials

  • 1/2 cup of vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp of baking soda
  • balloons
  • water/pop bottle

Tools

  • funnel

Instructions

  1. Pour 1/2 cup of vinegar into an old water or pop bottle.
  2. put 1/2 tbsp of baking soda into a balloon.
  3. Carefully, put the opening of the balloon over the water bottle.
  4. Empty the baking soda into the bottle, and into the vinegar and watch the reaction.
© Ashley Mullen
Category: Kids Activities

We have balloons from parties past “floating” around our house, which is probably why I have been finding activities to do with my kids using balloons. Time to use them up before another birthday, and party theme comes around.

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Self Inflating Balloon Experiment

What’s Happening:

The secret lies with vinegar and baking soda, two household staples that, when combined, create carbonic acid. Carbonic acid breaks down into water and carbon dioxide.

This experiment uses the carbon dioxide to fill the balloon, giving the illusion that the balloon is self inflating.

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Balloon Rockets STEM Experiment

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I saw this experiment awhile ago and I knew we had to try it out. Every birthday I buy more balloons because I can’t find the leftovers from the previous birthday. This was a great way to use some of those balloons. I also included this balloon rockets activity in our science DIY Summer Camp Week.

Balloon Rockets

Balloon Rockets STEM Experiment

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You could easily do this balloon rocket experiment outside or inside like we did. It is relative easy, and inexpensive.

What you need:

How to make Balloon Rocket

Tape or tie one end of your string to something. I taped it to my counter top.

Thread your straw onto your string, and then six or seven feet away, attach the other end of the string to something. I used the back of a chair.

I used painter tape to make sure the string stayed in place and didn’t damage or leave sticky residue behind on my counter or chair. We used about seven feet of string.

You could easily test out different lengths to add to your experiment.

Balloon Rockets - tape position

You add two strips of tape to the straw to attach your balloon, without tying the end of your balloon. With the end of the balloon face the opposite way you want your balloon to fly. Let go!

I set everything up, gave it a test and it worked perfectly.

Backyard Summer Camp: Science Lab

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Problem Saving Our Balloon Rockets

These did not work perfectly right off the bat for my kids. But we don’t give up. It was Brookland who learned through trial and error that placing the strips of tape too far apart was causing problems.

One issue we had was that we were using rough twine instead of a smooth string like yarn. There were a few places the straw was getting caught.

Balloon Rockets - rocketing on the string.

Balloon Rocket

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Estimated Cost: $5

Learn the science behind rockets while having fun with balloons.

Materials

  • balloons
  • plastic straws
  • string such as twine or yarn
  • tape such as painter tape or masking tape

Tools

  • scissors
  • tape

Instructions

  1. Tape or tie one end of your string to something. I taped it to my counter top.
  2. Thread your straw onto your string, and then six or seven feet away, attach the other end of the string to something. I used the back of a chair.
  3. I used painter tape to make sure the string stayed in place and didn't damage or leave sticky residue behind on my counter or chair. We used about seven feet of string.
  4. You could easily test out different lengths to add to your experiment.
© Ashley Mullen
Project Type: Science Experiment / Category: Experiments

Fun with Learning

This is homeschooling. This is learning. This is learning to problem solve and not give up until you have figured out the problem, the solution.

We let go of a few balloons without them attached to the straw and string, and then had to chase them down. It was a fun side by side comparison.

Balloon Rockets - balloon taped to straw on string

I totally set our strings out so that once we got the hang of it, my kids could have balloon races! I couldn’t help myself and it’s fun to race, especially where age (and height) doesn’t give you a leg up, haha.

We had a lot of fun with this. We did it with different amounts of air in the balloons.

We did this with the balloon on top of the straw, and on the bottom of the straw.

Have fun with it.

Science Behind Balloon Rockets

A balloon provides a simple example of how a rocket engine works. The air trapped inside the balloon pushes out the open end, causing the balloon to move forward.

The force of the air escaping is the “action”; the movement of the balloon forward is the “reaction” predicted by Newton’s Third Law of Motion.

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Balloon Rockets - rocketing on the string.

Temperature and Water Density Science Experiment

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Science experiment fun is the best, fun way to learn. And a fun activity to do outside in the beautiful spring weather. The perfect thing to do this time of year is to spend time outside. This temperature and water density science experiment is the perfect experiment to take outside.

Temperature and Water Density

Temperature and Water Density Science Experiment

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When you are stuck home and bored, you do science experiments that you have always wanted to try but always figured would be a huge mess. But again, bored means just doing it no matter what.

This science experiment is easy to do, but does pose the risk for making a mess. Embrace it, or go outside where you won’t worry about the mess.

What you need:

What you need to do:

  1. Fill one jar with cold water and add food color.
  2. Fill the other jar with the hottest water you can while still being able to touch the jar. Add a different color of food coloring to the water.
  3. Place the index card over the opening of the color water jar.
  4. While holding the index card in place flip the jar over and on top of the jar of hot water.
  5. Quickly remove the index card and watch what happens.
  6. Redo the experiment but instead placing the jar of hot water on top.

Scroll down to find a printable version of the directions.

How to Do this Temperature and Water Density Experiment

cold water on the top, heat molecules rise.

I had a towel under the jars because I was prepared to make a huge mess. I was fully expecting the whole jar of cold green water to pour everywhere. BUT I was surprised with only a few drops of water being spilled.

Temperature and Water Density

Thanks to my school supply stash, I had everything for this science experiment including the index cards. I placed an index card on the top of the jar of cold water, holding it in place, I quickly flipped it over on to the top of the jar of warm water, and pulled the index card out from between two.

Temperature and Water Density

You will see the warm water on the bottom quickly rise and mix into the cold water. The cold water jar on the bottom, barely mixes with the warm water on top.

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What’s Happening

The molecules in hot water move faster than those in cold water. Hot water molecules bounce around and leave gaps. This makes hot water slightly less dense than cold water.

Cold water on the bottom, the denser cold water stays there.

Cold water on the top, heat molecules rise. 

Temperature and Water Density

Water Density

Prep Time: 1 minute
Active Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 6 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

The molecules in hot water move faster than those in cold water. Hot water molecules bounce around and leave gaps. This makes hot water slightly less dense than cold water.

Materials

  • cold water
  • hot water
  • food color
  • index card

Tools

  • two mason jars
  • index card

Instructions

    1. Fill one jar with cold water and add food color.
    2. Fill the other jar with the hottest water you can while still being able to touch the jar. Add a different color of food coloring to the water.
    3. Place the index card over the opening of the color water jar.
    4. While holding the index card in place flip the jar over and on top of the jar of hot water.
    5. Quickly remove the index card and watch what happens.
    6. Redo the experiment but instead placing the jar of hot water on top.
© Ashley Mullen
Project Type: Science Experiment / Category: Experiments
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