Cool Pop Rocks Experiment
Are you looking for an awesome science experiment that the kids can easily do from home? This Cool Pop Rocks Experiment is one that they’ll never forget! And the best part? You literally just need 4 simple supplies to get started on this fun STEM activity.
If you like this experiment, your kids should try these Summer STEM Activities, too.
While your kids may love the taste of pop rocks and soda, do they have any idea of how they react when combined together? Get ready for them to be amazed because this simple experiment is about to teach them a lesson in chemistry!
Not only that, but this simple experiment gives your kids the chance to create their own DIY homeschool experiment where they can literally take over and do it completely on their own. Just be standing by for parental guidance and supervision but they’ll love being able to run the show and handle this fun activity.
Have them write down their hypothesis on what they think is going to happen and then step back and see if they’re right! This is one activity that literally never gets old, no matter how many times it’s done.
You should also try our Cool Magic Milk Experiment! It’s a fun stem activity to teach kids about chemistry.
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What happens when you put pop rocks in water?
When you add pop rocks to water, it’s going to have much of the same reaction as when you put the pop rocks in your mouth. They’ll do their normal “popping” but won’t have much reaction besides that.
Make certain to have the kids test that theory out BEFORE adding the pop rocks to the soda.
What happens when you mix coke and pop rocks?
When you take and add the pop rocks to soda, there is a sort of chemical reaction that is going to incur. It greats a gaseous vapor that is going to have to be released. This can either come up and out of the top of the soda bottle, or you can try and capture that gas by adding a deflated balloon on top and watching it inflate.
Cool Pop Rocks Experiment
The full steps for this simple experiment are listed below but take a look at these pictures first so that you can see what you and your child should expect.
Before you get started, make certain that you find a level piece of ground to set your soda bottles on! You don’t want them tipping over during the process.
Start by putting the pop rocks in the balloon using a funnel. This can take a bit of practice so be patient when doing this step.
Once that is done, carefully attach the balloons to the top of the soda bottle, but be careful not to spill in any Pop Rocks quite yet!
Once you have the balloon secured on top, dump in the Pop Rocks and watch the reaction start to happen!
As the gases get released, the balloons will start to inflate! Just how big will the balloons get? That’s all part of the fun!
And as you can see from this supply picture below, these are all that you’ll need for this simple Cool Pop Rocks Experiment.
How to do the Pop Rocks and soda experiment
The fun part about this experiment is that you can vary up the way that you do it.
Try using a variety of different sodas and seeing if the Pop Rocks react differently with the sodas or if they stay the same. And have the kids write down their thoughts and also the different sizes of the balloons if they vary. (Diet soda tends to win!)
Use a variety of different flavored Pop Rocks and see if different flavors react differently in the soda.
If you find that the experiment fails, troubleshoot and use critical thinking skills to find out why. Typically the failure is caused by the balloon not covered the top of the soda bottle completely – but don’t tell the kids that right away. See if they can find a solution first!
Ready to get the steps for this simple experiment at home? Just gather up the supplies in the directions below and that’s pretty much the majority of the prep work that you’re going to have to do.
Fun and Simple Pop Rocks Experiment
Cool Pop Rocks Experiment
This Cool Pop Rocks Experiment is so much fun to do with the kids!
Materials
- 3 varied bags Pop Rocks Candy - all different flavors
- 3 types of soda
- Balloons
Tools
- Funnel
Instructions
Start by slowly stretching the balloons so that they'll fit on the soda opening. Don't put your mouth on the balloon beforehand as this will inhibit the experiment.
Once that is done, put the balloon over the funnel opening and pour in a pack of the Pop Rocks. (tap gently to get it to go down into the balloon or use a skewer to gently push them down)
Take the tops off the soda and put the balloon over the top. Make certain that the tip of the balloon covers the opening completely. (and be careful to not let any candy drop in quite yet)
Once secured on the soda bottle, tip up the balloon and gently shake the Pop Rocks down into the soda. The gas will start to form right away and the soda will begin to fix. You'll hear the candy start to crack and the balloons should start to fill up with air!
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