The Daily Hailey

Hey, it’s Cher again writing about Science Saturday. As I mentioned last week, we have committed to doing five weeks in total, bringing us to the end of June. Although science is not the most exciting subject ever for kids, we are trying to teach them about things they will actually encounter at their age… like what teachers do, except with less organization and structure.. and stickers. 

At the beginning of the week, Dekker had made a fart chart and recorded everyone’s toots over the next day or so. I thought it would contribute nicely to this Science Saturday because it’s about carbon dioxide/gas. Brady had written out eight questions in advance that pertain to the fart chart and farts in general. The last question was prompting them to write a poem about farts, and we were all pretty excited to see what they would come up with. 

After I first learned about Dekkers fart chart, I went to Dollarama and bought both Dekker and Laela some whoopie cushions as a funny surprise once the experiment was over. I was fart too excited to see their faces when they first opened their gifts. 

Fart Experiment:

Okay, so this is just your plain old vinegar and baking soda reaction, but we told them we were making a fart. It was toot. 

Step One: We got two small bottles of coke from Co-op (vanilla-orange flavour) and we drank it with our lunch. 

Step Two: We rinsed the bottles and filled them with one cup of vinegar. 

Step Three: We then added about 4-5 tsp. of baking soda into each balloon and attached the balloon to the rim of the bottles. 

Step Four: We then got the kids to dump the contents inside the balloon into the bottle. 

Immediately the balloons started to fill with carbon dioxide and we had no time to lose. I think even us adults were having as much fun as the kids watching it blow up like that. During some moments, it even felt like it might burst, but it did not… and I am very thankful that I did not make a mess in my best friends kitchen. Though I know she would have assured me it was absolutely okay. Nobody wants a mess! I thought it was funny that Dekker took a step back at one point because he was unsure. 

After the balloons filled with gas and the bubbles calmed down, we took the balloons off the bottles and tied them. Dekker and Laela naturally wanted to throw them in the air, but since they were pure carbon dioxide, they pretty much just thunked onto the ground. Brady explained to the kids that when we blow into a balloon, there is air and carbon dioxide so it isn’t as heavy as 100% carbon dioxide, so that is why it didn’t drift in the air.

Coincidentally, the helium balloon from Solly’s birthday was still flying high, and we got to explain how helium is lighter than air. Anyways, super educational.

Following the heavy balloons, the kids had to answer the questions that Brady had pre written and report back to him before they were allowed to open their surprise.

Some of the answers were pretty hilarious, like number 6: Why do you think some people fart more than other people? Laela: “Eeg Saled.” Number 7 was: What do you think a fart really is? Dekker: “a stingky gas.”

We weren’t terribly strict with it because it was an exercise for them to think about what gas is, why it exists and how it happens. It may have been a stretch to include the whole fart idea to the chemical reaction with the baking soda and vinegar, but I’m pretty pleased with it, and so were they. 

I tried to take a photo of Dekker opening his gift, but he went so fast that it was just a blur. He wasn’t quite sure how to use it, so I accidentally tooted it a little close to his face and startled him, poor guy. Lessons learned, even as an adult. 

Laela was so cute opening hers so carefully and lightly tooting it with a big smile on her face. 

In conclusion to this Science Saturday, I would say that the kids successfully learned about gravity and gas. We even briefly talked about how humans make gas: eating too fast, eating foods that make you gassy (like egg salad), upset tummy, and movement, and the different reactions that take place to make carbon dioxide and air.