Kids can beat the back to school blues with Pop Bottle Science

Joshua (center of the action) and friends - end of school June 2012

It seems like it was just yesterday that the kids were excited about the last day of school before summer break. Now there are back to school supplies in the center aisles and on the shelves at stores. Panic is starting to set in that school will start soon and they haven’t done anything fun.

There is no need for panic, there are plenty of hands on activities to excite and inspire even the hard to please child. I came across a class being offered at a local bookstore called, Pop Bottle Science.

Pop Bottle Science Kit

The hands-on science based workshop is being held on Thursday, August 2, 1-3pm at Nicola’s bookstore on Jackson Road in Ann Arbor, MI. The class is for children 9-13 years old (registration required and a $3 material fee). If you’re not in the area, pick up your own Pop Bottle Science Kit (available on amazon) and try the experiments at home.

A favorite experiment that my kids like is the one that uses Mentos candy and a two liter of Diet Coke.

Supplies Needed

• 1 Two Liter of Diet Coke
• Mentos Candy – approximately half a pack
• Geyser tube (optional)

Instructions: Make sure you are doing this experiment in a place where you won't get in trouble for getting Diet Coke everywhere. Outside on some grass is perfect, please don't try this one in your family lounge!! Stand the Diet Coke upright and unscrew the lid. Put some sort of funnel or tube on top of it so you can drop the Mentos in at the same time (about half the pack is a good amount). Doing this part can be tricky if you don't have a specially designed geyser tube, I recommend buying one from a local store such as Natures Discoveries (NZ) or online. Time for the fun part, drop the Mentos into the Diet Coke and run like mad! If you've done it properly a huge geyser of Diet Coke should come flying out of the bottle, it's a very impressive sight. The record is about 9 meters (29 feet) high! Instructions are directly from the sciencekids website. Visit the site for more details on this experiment at www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments/dietcokementos.html   What is one of your favorite science experiments for kids?