At ChemQuest, kids make elephant toothpaste, oobleck, lemon volcanoes, invisible ink, strawberry DNA, slime, Cartesian divers, ice cream in a bag, marshmallow towers, soda geysers, and homemade playdough.At ChemQuest, kids makeelephant toothpaste.oobleck.lemon volcanoes.invisible ink.strawberry DNA.slime.Cartesian divers.ice cream in a bag.marshmallow towers.soda geysers.homemade playdough.

What happens at an event

Kids move from table to table in small groups and spend about 15 minutes at each experiment. Volunteers at every table help them through it, but the kids do the experiment themselves.

We've also run 2 science fairs where kids present their own projects.

More experiments we've done

Each one was a station at a past event. Pick one to see how it works.

• 1CmCoke and Mentos eruptions

  Soda has carbon dioxide gas dissolved in it. Gas bubbles form easily on rough surfaces, and a Mentos is rough all over. When you drop some in, a lot of gas comes out at once and pushes the soda out of the bottle.

• 2DnStrawberry DNA extraction

  Kids mash up a strawberry with soap and salt. The soap breaks open the cells, which lets the DNA out. When cold rubbing alcohol is added, the DNA comes together into white strands you can see.

• 3DeDensity experiments

  Density is how much matter is packed into a space. Kids pour different liquids into one container and watch where each one ends up. The densest liquid sinks to the bottom and the least dense one stays on top.

• 4OsOil spill cleanup

  Kids make a small oil spill in a tray of water and try to clean it up with different materials. Oil floats on water and spreads out, so it’s hard to collect. We talk about how spills like this hurt ocean animals.

• 5PhCabbage pH indicator

  Red cabbage juice changes color when you add an acid or a base. Acids like lemon juice turn it pink or red, and bases like baking soda turn it blue or green. Kids use it to test things from the kitchen.

• 6IcHomemade ice cream

  Kids mix cream, sugar, and vanilla in a small bag, put it in a bigger bag with ice and rock salt, and shake. The salt lowers the freezing point of the ice, which makes the ice colder. Heat moves from the cream into the ice, and the cream freezes.

• 7LvLemon volcanoes

  Lemon juice is an acid and baking soda is a base. When they mix, they react and make carbon dioxide gas. The gas makes bubbles, and the foam spills over the lemon.

• 8EtElephant toothpaste

  Hydrogen peroxide breaks down into water and oxygen gas, but usually very slowly. Yeast makes it happen fast. Dish soap traps the oxygen in bubbles, so foam comes out of the bottle. The foam is warm because the reaction gives off heat.

• 9CdCartesian divers

  The diver is a pipette with a hex nut on it and a little air inside. Squeezing the bottle pushes water into the pipette and squeezes the air, so the diver gets heavier and sinks. When you let go, the air takes up more room again and the diver floats up.

• 10BaCarbon dioxide balloons

  Kids pour vinegar into a bottle, put baking soda in a balloon, and stretch the balloon over the top. When the baking soda falls in, it reacts with the vinegar and makes carbon dioxide gas. The gas fills up the balloon.

• 11InInvisible ink

  Kids write a message on paper with baking soda and water and let it dry. Then they brush grape juice over it. Grape juice changes color when it touches a base like baking soda, so the message shows up.

• 12MtMarshmallow towers

  Kids build towers with toothpicks and mini marshmallows. A square made of toothpicks bends easily, but a triangle keeps its shape. Adding triangles makes a tower stronger, so it can go higher.

• 13LuLung model

  The bottle is the chest. The straws are the trachea and bronchi, and two small balloons are the lungs. A balloon stretched over the bottom is the diaphragm. Pulling it down makes the lungs fill with air, and pushing it up lets the air out.

• 14ObOobleck and slime

  Oobleck is cornstarch and water. When you squeeze it or tap it hard, it feels solid. When you hold it gently, it drips like a liquid. Slime is made from glue and an activator, which connects the glue’s molecules so it stretches.