Discovery Express
  • Welcome!
  • Blog
  • Check out our store!
  • 9 Apples Math Game
  • Your questions answered!
  • About

Cranberry Slime

11/27/2018

0 Comments

 
Author: Maddie Van Beek

It's past Thanksgiving, your grandparents went home, and you're still probably feeling sleepy from all that Turkey and pumpkin pie. One great thing about the week after Thanksgiving is all the leftovers! What to do with all that cranberry sauce... we're going to make cranberry SLIME!


This activity is similar to the edible slime we made last month. This time, we're using cranberry sauce in replacement of corn syrup. The sugar and water in the sauce acts similarly to corn syrup, and the cranberries add even more texture (and flavor!) to the slime. 


The Science:
Gelatin is an interesting substance. When heated it becomes a thin liquid, but it thickens as it cools. Once cold, the texture is very firm, but it will go right back to liquid if you heat it up again! This means it is thermoreversible. 


Gelatin comes from collagen, which is derived from animal connective tissue. You might not think of "Jello" as healthy, but gelatin is almost all protein, and can actually be good for us, as long as we're not adding too much sugar or artificial coloring. So, snack away!


How does sugar compare to corn syrup? Although sugar is not a thickening agent, it does make water thicker once it's dissolved. When you heat sugar and water together, they form a thin syrup, similar to corn syrup. Both sugar and corn syrup are used as sweeteners, and they should both be consumed in moderation. Sugar comes from sugarcane or sugar beets, and corn syrup, obviously, comes from corn. While sugar is made of sucrose (fructose and glucose bound together), corn syrup is made of glucose and fructose that stay separate. Corn syrup is often used in candy recipes because its smooth texture makes it easy to create caramels and hard candies without any clumping or crystallization issues. 


Let's get slimy!


YOU WILL NEED:
  • Cranberry sauce (cranberries, water, sugar)
  • Gelatin (we used natural beef gelatin: Knox packets work great, too!)
  • Stove
  • Mixing bowls
  • Spoon
  • Sauce pan


Here's what to do!
  1. First, you need to make your cranberry sauce (if you don't already have some). This simple recipe is super easy. Measure 1/2 cup of water into a saucepan. Turn the heat for the burner on medium high. 
  2. Measure 1/2 cup of sugar into the water and stir. 
  3. Add 1 cup (about 1/2 pint) of cranberries into the sugar water and leave to boil. 
Picture
4. Pay attention to what happens to your cranberries... within minutes, the skin starts to crack. Soon, they expand, and then pop! You might see this happen almost immediately, or it could take a few minutes. 
Picture
5. Let the cranberry sauce simmer for about 10 minutes. You'll notice the liquid begins to thicken slightly and get darker in color.
Picture
6. Remove sauce from heat, let cool for a few minutes, and then pour into a mixing bowl. 
7. Put the bowl of cranberry sauce in the refrigerator to chill while you move on to your next step: Dissolving the gelatin. 
8. Measure 1 cup of water into a sauce pan and sprinkle 6 tablespoons (or 6 packets) of gelatin into the water. 
9. Heat over medium heat on the stove top, stirring constantly. 
10. Once the gelatin is dissolved, the water will look kind of yellow-ish. Remove from heat and set the gelatin aside to cool for about 10 minutes. 

Picture
11. Once your time is up, take the cranberry sauce out of the refrigerator. Pour the gelatin mixture into the cranberry sauce and stir. What happens?!
Picture
12. The liquid sauce begins to thicken! If your gelatin is still warm, it will take a few minutes to really get thick and slimy. Gelatin thickens as it cools, so you'll notice the consistency change as you continue to stir and play with your slime. 
Picture
Within 2 minutes.
Picture
After about 5 minutes.
Picture
Another few minutes... ewwww, SLIME!
13. Taste your slime, if you dare! 
14. If you put your slime in the refrigerator, it will harden into a gel. If you want to play with it again, just heat it up in the microwave for about 40 seconds. 

Picture
After heating for 40 seconds and then refrigerating for 1 hour. 
0 Comments

Cranberry Decoder

11/15/2018

0 Comments

 
Author: Maddie Van Beek

​Reveal secret messages with cranberry juice!
Picture
Thanksgiving is coming up soon, which means besides lots of family time, you'll probably be eating all kinds of Thanksgiving treats!
​
What's your favorite Thanksgiving dish?!

One common side dish to go with your turkey is cranberries! How did cranberries become such a Thanksgiving Day staple? ​
All About Cranberries
Cranberries are actually native to North America, and Native Americans used cranberries as food, dye, and in medicine. It's said that the Pilgrims enjoyed cranberries when they first came to America, and we still use them in our Thanksgiving meals today! 


One reason that cranberries are so good for us is because they are full of antioxidants. 


Today, we're going to use cranberry juice as a secret message decoder. The reason that we're using cranberries is because they contain an antioxidant (also a pigment) called anthocyanins. Anthocyanins arewhat gives cranberries their deep red color. We've talked about different pigments such as anthocyanins when we made homemade veggie paint. 


Check that out here for more artsy fun: https://www.discoveryexpresskids.com/blog/painting-with-veggies


Anthocyanins don'g just appear in cranberries; you can find anthocyanins in lots of other dark red fruits and vegetables, such as purple cabbage, blueberries, and cherries. 


When anthocyanins arecombined with either a strong acid or a strong base, the purply-red color changes! Let's test it out. 


Let's think... what in your house is an acid? 


-Lemon juice, vinegar, orange juice


How about a base? 


-Baking soda, some cleaners 


We're going to use baking soda as our base and lime juice as our acid (lemon juice will work just as well). 

Pour about an inch of cranberry juice in three different clear glasses. Add a tablespoon of lemon or lime juice to one, and a tablespoon of baking soda to another. What happens? You'll notice that the acid made the cranberry juice a brighter, lighter red, and the baking soda turned the cranberry juice a darker, purply-blue. If you add more, does it continue to change color? Try it!
Picture
Now that you know how anthocyanin reacts with acids and bases, lets move on to our secret message writing! 


YOU WILL NEED: 
  • Cranberries or cranberry juice
  • Lemon or lime juice
  • Baking soda
  • Paper
  • Paint brush
  • Cups
  • Water
 

Here's what to do! 
  1. Using lemon or lime juice, write a secret message or design on your paper. Wait for it to dry. 
  2. Mix a few tablespoons of baking soda with water (you don't need a lot of water). Stir until dissolved.
  3. Using your baking soda mixture, write a second message/design on your paper. Wait for it to fully dry. 
Picture
(I used the baking soda mixture for the top and lime juice for the bottom)

4. Now for the decoding process! If you have cranberry juice, you're all set. If you have cranberries, you'll need to boil them for about 30 minutes to extract the juice/anthocyanins. Wait for the juice to cool before using. 
5. Once your paper is dry, pour your cranberry decoder into a glass. Use a paint brush to coat your paper, or just get messy and dump some of the juice over the paper. You could also use a spray bottle for less mess and clearer messages. What happens?!
6. Message decoded! You should have noticed that your baking soda writing turned a greenish-blue (you might have even seen some fizzing), and your lime juice writing got brighter.
Picture
Notice the fizzing from the acid in the juice mixing with the baking soda!
Picture
While the top word (written with baking soda) fizzed, the bottom (written with lime juice) appeared immediately. ​
Picture
As the paper got soaked in cranberry decoder and then started to dry, the baking soda writing turned a greenish color!
Picture
7. Continue writing messages or create some fun color-changing art!  

Extension: Find other things in your home to test out in your decoding art. Try other acidic fruits as your message ink... you might find that some turn out different shades than others. This is because anthocyanins react with acids and bases differently depending on their pH levels. You could also try different fruit juices with anthocyanins. Test away and have fun!
0 Comments
    Follow us on Pinterest!
    Picture
    Check out our new game for math education, grades 1-7!

    Archives

    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    Categories

    All
    Age 10 12
    Age 12 14
    Age 14 16
    Age 16+
    Age 8 10
    Anatomy/Physiology
    Biology
    Chemistry
    Engineering
    Food Science
    Geology/Earth Science
    Health Science
    Math
    Microbiology
    Physics
    Plant Science
    Psychology
    Weather Science

Proudly powered by Weebly