Theory Thursday: Phlegm

The kids got a science experiment book for Christmas. I was reading the different options to them. As soon as I came to mock phlegm, Jake was settled on it. What could be better than making your very own bodily excretion?

What? You don't make phlegm just for the fun of it???

These are all the supplies you need to make some disgusting mucus-y gunk to trick your friends!

Dump 1/2 cup cornstarch into a resealable plastic bag.

 Pour in 1/4 cup light corn syrup.

 Add a dropperful of water.

 Seal the bag and squish it around to combine the ingredients.

Alyssa wanted nothing to do with the bag. She touched it one time . . . felt the goopy-ness . . . and refused to squish it anymore. Such a girl. 

Jake, on the other hand, loved smooshing the gross concoction.

The mixture was way too thick. We had a difficult time getting rid of the clumps of cornstarch. It would probably help to sift it first. We added another dropper of water.

 Alyssa eventually got over the gross factor and squished it around.

The mixture was still too thick, so we added more water.

Still too thick; more water.

Not sticky enough, added more corn syrup.

At this point, it was starting to get to the proper consistency. We added a tiny bit of cornstarch since it was a bit too thin and a couple drops of yellow food coloring to make it more realistic.

 Then came the real test. How did it feel?

It was sticky . . . and slimy. . . and disgusting! Success!

It turned out a little too yellowy. One drop of food coloring would have done the trick. Jake said it looked like egg yolks.

He also said that the phlegm was "too cool!"

We're keeping the bag in the fridge so we have for next time we want to gross out Alyssa or their friends or even ourselves!

I admit, even I had fun covering my hands in the sticky substance. Now that's what I call "hands-on learning!"

Theory Thursday: Color Concoctions

Two scientists insisted that they needed to conduct a series of experiments. They transformed my kitchen into a laboratory.

They gathered their test tubes and secret ingredients . . .

 . . . and the experimenting began.

These scientists were extremely careful in their selections, making sure not to cause any adverse reactions.

Scientist Jacob discovered that when he poured the red mixture into the blue, a new purple potion was created.

They also learned that mixing blue and yellow resulted in a green blend.

And adding the green liquid made the solution . . . remain green.

The experiments required complete concentration. This research was of the utmost importance.



And what were they making with all these solutions???

Why, popsicles, of course!

We used Sun Drop (green), Red Pop (red), Juicy Juice orange-tangerine (yellow), ice blue-raspberry Kool-Aid (blue), Crystal Lite orange sunrise (orange), and  Emergen-C Blue (purple). If the colors were not quite the shade I wanted them to be, I added a drop or two of food coloring.

My little scientists had so much fun pouring the contents of the different test tubes into their beakers and watching the colors mix and blend into new shades. 

They especially liked eating their experiments. All in the name of research, you know.

They learned about color combinations and even cooled off a little from the high temps outside.

The experiments were a success! But think what they could do with more resources. Does anyone want to sponsor their evolving research? All donations are non-tax-deductible and can be made payable to Raising Leafs. All proceeds will be used to further their experimentation.

I wonder what concoctions they'll create next. Strawberry-Pepsi-mocha? Or grape-green tea-orange juice?? Or chocolate milk-lemonade-root beer???  

Or maybe I'll leave the mixing to the scientists and stick with taking the pictures.