Mad scientists

I have never been a fan of science. It was my worst subject in school and it continues to be something I care little about. That said, I want my kids to have a better experience with the class than I did. They are going to need it (along with math -- my other least favorite subject). So, when I came across this science kit on Amazon before Christmas I thought it might be a fun way to introduce Nick, and by default Zander, to the dreaded fun subject. We started the lesson fun simple enough with a mixture of citric acid, baking soda and water.


See the water "dance."


Then we mixed citric acid, baking soda and red cabbage juice powder to create different colored water. The coloring in just water creates a "purple waterfall." Adding baking soda to the mix changes it to one color and adding citric acid makes it another. Combining water from both cups into a third cup creates yet another color.


Next came the especially fun experiment (at least for me). I don't have the recipe handy, but will try to add it later. When I read through the directions I assumed it would make a silly putty/goo kind of substance, so I started by doubling the original to make enough for both boys. I quickly realized this was not that kind of recipe.


Instead, this combination made a weird substance that looked wet (and when you tilted the bowl it would "run") but was actually a solid. I don't know who was more fascinated by this discovery. We had to keep this experiment around to show Mike when he came upstairs from work.


The only downside to science is that sometimes these experiments take time. I think that's why the age on the box says 5+. My boys don't have the patience for some of these activities. But they tried. Nick had fun toting the timer around, for about 2 minutes. Then he was off to do something else while we waited for the 15 minutes to pass.


And then we waited for another 15 minutes. And another. And another. Somewhere in here we ate dinner.


And when dinner was done Nick dumped out his test tube crystals (they were supposed to grow bigger than the tube but that never happened), held them in his hands for a few seconds and promptly threw them back in the bowl, completely uninterested.


I left them on the counter for another day, hoping he would get them out and mess with them again but that never happened so into the garbage they went.