The lazy, hazy days of summer are upon us, and we’re guessing the last thing you want to do is make a bunch of complicated plans. We’re all about keeping things simple, and that includes incorporating learning into your summer activities. We found a fantastic simple science experiment from the Kids Activities Blog that will totally wow your child while learning about what happens when gas meets high temperatures!
All you’ll need for this easy experiment is a bar of Ivory Soap (it must be Ivory specifically, and you might want to get more than one bar, as we suspect your child will want to see this magic more than once), a microwave-safe plate, and your microwave. That’s it!
Unwrap your bar of soap, put it on your microwave-safe plate, and put it in the microwave for two minutes. Prepare to be in awe, because almost immediately, your soap will start ERUPTING!
Why does this happen? There is a scientific principle called Charles’ Law, which says that, when temperature increases, gas expands. Ivory Soap is manufactured differently than other brands of soap, as it has a lot of air pockets in it. It also contains a lot of moisture. When it is heated, before the soap can melt, the moisture turns to steam (gas). As the steam continues to be exposed to high temperatures, it expands, trying to push its way out. This expands the soap, causing the crazy eruption you see in the microwave!
As we said, you may want to get several bars of soap, because you and your kids might want to recreate this microwave marvel multiple times throughout the summer!
Check out the full experiment, more on the science, and a bonus experiment with Ivory Soap from the Kids Activities Blog HERE.
As always, get as creative as you want, and above all, have lots of fun learning together!
We’ll see you right back here next Saturday for another STEAM Saturday activity! Scroll through the rest of our website to learn how Critchlow Adkins is Building Brighter Futures for the children and families we serve!
