Sweet & Sour

CANDY CHEMISTRY: Thanks to post to a Seattle Homeschool Group email list, I learned about a Web site called Candy Experiments (http://www.candyexperiments.com/, as you might have guessed). There, I found examples of some fun experiments to do with some of the over abundance of Halloween candy we have.

The first experiment we took on was one to determine if hard candy dissolves more quickly in hot or cold water. We decided to use a couple of root beer Dum Dums, which my kids would never eat. Before we got started, I asked each of them them to make a prediction about the pops dissolving. They both predicted the one in hot water would go faster/first.

Turns out they were both right.

And the reason it goes down like that, according to the Web site, is because molecules move faster when it’s hot, therefore the candy in hot water dissolves much faster. FYI, the one on room temperature water did dissolve, as well, it just took about 2 hours longer.

We also conducted an experiment measuring the acidity of various hard candies. I prefaced it with a discussion about what makes candy sweet (sugar, honey, etc.) and what makes it sour (acid). For our experiment, we used chewy Lemonheads, Pixie Stix, some Wonka Gobstoppers and some tablet-like Super Mario shaped candies. We put one teaspoon of each candy in a bowl. That was easy for the Pixie Stix, it was just a matter of pouring the powder into the bowl. The other candies we had to smash up. That was NOT easy, especially with the damn Mario candies. They dented my friggin' rolling pin! Guess I won't be rolling any more fondant out with that thing.

We dissolved the candy in 1/3 cup of warm water and then added a teaspoon full of baking soda into water. Right away, bubbles started forming in each bowl. Per Candy Experiments, the reaction between the acidic candy and baking soda produces carbon dioxide gas, which makes the bubbles.

Apparently the rock hard Mario candies were most acidic, as it bubbled most actively. The Gobstoppers were interesting - that bowl bubbled until the colored candy coating was eaten off the orbs. Then it stopped. The Pixie Stix and Lemonheads bubbled, too, but not as much as those Mario tarts.

Here's the Pixie Stix up close.

PROSPECTING: Via yet another email list I'm on (Diane Flynn Keith of Clickschooling.com), I recently learned about a chance to do some virtual silver mining. Since the kids have been asking so many questions about mining and precious metals lately, I figured we had to check it out. I'm glad we did.

The activity was called "The Cobalt Adventure," and it's part of the awesome Virtual Museum of Canada's Web site. Cobalt, Ontario, was the scene of a decades-long silver rush, beginning in 1903, when the precious metal was discovered whil the railroad was being built through northern Ontario. The rush lasted until the advent of the First World War, by which time the mines had been stripped of their treasure.

The game we played was a bit "Oregon Trail"-esque, in that we had to choose a character and then make decisions regarding potential courses of action. We chose to be a retired prospector who gets back in the game. I am happy to report that we made a series of FABULOUS decisions along the way, and we wound up filthy stinking rich (one of 28 possible endings for the game). The game is both fun and educational. After you play, there are "Actual Factuals" that you can read about, each containing background info, historic photos, and facts and figures.

FINALLY: Today, one of our favorite Seattle businesses - Full Tilt Ice Cream- opened a location just five minutes from our home. Hooray! Before, their closest location was a 30+ minute drive for us.

This evening we went and checked the place out. They don't have all their pinball machines and arcade games in yet, but they've got a good start. And they do have their excellent homemade ice cream in awesome waffle cones, which our kids love, and a nice selection of microbrews (which we parents love).