Kids, did you ever wonder how the new disposable diapers that are so thin can really work for your baby brothers or sisters? There are tiny beads in the filling that are able to absorb more than 300 times their own weight of water. Our purpose is to collect these beads and watch how they behave when...

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Kids, did you ever want to make a liquid in which you could watch objects automatically swirl around? Here you will make a liquid that generates enough carbon dioxide gas to make objects float and sink. In order to make a really nice display, you will need a one-gallon glass bottle, a full 16 oz box...

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Kids, now we can use the limewater made last month to test for carbon dioxide (CO2) gas in your exhaled breath. Please note: All chemicals and experiments can entail an element of risk, and no experiments should be performed without proper adult supervision. You will also need a straw and a pin...

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Kids, here you will make a solution that can test for the presence of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) gas. This is a two-part project. Save the limewater you make for use in the next issue of ChemShorts. You will need two glass quart jars with lids, a tablespoon, and lime (CaO, the substance used in making pi...

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Kids, here we will separate the colors in ink and make a rainbow effect. You will need green and black water-soluble marker pens, a cone-shaped coffee filter (for Melitta coffeemakers), a saucer, and water. Regular coffee filters are too wrinkled and thin to work well. About 1/2 inch above the round...

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Kids, let's try to write a message that will appear as if by magic on paper, using chemistry. You will need a soup bowl, some tincture of iodine, a lemon, some notebook paper, a cup, and an art paintbrush. Please note: All chemicals and experiments can entail an element of risk, and no experiments...

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Please note: All chemicals and experiments can entail an element of risk, and no experiments should be performed without proper adult supervision. Experiment #1. Kids, imagine a cooler filled with cans of soda at a summer picnic. Did you ever notice that all the diet soda cans float on top of the ...

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Kids, did you know that most of the natural color of convenience foods is lost during processing? Food manufacturers add artificial coloring to foods to restore their expected color. Red food dyes are added to hotdogs that would otherwise look gray, for example. Natural food colorings (pigments from...

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Kids, what do Little Miss Muffet's curds & whey have in common with glue? Just what is a curd, anyway? Curds are a milk protein called casein (a natural organic polymer) which actually has a lot of industrial uses. One of them is a key ingredient in Elmer's Glue-All. In Operation Glue, YOU can p...

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Kids, how would you like to turn your nice shiny copper-colored pennies into green ones? All you need is a saucer, a paper towel, vinegar, and 3-5 pennies. Please note: All chemicals and experiments can entail an element of risk, and no experiments should be performed without proper adult supervis...

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