Hi everybody, I wanted to share another science experiment with you today which I found in a book called ‘365 Awesome Science Experiments’. To any youth reading this, adult supervision is advised. You begin by putting vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, and laundry detergent into different jars. You then then chop up red cabbage leaves into small pieces and put them into boiling water and leave them to soak for half an hour. Next, use a serving spoon to safely pour the a bit of the boiling water into each of the jars. Wait to se if the mixture turns pink or blue/green. If the substance turns pink it is a an acid but if it turns blue /green it is a base.
Adults, throughout the experiment ask your kids questions. Get them to make predictions about what will happen. At the end of the experiment, explain to your children that the cabbage juice is called an indicator because it changes colour when it is exposed to a chemical or a base. It turns blue or green when it is exposed to a base and it turns pink when exposed to an acid. This experiment is a great way of introducing kids to chemistry. You may wish to do some research with you kids about bases and acids before you start doing this experiment.
Reference List
Estelle Longfield. (2014). 365 Awesome Science Experiments. Hinkler Books. Heatherton, Victoria