British Science Week kicks off on the 7th and runs until 16th March and provides an excellent opportunity for experimentation, investigation and discovery. Many different topics spring to mind when thinking about KS2 science, but have you thought of incorporating chemistry in the kitchen? There are a number of exciting experiments using food ingredients and cooking techniques that can be completed at school. Read on for seven activity ideas!
- Reversible changes: experiment with mixing and then recovering a variety of ingredients using different techniques. Ingredients can include rice, salt, flour, coffee, and ice cubes and useful equipment would be bowls, spoons, sieves, filter paper and funnels.
- Experiment with soluble substances and discover how to make a substance dissolve more quickly. Witness this change of state by dissolving jelly in hot water.
- Irreversible changes experiment: combine two kitchen ingredients, milk and vinegar, and watch a chemical reaction create a solid from the two liquids- a new product, which is a type of plastic called ‘casein’.
- Irreversible changes experiment: pour vinegar into a plastic bottle and pour bicarbonate of soda (a raising agent used for baking) into a balloon. Stretch the balloon over the top of the bottle and allow the bicarbonate of soda to tip into the bottle. A chemical reaction will take place, carbon dioxide will form and the balloon should inflate.
- Baking a cake is a great example of an irreversible change. Mixing ingredients and adding heat, creates a new product.
- Compare the effects of sugar on yeast. Take two plastic bottles, fill both with warm water and then add yeast to both. Add sugar into one of the bottles and then stretch balloons over the opening of both of the bottles. Find out which balloon inflates and why.
- Have a go at baking bread rolls and watching yeast in action. Witness butter melting on a warm bread roll too!
