Beyond the Fizz – How to Get Kids Excited About Doing Real Science
No one cared that it was cold outside. These kids could hardly wait to see what would happen next. Giggles and laughter bounced from child to child as the group of second graders positioned themselves around the 2-liter bottle of diet soda.
In a whispered voice, one boy asked, “Do you really think she’s going to do it?”
“Sure… she’ll do it, but you have to get ready to run,” replied the girl standing next to him.
Mrs. Schmidt removed the roll of Mentos mints from her pocket and loaded them into a small tube that attached to the top of the soda bottle. The only thing that kept the Mentos from falling into the soda was a plastic pin tied to a piece of string.
“Are you ready?” Mrs. Schmidt asked.
“YES!” shouted the students who could hardly contain themselves.
“Three… Two… One… Go!”
It all happened in a fraction of a second. Mrs. Schmidt pulled the string, the Mentos fell into the soda and a giant soda geyser shot up everywhere. It was raining Diet Coke! As soon as the soda started to spray, the children scattered.
The students screamed, “That was awesome… do it again!”
When Mrs.
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