Edible Bubble Science Experiment With Apples!
Edible bubble science experiment with apples...loads of fun, a great lesson and science project, and a delicious snack!
What's Going On?
Because of the shape of water molecules, water has a very high surface tension...it tends to stick to itself very tightly, like a stretched-rubber band. If you blow a bubble into plain water, it will pop quickly, like stretching the rubber-band so far it breaks. Most juices are mostly water, so bubbles blown into them also have high surface tension and pop quickly. Milk has a lot of proteins in it that connect together, creating a type of film that can stretch. Milk has less surface tension than water because of these proteins. It is like the rubber-band is not stretched as far. The milk has enough protein in it that you can even make juice/milk bubbles easily!
Extension Activities & Experiments!
You can continue to explore these concepts with lots of other science experiments, including these:
1. Eggs have loads of protein! What happens if you try to blow bubbles in water? What if you add a little egg white?
2. Can you find a juice or other kitchen liquid that makes bigger bubbles than milk?
3. Is there a difference in warm milk and cold milk? What about skim or whole milk?
4. Dish soap is a surfactant that also lowers the surface tension of water. Try Bubble Science with Pumpkins, Bubble Spider Webs, and Bubble Painting for science projects and ideas with dish soap!
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My 2-year old and I love making smoothies for snacks. I like to just drink them, but she likes to use a straw. She usually drinks about half of the drink right away...and then has to make some bubbles with them. I decided to capitalize on that obsession with an apple-themed bubble science experiment! (And of course, it's edible! Our very popular pumpkin bubble experiment uses normal bubbles, but I found that really young preschoolers and some older toddlers love to blow bubbles too...so I designed this science experiment for them!)
Kids love bubbles! It's just part of who they are! This science experiment feels more like playing games with your food, but the fact that it is all edible makes it even more exciting!
You can use this activity as a chance to talk about bubbles, surface tension, water tension, surfactants, and more. Blowing and sucking on a straw takes coordination and focus. The entire activity is a classic experience that gives your kiddos a safe chance to experiment and explore with bubbles! It's also just a ton of fun!
Apple Bubble Science Experiment!
Simple Supplies:
* apples
* orange juice (or water or any other juice)
* milk
* straws
Easy How To:
1- Pull the core out of the apples with a sharp knife.
2- Put 1-2 Tablespooons of orange juice in each apple. Let your kiddos blow bubbles in the orange juice! They will pop quickly, usually before they ever get out of the apple. The explanation is below.
3- Add 1-2 Tablespoons milk to each apple. Now let your children blow bubbles in their mixtures! They should be able to get quite a lot!
They will probably want to try adding other juices, raisins, or random foods! Go ahead and let them experiment! They may even want to taste their bubbles!
What's Going On?
Because of the shape of water molecules, water has a very high surface tension...it tends to stick to itself very tightly, like a stretched-rubber band. If you blow a bubble into plain water, it will pop quickly, like stretching the rubber-band so far it breaks. Most juices are mostly water, so bubbles blown into them also have high surface tension and pop quickly. Milk has a lot of proteins in it that connect together, creating a type of film that can stretch. Milk has less surface tension than water because of these proteins. It is like the rubber-band is not stretched as far. The milk has enough protein in it that you can even make juice/milk bubbles easily!
Extension Activities & Experiments!
You can continue to explore these concepts with lots of other science experiments, including these:
1. Eggs have loads of protein! What happens if you try to blow bubbles in water? What if you add a little egg white?
2. Can you find a juice or other kitchen liquid that makes bigger bubbles than milk?
3. Is there a difference in warm milk and cold milk? What about skim or whole milk?
4. Dish soap is a surfactant that also lowers the surface tension of water. Try Bubble Science with Pumpkins, Bubble Spider Webs, and Bubble Painting for science projects and ideas with dish soap!
Check out all our other Preschool Apple Activities here!!
Happy Educating, Carla!
I may share at any of these parties!
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