Root Beer Float Science

What kid wouldn't love a fizzy, foamy (drinkable!) science experiment?

My kids were certainly up for this extra curricular science project. =)

Objective:  Discover what physical and chemical changes occur when ice cream is added to root beer.

Supplies:
  • Root Beer
  • Vanilla Ice Cream
  • Tall plastic cup or drinking glass 
  • Ice cream scoop
  • Measuring cup
Procedure:

Add a scoop of ice cream to a tall plastic cup or drinking glass. Pour a cup of root beer over the ice cream and observe the reaction.

After making a prediction, we added the root beer to the ice cream in the first glass, and added the ice cream to the root beer in the 2nd glass to observe the difference (the first way foams more than the latter).


Questions for the kids:

The solid and the liquid form a gas. Is this a physical or chemical change? {chemical}

Draw and label the solid, liquid and gas produced when making the root beer float. What happened and why?

If you have a high school student, you could have them explore nucleation. ;-)

For more great science experiments, check out Science Sunday @ Adventures in Mommydom. 

13 comments

  1. I'll certainly be looking up nucleation before we make rootbeer floats next!

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  2. I'm all up for this science experiment! :) Great way to make something completely fun...educational. :)

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  3. Oh man....I need one of these! What a fun experiment!

    :) Valerie

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  4. What a WONDERFUL experiment! We are SOOOOO gonna do this!

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  5. Oh, oh, oh, I LOVE this. I am absolutely going to do this. Thank you!

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  6. HomeschoolerconfessionsSeptember 2, 2010 at 12:07 AM

    Now that's my type of science LOL! :o) How are you doing/feeling?

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  7. Hmm.. I'm guessing my kids will enjoy this experiment more than some others LOL.

    I'm so happy to have found your blog. As a fellow torah observant homeschooler.. it's very hard to find blogs written from a perspective we can relate to so completely. :)

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  8. Erica, I am feeling very pregnant ~ and I am only 24 weeks. I am tired too ~ I seem to have bursts of energy, work hard and then am completely worn out at the end of the day. {Hence why I am scarcely online much anymore!} Still, trying to hang in there! :-) Thanks for asking!

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  9. ha ha! It was a complete surprise for my kids ~ as they hardly ever get soda!

    I am glad you left me a comment ~ I am looking forward to reading your blog and getting to know you!

    :-)

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