Teaching Science With Food

[cbonder]

I will be teaching summer school and will be having 15 sessions of my Teaching Science With Food or Kitchen Chemistry. I will be working with students who will be in 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade next year. I have several activities such as moon phases using oreo cookies and cells using jello and other materials. I could sure use some of your great ideas. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Phelan]

what about

The layers of soil/earth using apple sauce/ cookie crumbs/ gummi worms

Exploring the taste buds

Taking a look at the amount of trash fast food companies give out in each meal.

 

[JudyW]

Chocolate chip cookies

I used to do an activity using three varieties of chocolate chip cookies. The children were given one of each variety. They pretended they were archaeologists while digging out the chocolate chips from each variety. They then counted them and we made graphs etc. When they were finished with all the different activities they got a fresh cookie of each variety to eat. Invariably they voted that the more expensive cookies was the better buy. Why? Because it tastes better. They had fun, it usually took about an hour and didn't do extreme damage to my budget.

 

[Alicia G]

Science with food?

Vicki Cobb has a book called something like Science you can Eat. Your library should have it.

 

[hescollin]

Make edible rocks...helps students see the difference in the three types of rocks. Igneous rocks---melt chocolate chips in microwave, (melted rock or magma) have a piece of wax paper on each desk and put a spoonful of melted chocolate on each wax paper for students to watch it cool and harden. *****Make Gumdrop Metamorphic rocks....Give each student 2 pieces of wax paper, give each student three different colored gum drops (cut into nine or ten pieces)---put the pieces of gum drops between the pieces of wax paper and have the students press the gumdrops together)remove the wax paper and discuss how heat and pressure make metamorphic rocks. Sedimentary Rocks...make and eat Rice Krispies.

(******Hard boiled egg cut in half with a red hot candy put in the center of the egg yolk = the different layers of the earth. Shell is the crust and is approximately 6-40 miles, the white represents the mantle and is approximately 1,800 miles, the yolk represents the outer core and is approximately 1,375 miles, the red hot is the very very HOT inner core and is approximately 1,750 miles.

 

[HC]

In 5th grade I use gatorade powder/water to teach solutions and chex mix to teach mixtures.

 

[cbonder]

Thanks!

Thanks for the great ideas!

 

[Shari]

Mr. Food explains Baking Powder vs.

Baking Soda.

I saw this on T.V. yesterday morning with Mr. Food:
Baking Soda, sodium bicarbonate, is a base. To use it as a leavening agent it must be added to mix with an acid (e.g. lemon juice, vinegar, cream of tartar). Baking Powder is a dried form of base and acid, so when you put it into the mix, liquids allow reaction between the acid/base. By-product of this acid/base reaction with the bicarbonate of soda is the production of carbon dioxide (gas), which forms bubbles in mix, causing rise in mixture (biscuits, cornbread, cookies, etc.).

You could do four batters: one with baking soda only (no acid), one with only baking powder, one with baking soda and an acid, and one with only acid. Which produces the best leavening? Hope you get a rise out of this activity. (pun intended)