Dancing Raisins
Ready for some kitchen chemistry, then you should try the dancing raisins experiment? Let’s add some zing to those boring chemistry lessons with a fun jumping raisins experiment in the kitchen.
Performing simple science experiments for kids like jumping raisins will bring your lessons on acid-base reactions, density, and buoyancy to life. So, grab your ingredients and turn up the music, it’s time for a raisin dance-off!
Here is a step-by-step guide to performing the swimming raisins experiment.
Things You’ll Need For The Jumping Raisins Experiment
You only need three simple and inexpensive ingredients for the dancing raisins experiment.
- Club soda or any other clear soda like 7 Up or Sprite. Use an unopened bottle for best results
- Raisins
- An empty glass
Note: If the raisins are stuck together, they won’t dance. Separate the raisins before starting the experiment. Small or medium raisins are the best dancers in this experiment.
A Step-by-step Guide To Perform The Jumping Raisins Experiment
Follow these steps to watch raisins bust some cool dance moves:
Step 1:
Fill the glass with the clear soda, but don’t fill it to the brim.
Step 2:
Drop a few raisins into the glass. What do you see? Do the raisins sink or float on the surface?
Step 3:
Now you just need to sit patiently and observe the glass. You’ll notice that the bubbles in the soda attach themselves to the raisins. Slowly, the raisins start floating to the surface. Then, they fall back down and go back up again in a never-ending dance.
It might take a while before the raisins start moving and dancing. Little kids will be awed by how the raisins move up and down the glass and dance in the soda. The raisins will continue moving up and down and dancing until soda goes flat and most of the carbon dioxide has escaped.
Another Way To Perform The Swimming Raisins Experiment
There is another way to perform the swimming raisins experiment. Here is a list of ingredients you’ll need to perform the experiment.
- 2 teaspoons of baking soda
- 6 -7 raisins
- ½ cup water, and
- 1 tablespoon of vinegar
Here is the step-by-step guide to making those yummy raisins dance:
- Step 1: Fill the glass with ½ cup of water.
- Step 2: Add 2 teaspoons of baking soda, and stir well until it is completely dissolved.
- Step 3: Add a few raisins to the glass.
- Step 4: Then, slowly pour 1 tablespoon of vinegar into the glass and watch raisins dance until they drop!
The Science Behind The Dancing Raisins
Curious to know what made raisins dance? Let’s learn the science behind this experiment to know why the raisins danced.
Density:
When the raisins were dropped into the soda, at first, they sank to the bottom of the glass. This happened because the raisins are denser than soda. Objects with a higher density sink, while those with lower densities float.
Carbon Dioxide Bubbles And Buoyancy
Soda is a carbonated drink, so it has carbon dioxide bubbles in it. These carbon dioxide bubbles attach themselves to the rough surface of the raisins and lift them up. This happens because of an increase in buoyancy. Once the carbon dioxide bubbles reach the surface, they burst and release their gas into the air. Then the raisins lose their buoyancy and fall back to the bottle of glass. The raisins’ up and down movement continues until all the carbon dioxide is released into the air and the effervescence stops.
Similarly, the raisins dance in the baking soda and vinegar solution because of the same concept. The chemical reaction between vinegar (an acid) and baking soda (a base) produces carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide bubbles act as tiny floatation devices and lift the raisins up to the surface. The raisins dance because of the carbon dioxide present in the glass. As the bubbles reach the surface they pop and the raisins lose their buoyancy and fall back down. This continues until all the carbon dioxide is used up.
Want to know if other objects exhibit the same behavior? Do you think strawberries can dance like those raisins? Or a wad of scrunched-up tinfoil? The experiment can be performed using other materials apart from raisins, like dried blueberries, raspberries. You can use anything with a slightly higher density than water and an irregular surface to perform this experiment. It needs an irregular surface for carbon dioxide bubbles to attach themselves. Do this activity at home and see if those materials dance like the raisins.
Kids love performing Science experiments. Such simple science experiments not only entertain kids but also help them learn scientific concepts practically. Dancing raisins is not only a fun activity for children it also helps them understand their science lessons on density, acids, bases and buoyancy better.
Why You Should Do The Dancing Raisins Science Experiment?
Watch Raisins Boogie In Soda With The Dancing Raisins Experiment
They might not have hands and legs, but raisins can definitely dance! This activity is sure to draw excited squeals and it will ensure your kids have a lot of fun. Additionally, the easy to perform dancing raisins experiment will help your child learn some important scientific concepts.
The jumping raisins experiment will help children learn about concepts like density, acid-base reactions and buoyancy. All you need are a few household supplies and some excited kids to do the experiment.
We hope you liked the swimming raisins experiment. For more kids learning resources, check Osmo.
Frequently Asked Questions on Dancing Raisins
What are the materials required for Dancing Raisins?
The materials required for Dancing Raisins are any unopened or unsealed bottle (sprite or soda), raisins, and an empty glass. These are the materials that are required for dancing raisins.
What is the science behind Dancing Raisins?
The science behind Dancing Raisins is that kids get to learn the important concepts of density, buoyancy and carbon dioxide bubbles, and the behavior of the object when mixed together.