Litmus paper is cheap and easy to come by; so get some!
We first spent some time online learning about pH, what it means, H+ and OH-, acidity, alkalinity, and base.
We started with this website, Chem4Kids:
http://www.chem4kids.com/files/react_acidbase.html
Next we made a list of dozens of things we wanted to check out pH levels on.
- Soft Scrub with Bleach was 11
- baking soda water was 8.5
- Gaviscon was 7
- salt water is 5
- nail polish remover is 5
- dish soap is a 4
- vinegar is 3.5
- windex is 12
- strawberry is 3
- saliva is 6
- Poppy seed salad dressing is a 4
- milk is 7
- first aid spray is a 5
- soy sauce is 3.5
- mouth wash is 3
- 7-Up soda is 4
- Dr. Pepper is 3.5
- Olive Oil for cooking is 4.4
- tomato sauce is 3.5
- and number 1 is 7. (I won't tell you whose number 1 we checked!)
That was fun.
But THEN came the insanity. We started mixing things and figuring out if they would become more basic or acidic. LOL
The energy level in this house, considering there are only two kids, is sky high. Dr. Who is totally business. Bonobo is totally play.
We had a wonderful time and everyone helped with the clean up!
REWARD: Orange and apple slices!
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Bonobo: What IS litmus paper? How does it work? What is on the litmus paper that makes it able to detect hydrogen ions? Can we make our own litmus paper?
Dr. Who: When will 5:00 pm get here?!!!!!!!
We did further research on the questions and now we want to make our own cabbage-based litmus paper.
This looks like great fun! Thanks for posting pictures, too, definitely inspiring!!
ReplyDeleteWell we are definitely going to have to do this. I am in the process of trying to put together our Chemistry for next year.
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