Elephant toothpaste erupts a foam that children can create in this experiment that resembles toothpaste being squeezed from a tube.
Materials Required
- Dry active yeast
- Warm water
- 6% hydrogen peroxide
- Dish soap
- Narrow necked bottle
- Liquid watercolours
- Funnel
- Tray or container
What To Do
- Take 1 teaspoon of yeast and dissolve it in 2 teaspoons of very warm water. You need to mix them well so that there are no yeast lumps in the mixture.
- Now place the bottle on the work table. Add ½ cup of hydrogen peroxide to the bottle.
- You could also add the liquid watercolour now.
- Now place the funnel into the bottle and add the yeast mixture into the bottle through it.
- Quickly remove the funnel and see your elephant toothpaste erupting.
Hints And Tips
- 6% hydrogen peroxide will work best for this experiment. Lesser than this would not give the desired result. Of course, you can try more than 6%. But be prepared for the tremendous eruption.
- While using the dish soap, make sure they are not antibacterial ones as they are not apt for this activity.
- Make sure you place the bottle in a large tray or container to collect all the foam.
- As soon as you start adding yeast, the reaction starts in the bottle with bubbles starting to come up. So, you need to be very quick while doing this step.
- Keep the kids at a distance while you do this experiment.
- You can even make the kids wear safety goggles if they involve themselves in adding of the ingredients. But still, they need to be under your constant supervision and stay a few feet away.
- Kids could help you out by dissolving the yeast in water. This is a nice fine motor activity for tiny hands.
- The foam which comes out is a perfect sensory play for the kids. They are absolutely safe to touch. They are soft and fluffy too. Let your kids enjoy themselves and have a fun time.
Reference
Funathomewithkids.com