Hi there! Today, we’re going to talk about something super fun and tasty: fruit salad! Making a fruit salad is easy. You just take different pieces of fruit and mix them all up in a bowl. But the tricky part is deciding which fruits to include. What would you choose?
My friend Squeaks loves cherries and watermelon, while I prefer pineapple and blueberries. Blueberries are my favorite, and sometimes I save them for last because they’re so yummy!
When you mix fruits in a salad, they stay the same. You can easily pick out each fruit piece. But did you know that sometimes when you mix things, they change completely? This is called a chemical change.
In a chemical change, the things you mix together turn into something new, and you can’t easily separate them again. Let’s try a fun experiment to see a chemical change in action!
This experiment is called “Elephant Toothpaste” because it makes a lot of foam, just like toothpaste for a giant elephant! If you want to try this at home, make sure you have an adult to help you and wear safety glasses.
Here’s what you’ll need:
It’s also a good idea to do this experiment on a large tray or in a tub because it can get messy!
First, put on your safety glasses. Mix the yeast and warm water together and wait for at least 30 seconds. While waiting, pour hydrogen peroxide into the bottle using the funnel. Add a few squirts of dish soap and swirl the bottle to mix everything.
Now, check the yeast mixture. It’s bubbly, but it doesn’t look like toothpaste yet. Let’s make the chemical change happen! Pour the yeast mixture into the bottle on the count of three: One… Two… THREE!
Wow, look at all the foam! It’s so much, and it doesn’t look like what we started with. The bottle feels warm, which is a clue that a chemical reaction took place. The foam is made of tiny bubbles, another sign of a chemical change.
In our experiment, we mixed yeast, water, dish soap, food coloring, and hydrogen peroxide. The foam we made can’t be turned back into those original ingredients. This is because a chemical change happened, and it’s not reversible.
Some changes, like freezing water into ice, can be reversed. But cooking an egg is another example of a change that can’t be undone. Once an egg is cooked, it stays that way.
Speaking of yummy things, let’s go make that fruit salad we talked about earlier. Thanks for joining us today! If you want to keep learning and having fun, be sure to subscribe to SciShow Kids. See you next time!
Fruit Salad Sorting Game: Gather a variety of fruits and make a fruit salad. As you mix the fruits, pay attention to how each fruit stays the same. After mixing, try to sort the fruits back into separate piles. Discuss with an adult how this is different from a chemical change, where you can’t separate the ingredients back into their original form.
Observe and Draw: With the help of an adult, perform the “Elephant Toothpaste” experiment. Watch closely as the foam forms and notice how the ingredients change. After the experiment, draw a picture of what you saw. Talk about the differences between the fruit salad and the foam. Why can’t you turn the foam back into its original ingredients?
Everyday Chemical Changes: Look around your home for examples of chemical changes. For instance, watch bread toast in a toaster or see how a cake bakes in the oven. Discuss with an adult why these are chemical changes and how they are different from mixing fruits in a salad. Can you think of other examples?
