Kitchen Chemistry

Class description from the CJ website – what the girls signed up for!Added in response to feedback from the girls, many of whom have asked for a cooking-themed class! This theme focuses on the science behind cooking and baking. Girls mix, measure and experiment to create snacks, sauces and more, using kitchen tools as science tools. They explore hot and cold, liquids and solids and super-saturation. They learn what happens when combining wet and dry ingredients and the chemistry behind heating and chilling. Possible ed-ible projects: a rainbow density column and rock candy crystals. Equal parts physics, recipe

experimentation, fun!

Possible ProjectsTongue experiment- 5 flavors

Containers

Candy chromotography

Egg tempera

Eco friendly play dough

Making pickles

Creating Soda

Seven layer density

Potato Osmosis

Solar powered oven and smores

Rock candy – *** if you make this, start it at the beginning of the week! it takes time + care.

Flavored vinegar

No bake trail mix bars

Shaking butter

Magic potion drink

Pretzel rod wands

Glow in the dark shapes

Chemical compound spice jars

Fruit on a stick

NoteThis class is designed to introduce girls to a lot of science within kitchen ingredients and taste.

Almost all activities and recipes are non-bake, so they can be made anywhere. It’s not a baking

class; it’s definitely kitchen chemistry! But do try to incorporate one activity each day that the

girls can “taste” -- it’s such a fun part of the class!

Resourceshttp://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking

http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/tonguemap.html

http://www.instructables.com/id/Candy-Chromatography/

https://www.facebook.com/DebbiesCookbook/posts/219850978144767

http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/slideshow/parent-child/recycling-crafts-

kids?slide=3#refresh

http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/962265/diy-rock-candy-recipe

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/solar-oven

http://www.simplehealthykitchen.com/no-bake-trail-mix-granola-bars/

http://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2013/06/homemade-butter/

http://www.compoundchem.com/2014/03/13/chemical-compounds-in-herbs-spices/

http://www.chem4kids.com/files/atom_compounds.html

Flavor Experiment:

IntroMap out the uncharted territory of your tongue! Rank the flavors- do you have a sweet tooth or do you prefer salty flavors?

Suppliescotton swabswatersmall cups or glassesunsweetened baking cocoalemon juicesalthoneypens and paper for charting

PrepFill a pitcher with water

Time45 min

Project StepsThe girls can do this in pairs. One will be the taster and the other will be the tester. When the first person is done tasting, switch so both get a chance to taste.

Put a little bit of each substance in a cup. Mix the non-liquids with some water so that all the substances have about the same consistency.

Draw a chart for recording your results. Along the left side of the paper write each of the foods you will test in a separate row. Across the top draw three columns for each taster. Label each with the taster’s name and “front,” “back,” and “side.”

Ask the girls to make some predictions. Do you think different places on your tongue will taste different flavors more intensely? Where on your tongue do you think each flavor will taste strongest? Will some flavors be easier or harder to taste than others?

Have the tester dip a cotton swab into one of the liquids and dab it either on the front, back or side of the taster’s tongue.

The taster tastes the liquid, then takes a sip of water. This helps clear your tongue of the taste so it doesn’t interfere with the next part of the experiment.

The tester then dips a new cotton swab in the same liquid and dabs it on a different part of the taster’s tongue. The taster tastes the liquid again and sips some water. Now, try it again on the third part of the taster’s tongue.

Once all the parts of the tongue have tasted the liquid, the taster says which part of his tongue tasted the liquid the strongest. The tester records the taster’s answer on the chart.

Follow the same process for each of the different liquids. Then switch who tastes and who tests and do the whole taste test again with the new taster.

Taste – see if the girls can name all *five* tastesTaste is the sensation produced when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste receptor cells located on taste buds. Taste, along with smell (olfaction) and trigeminal nerve stimulation (registering texture, pain, and temperature), determines flavors of food or other substances. Humans have taste receptors on taste buds (gustatory calyculi) and other areas including the upper surface of the tongue and the epiglottis.[2][3]

The tongue is covered with thousands of small bumps called papillae, which are visible to the naked eye. Within each papilla are hundreds of taste buds.[4] The exception to this is the fili-form papillae that do not contain taste buds. There are between 2000 and 5000[5] taste buds that are located on the back and front of the tongue. Others are located on the roof, sides and back of the mouth, and in the throat. Each taste bud contains 50 to 100 taste receptor cells.

The sensation of taste can be categorized into five basic tastes: sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness, and umami. Taste buds are able to differentiate among different tastes through detecting interaction with different molecules or ions. Sweet, umami, and bitter tastes are trig-gered by the binding of molecules to G protein-coupled receptors on the cell membranes of taste buds. Saltiness and sourness are perceived when alkali metal or hydrogen ions enter taste buds, respectively.[6]

Candy Chromatography

Intro

Candy chromatography is a fun and easy project to learn more about the dyes used in the candy we love to eat! You can use Skittles, m&ms, or experiment with a variety of candies. Girls can do this in pairs.

SuppliesSkittlesCoffee filterPencilAluminum foil rectangles (to fit 6 Skittles with room to spare)SaltWaterTooth picksClear glass cup

Time1 hour

Prepnone

Project StepsTell the girls to choose one of each color of Skittles, and placing them in a line equally spaced apart on the foil.

Have them dip their fingers into the water and make a small drop next to each candy. They then place one Skittle in each drop, and let it sit for about a minute to let the color come off. Afterwards, they can eat the candy.

Cut a an approximately 3 inch x 3 inch square out of a coffee filter. About a half inch from the bottom, draw a line in pencil, and then 5 (or however many colors you are testing) small dots equally spaced along the line. Underneath, label which color will go on each dot.

The girls should then carefully dip a toothpick into the first colored drop of water and make a small dot of color on your coffee filter. It is best to keep these dots as small as possible. Let the liquid dry, and then repeat this step twice more to get a lot of pigment on your filter paper.

All togther, you can pour about a cup of water into a bowl, and add about 1/16- 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Mix well. Add a very small amount of the salty water to each girl’s cup, just enough to cover the bottom.

Place your coffee filter paper in the cup-- the water should only touch the bottom, and not reach the colored marks.

Watch the capillary action! As the salted water travels up the paper through capillary action, it will carry some pigment along with it. Different pigments have different affinities for the salt water, causing them to travel varying distances up the filter paper.

Egg Tempera Painting

Intro

Egg tempera is a painting technique that has been used for centuries. It is inexpensive and easy to learn. If done right, the final product can be amazing. The great thing about egg tem-pera is that you can use almost anything to make pigment. Tempera artists often grind and mix thier own pigments. The egg acts as the binder, and will stick almost any pigment to many different surfaces. This means you don't have to rely only on the colors offered by paint compa-nies.

Supplies

Eggs

White Vinegar

Water

powdered pigment

Small recycled jars

Paintbrushes

Something to mix paint on (aluminum foil, wax paper, etc.)

Paper

Project Steps

Demonstrate how to separate eggs. Each girl can separate an egg and save the yolk in her jar. What you want is a pretty golden-yellow blob.

Add 1 tsp of vinegar and 1 tsp of water to the yolk (the idea is to cover the yolk). The vinegar keeps the egg from quickly spoiling. It will still go bad, but you will have several hours of work-ing time before it begins to stink.

Pierce the yolk sack with a paintbrush and blend the yolk with water, then use the yolk/water mixture with the pigment. Each girl can start with one color.

Allow the girls to paint with the colors they have made together. They can paint their first ini-tials, or you can have some flowers available to paint (or anything!)

To clean your brushes, use some dish soap and water. Don't let the egg dry. If you do the bristles will be ruined.

Egg Tempera Painting in History

Tempera, also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consist-

ing of colored pigment mixed with a water-soluble binder medium (usually a glutinous material

such as egg yolk or some other size). Tempera also refers to the paintings done in this medium.

Tempera paintings are very long lasting, and examples from the 1st centuries AD still exist.

Egg tempera was a primary method of painting until after 1500 when it was superseded by the

invention of oil painting.

The most common form of classical tempera painting is “egg tempera”. For this form most often

only the contents of the egg yolk is used. The white of the egg and the membrane of the yolk

are discarded (the membrane of the yolk is dangled over a receptacle and punctured to drain

off the liquid inside). Egg yolk is never used by itself with pigment; it dries almost immediately

and crackles when it is dry. Some agent is always added, in variable proportions. One recipe

calls for vinegar (1:1 proportion to egg yolk by volume); other recipes suggest white wine (1

part yolk, 2 parts wine). Some schools of egg tempera use various mixtures of egg yolk and

water.

The paint mixture has to be constantly adjusted to maintain a balance between a “greasy” and

“watery” consistency by adjusting the amount of water and yolk. As tempera dries, the artist

will add more water to preserve the consistency and to balance the thickening of the yolk on

contact with air. Once prepared, the paint cannot be stored. Egg tempera is water-resistant, but

not waterproof.

Egg tempera is not a flexible paint and requires stiff boards; painting on canvas will cause

cracks to form and chips of paint to fall off.

Eco-Friendly Play Dough

Intro

You can make this creative play staple at home with a few simple ingredients!

Supplies

salt

water

flour

natural dye

pretty containers

Time

1/2 hour

Prep

None

Project Steps

Place ½ cup salt, ½ cup water, and 1 cup flour in a large bowl.

Mix to combine and then add a tablespoon or so of beet juice or another natural dye.

You can also add a few drops of essential oil, like lavender or mint. Knead until smooth.

Making Pickles

Intro

Best Brooklyn hipster trend? Pickling! This is a recipe for traditional pickles, but you can sub-stitute any vegetable. They are not canned, so the girls should know to store them in the fridge and eat them within a week.

Channel Your Inner Brooklyn Hipster

For fun, invite the girls to dress up on Pickling Day. Pickling is totally on trend in Brooklyn these days, and it’s hard to walk a Brooklyn block without seeing some creative combination of mous-tache and beard. To channel their true inner Brooklyn hipsters, girls can make and wear fake beards and moustaches, flannel shirts, and plenty of fake tattoos.

Supplies3 cups white vinegar

1 1/2 cups sugar

salt for sprinkling on cucumbers

2 tsp. salt (for brine solution)

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp celery seed

1/8 tsp ground turmeric

4 small cucumbers

1 1/2 cups dill fronds

cutting boards

knives

mason jars

stickers

sharpies

hot plate

gallon saucepan

measuring cup

Time1 hour

PrepNone

Project StepsEach girl should cut her pickle into slices or spears (supervised- while you are helping some girls cut, other girls can be designing their labels)

Have girls help you measure and combine vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seed, turmeric and cel-ery seed in the saucepan.

Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt.

Have the girls arrange their cucumber slices and 1 1/2 cups fresh dill fronds in their jars.

In a safe removed place, pour hot brine into the jar to completely cover cucumber and seal the jars.

After the jars are cool, have the girls add their labels.

Refrigerate. Eat. Yum yum yum.

Weird Science

Creating SodaIntro:Making the carbon dioxide bubbles in soda pop requires a chemical reaction between an acid and a base (a gas is created). This is a fun quick filler activity for if you finish up early with another chemical reaction experi-ment.

MaterialsNon-Consumable: Large cup/bowl

Consumable: WaterBaking sodaTang or other juice drink (that contains citric acid)Smaller cups

PReP:None

Time: 15 minutes PRoJeCT STePSMix water and juice drink in the pitcher and pour some in each girls cup. Have the girls use all senses to test, including taste and record these in their notebooks. Then add a little of a base—baking soda, and note what happens. Chemical or physical change? (It is chemical, because gas is given off). Have them use their senses again to test the substance. Viola! Home-made soda.

P.S. It is pretty gross to taste.

Weird Science

Seven layer Density

Intro: This experiment demonstrates that different liquids have different densities. You can play a density game first. Tell the girls they are all atoms. Have the girls spread out around the room and stay still. One girl should try to get from one end of the room to the other. It is easy, because they are not dense at all. Have them stand very close together. Now they are dense. Have the girl try to walk through the pack. It is hard!The same amount of two different liquids will have different weights because they have different masses. The liquids that weigh more (have a higher density) will sink below the liquids that weigh less (have a lower density). Density is basically how much “stuff” is smashed into a particular area... or a comparison between an object’s mass and volume. Remember the equation: Density = Mass divided by Volume. Based on this equation, if the weight (or mass) of something increases but the volume stays the same, the density has to go up. Likewise, if the mass decreases but the volume stays the same, the density has to go down. Lighter liquids (like water or rubbing alcohol) are less dense than heavy liquids (like honey or Karo syrup) and so float on top of the more dense layers. The same goes for the small objects that you dropped into your density column. The metal bolt is more dense than any of the liquids in the column and therefore sinks directly to the bottom. Less dense objects will float on individual layers of the column, however. For instance, the plastic bead is more dense than the vegetable oil and everything above it but less dense than the water and every-thing below it. This makes the bead settle on the top of the water.

This is potentially very messy, so you can make it 2, 3, or 4 layer density, depending on your group.

Materials:Non-consumables: Tall thin glass

ConsumablesHoneyCorn syrupMilkDish soapWaterVegetable oilRubbing alcoholMetal nut or boltPopcorn kernelBoard game dieGrape tomatoPlastic beadSoda cap

Weird Science

Prep:Dye the rubbing alcohol and the water (or any of the liquids that are boring) with a drop of food col-oring. Make sure not to add too much, or the results won’t be as striking. Project Steps: The girls can work in groups, and start their columns by pouring the honey into the cylinder. Now, they will pour each liquid SLOWLY into the container, one at a time. It is very important to pour the liquids slowly and into the center of the cylinder. For the less dense liquids it is helpful to use a turkey baster and pour along the side of the container. Make sure that the denser liquids do not touch the sides of the cylinder while you are pouring. It’s okay if the liquids mix a little as you are pouring. The layers will always even themselves out because of the varying densities. Make sure you pour the liquids in the following order:Honey, Corn syrup, Milk, Dish soap, Water, Vegetable oil, Rubbing alcohol, After letting the liquid layers settle, you’ll notice that they remain in the order you poured them into the cylinder and that they are clearly distin-guishable from each other. Make a chart that shows the order of each layer.Take the various small objects and drop them into the column. Drop them in the following order:Metal nut or bolt, Popcorn kernel, Board game die, Grape tomato, Plastic bead, Soda cap.Each of the objects will sink through or float on a different layer of the density column. What makes some objects sink deeper into the column while some hardly sink at all? When all the liquids and small objects have been added to your density tower, you will have what appears to be a magic column. All of the liquids will be clearly distinguishable from each other and each of the objects will have settled at different levels within the liquids. Construct a chart to show the order that the liquids are in and the position of each object.

Weird Science

Make your own Ice CreamIntro:This is a great end of the week treat that combines physics and chemistry and deliciousness. Ice has to absorb energy in order to melt, changing the phase of water from a solid to a liquid. When you use ice to cool the ingredients for ice cream, the energy is absorbed from the ingredients and from the outside environment (like your hands, if you are holding the baggie of ice!). When you add salt to the ice, it lowers the freezing point of the ice, so even more energy has to be absorbed from the environment in order for the ice to melt. This makes the ice colder than it was before, which is how your ice cream freezes. This is definitely an out-door activity since it is pretty messy.

MaterialsNon-consumables:Thermometer

Consumables:1/2 cup milk1/2 cup whipping cream (heavy cream)1/4 cup sugar1/4 teaspoon vanilla or vanilla flavoring (vanillin)1/2 to 3/4 cup sodium chloride (NaCl) as table salt or rock salt2 cups iceSprinkles1-quart Ziploc bag1-gallon Ziploc bagMeasuring cups and spoonsCups and spoons for eating your treat!

Prep:Write the girls names on each of the baggies, or you won’t know whose ice cream is whose.

Time:10 minutes to make, 10 minutes to eat, with some wait time in the middle for playing games or relaxing (ask your director for game suggestions). Project Steps:Add 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup whipping cream, sprinkles and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla to the quart zip-loc bag. (You can half these ingredients per girl) Seal the bag securely.Put 2 cups of ice into the gallon ziploc bag.Use a thermometer to measure and record the temperature of the ice in the gallon bag.Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup salt (sodium chloride) to the bag of ice.

Weird Science

Place the sealed quart bag inside the gallon bag of ice and salt. Seal the gallon bag securely.Gently rock the gallon bag from side to side. It’s best to hold it by the top seal or to have gloves or a cloth between the bag and your hands because the bag will be cold enough to damage your skin.Continue to rock the bag for 10-15 minutes (or leave it in a shady area) or until the contents of the quart bag have solidified into ice cream.Open the gallon bag and use the thermometer to measure and record the temperature of the ice/salt mixture.Remove the quart bag, open it, serve the contents into cups with spoons and ENJOY! Make sure the girls take the quart bag completely out of the gallon baggie or they will accidentally eat really salty water.

Weird Science

Potato osmosis

Intro:Needs to be started at the beginning of the day. Shows living vs. dead cells ability to bring in water. It is good to do as a class, and make a hypotheses before lunch. Check out this video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaA_V1GbSSU This experiment has to do with a process called osmosis. The potato is made up of tiny, living units called cells. Each cell is surrounded by a cell membrane which acts much as your skin does. It keeps the cells parts inside and keeps other things outside, protecting the cell. While this membrane stops most things, water can pass through it. The water tends to move towards higher concentrations of dissolved chemicals. That means that if the water outside the cell is saltier than the water inside, water will move from the inside of the cell to the outside. As the water left the cell it was much like letting the air out of a balloon. As more and more of the cells lost water, the slice of potato became soft and flexible.

Time: All dayPrep: None

Supplies:2 Potatoes2 PlatesSaltWaterKnife (Adult needed)

Project Steps:1. Fill both of the dishes with water and add about two tablespoons of salt to one of the dishes. Using the knife have a parent cut the potato in half lengthwise. Then place each piece flat side down in to one of the plates of water. 2. Now simply let the two potato pieces soak in the water for a few hours. After this time has passed flip each potato over and look for differences.3. When looking at the potato pieces you can clearly see a difference between the two.

Solar Oven S’mores

Intro

Use energy and heat from the sun to bake delicious snacks in a pizza box. There are just some things that are synonymous with "summertime snacks," and we can't think of a summer snack we enjoy quite as much as s'mores. But what would you do if you weren't allowed to have a fire or just didn't have the tools necessary for a fire? We came up with a pretty neat way to harness the heat and energy of the sun to create a solar powered cooker that makes a delicious batch of s'mores without a fire!

Supplies

Pizza box Two clear sheet protectorsBlack construction paperDuct tapeClear packing tapeBox knifeScissorsThermometer (optional)Wooden skewer Glue stick (or school glue) Tin foil RulerPen Time

1 hour to make the oven

1 hour cooking time

Prep

None

Project Steps

On the lid of a pizza box, use a ruler and pen to measure and draw a square that is 1-2" from the sides of the box.

Cut along three sides of the square you just made by using box cutters or a pair of scissors.

Measure and cut a large piece of foil to line the bottom of the pizza box.

Apply glue to the bottom of the pizza box and glue the large piece of foil into place, smoothing in down.

Measure and cut another large piece of foil to cover the bottom of the flap you cut on the pizza box lid.

Apply glue to the bottom of the pizza box lid and glue the tin foil piece into place.

Use scissors to cut a piece of black construction paper that is 1-2" smaller at each edge than the bottom of the pizza box.

Use clear masking or packing tape to tape the black construction paper to the bottom of the pizza box. Try to center the black construction paper.

Find a sheet protector and pull the two pieces apart. Tape these pieces together at one of their long edges. Tape the new, large piece of plastic on the inside of the box lid, NOT the flap. The plastic should span the flap opening. If it doesn't, make a larger plastic sheet!

Use a wooden skewer to poke two small holes (don't poke the skewer all the way through) on the lid between the flap and the side of the lid. Poke the holes about 2" apart.

Wrap a thin piece of tape around the skewer, near the flat end, so that one end of the tape is above the other end. Check out the photo at the right to see exactly how to wrap the tape.

Tape the skewer to the flap so that the flat end of the skewer is near the end of the flap. Use the skewer and the holes you poked in the lid as a kickstand for the flap.

If you want to see just how hot your Solar Oven gets, tape a thermometer to the bottom of the box so that it can be seen through the plastic window.

Set up your oven with the flap up and place it in the sun. It may take a little while, but you'll watch your s'mores heat up, melt, and be ready to eat!

Rock Candy (this will take the *full week* for the crystals to form)

Intro

With a few ingredients, an easy preparation and a little patience, you'll have your very own rock candy to enjoy. The rock candy crystals take a week to grow, so start this project early. The key steps are making sure the string is coated with starter crystals and making sure the string does not touch the bottom of the jar.

Keep in mind that the results may vary just like any other experiment. Your crystals may be smaller or larger, may take longer to form or may not work at all.

The girls will learn about saturation and super saturation, precipitation and evaporation. They are making their very own crystals!

Supplies (per 2 small jars)

1 cup water

2 to 3 cups white sugar

Food coloring

Wooden skewer or pencil

Heavy string, binder clip

Small Mason jars

Large pot, hot plate and spoon

Time

1 hour prep, 4 days completion

Prep

none

Project Steps

1. Prepare your string + jar:

Cut pieces of string about 6 inches long. Tie one end around a pencil (or wooden skewer), and trim the other end so the string is about one inch shorter than the height of the jar. Weight the free end with a binder clip, and lay the pencil across the mouth of the jar. The string should hang down but not touch the bottom. Remove the string from the jar *before* filling the jar!

2. Make your solution:

Bring water to boil and start adding sugar, one-quarter cup at a time, until it no longer dis-solves. The more you add, the longer it will take to dissolve. Be patient and try to get as much to dissolve as possible.

3. Coat the string with sugar solution to allow seed crystals to form:

Holding the pencil with the string attached, dip the string in the saturated solution and then dip it in plain sugar. Place the stick across the top of the jar and allow the string to dry completely.

Remove the liquid from heat and let cool completely.

4. Fill the jars with liquid

Now that the string is sugar-coated and dried, and haning down into the empty jars, carefully fill the glasses with liquid. Using the recipe above, you'll be able to fill two two small jars. Add a few drops of food coloring to each glass. The more color you add, the more saturated the colors will be, and you'll likely need more than you think.

5. Wait patiently.

It will take about three days for crystals to form and about seven days to be large enough to enjoy. You'll notice the sugar will start crystallizing on the top and bottom of the glass as well. You'll be able to watch the progess as the crystals grow.

If needed, carefully break up the sugar crystals that form across the top of the liquid.

6. When you are ready to remove them, gently break the top with a butter knife or other sharp object. Gently remove the string and let the excess liquid drip off. You can pour out the liquid from the glass and use the glass to hang the skewer and catch the excess liquid.

5. Once it is dry, it's ready to eat! Wrap them up in cellophane bags to serve at parties, use them as drink stirrers, or just eat them up! You can also add sprinkles while the candy is still wet.

Rock Candy – The Science Behind It

Why does the string need to be soaked in sugar and then dried? The string is the surface on which the crystals grow. As water evaporates from the string, small crystals of sugar encrust the string. These tiny seed crystals provide starting points for larger crystals. Future growth is concentrated on these points.

What makes the crystals grow?Two different methods cause the crystals to grow. The first is called precipitation. You can dis-solve more sugar in hot water than in cold water. When you heat your water, stir the sugar into it, and then cool it back down, you have created a supersaturated solution. Now there is *more* sugar dissolved in the cooled water than would have been possible if you stirred sugar into plain old cold water. A supersaturated solution like this is unstable. Over time (a week for your rock candy!), the sugar will come out of solution, forming what’s called a precipitate.

The other method is evaporation. As time passes, the water will evaporate, and the solution will become even more saturated and unstable. The sugar molecules will continue to come out of the solution and collect on the string. The rock candy crystals are growing molecule by mol-ecule, and your finished candy will be made up of about a quadrillion (1,000,000,000,000,000) molecules!

Recycling Craft: Flavored Vinegar

Intro

Turn empty glass bottles into pretty, flavorful gifts.

Supplies

glass bottle with a cork top (empty, clean, and dry)

white vinegar

mint, blackberries, lemon slices, cinnamon sticks, etc.

a piece of ribbon

paper and marker

olive oil

baby carrots

Time

1 hour

Prep

Ask parents at the beginning of the week to save/bring in bottles with corks

Project Steps

1. Fill the empty glass bottle with the ingredients you want to use to flavor your vinegar. (For the bottle below , we used mint, blackberries, and cloves.)

2. Pour the white vinegar into the bottle slowly until full. (Use a funnel.)

3. Make a label for the bottle by cutting out a small square of paper and writing a note on it. Then snip a small hole in the corner of your label, thread the ribbon through, and tie it around the neck of your bottle.

4. Use your vinegar to create an emulsion with some olive oil: salad dressing! enjoy your vine-grette with some baby carrots.

Tip: A few flavor combo ideas: raspberries, mint leaves, and lemon slices; cucumber and dill; red pepper and garlic.

No Bake Trail Mix Granola Bars

Intro

A simple, healthy no-bake chewy granola bar made with oats, honey, coconut oil and trail mix (or a combination of your favorite seeds/dried fruit). Perfect for snacks, pre or post workouts, or even for breakfast. Easy adaptations to keep these vegan or gluten free if you’d like.

Serves: 10 bars

Supplies

2 cups dried fruits

1 cup rolled oats (gf if appropriate)

¼ cup honey (or agave)

¼ cup coconut oil\

Baking pan

knife

parchment paper

Prep

None

Time

1/2 hour

Instructions

Line an 8 x 8 baking pan with parchment paper (or Saran wrap) allowing and extra 4 inches of paper to hang over the 2 ends (lengthwise).

In a medium bowl, combine trail mix and oats.

In a small saucepan, over medium heat combine honey (or agave) and coconut oil. Stir until mixture melts and begins to foam. Continue to cook for an additional 10-15 seconds after mix-ture foams.Pour over trail mix/oat mixture and thoroughly combine.

Transfer to the prepared baking pan and firmly press mixture into uniform thickness. Flip the remaining ends of parchment paper back over the mixture to cover and continue to firmly press.

Allow mixture to cool in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours . Once cooled remove from the pan and slice with a sharp knife into desired size bars.

Making Butter

Intro

Just because it’s something people have been doing for thousands of years doesn’t mean it won’t be a fresh, new concept for kids.

Lesson Learned: Emulsion! You’ve whipped so many air bubbles into your cream that the fat globules are sticking together and forming tiny protective coverings over the air pockets. But what if you don’t add extra air and just knock all those fat globs around together? They start to clump into the delightful fat-spread we call butter.

Supplies

heavy whipping cream

Large bowl of ice water

Salt to taste (optional)

jars with a tight fitting lids (baby food?)

bread

butter knives

Time

1/2 hour

Prep

None

Project Steps

Pour cream into the jar until it is 1/3 of the way full (this could be a measuring cup lesson)

Add salt

Have the girls shake the jars vigorously until butter begins to form

Spread the butter on the bread. yum!

Making Mayonaise

Intro

This recipe introduces emulsion. It also requires a *lot* of vigorous whisking in order to achieve this. Make sure to have plenty of (extra!) eggs on hand, as this recipe also introduces the kitch-en skill of separating eggs. Girls should have plenty of extra eggs to practice with. When it’s time to make the mayo, the girls can pair up to help each other with the pouring and whisking.

Emulsion

A mixture of one liquid with another with which it cannot normally combine smoothly—oil and water being the classic example. Emulsifying is done by slowly (sometimes drop-by-drop) add-ing one ingredient to another while at the same time mixing rapidly. This disperses and sus-pends minute droplets of one liquid throughout the other. Emulsified mixtures are usually thick and satiny in texture. Mayonnaise (an uncooked combination of oil, egg yolks and vinegar or lemon juice) and hollandaise (a cooked mixture of butter, egg yolks and vinegar or lemon juice) are two of the best-known emulsions.

Supplies (per batch)

1 egg yolk*

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

2 pinches sugar

2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 cup oil, safflower or corn

Measuring cups + spoons

Small bowl + small whisk

Small jar to store the mayo

Directions

In a glass bowl, whisk together egg yolk and dry ingredients. Combine lemon juice and vinegar in a separate bowl then thoroughly whisk half into the yolk mixture. Start whisking briskly, then start adding the oil a few drops at a time until the liquid seems to thicken and lighten a bit, (which means you’ve got an emulsion on your hands). Once you reach that point you can relax your arm a little (but just a little) and increase the oil flow to a constant (albeit thin) stream. Once half of the oil is in add the rest of the lemon juice mixture.

Continue whisking until all of the oil is incorporated. Leave at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours then refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Magic Potion Drink

Intro:It’s magic potion time! The girls will get such a kick out of this & it’s very easily put together.

Supplies: 3 flavors of KoolAidIce traysclear cupssoda watera freezer

Time: 15 minutes (fun end of the day treat)

Prep: make the ice cubes according to the directions on the KoolAid package

Project Steps:1. When the KoolAid cubes are frozen, pop at least one of each into clear cups & top with lemon-lime soda. 2. The girls can observe as the soda turns different colors. What spell is being cast on them? What will happen when they drink the potion?

Pretzel Rod Fairy Wands

IntroUsing colored sugars and candies, you and your little helper can quickly conjure up a trio of wands that make for an irresistible sparkly treat.

Supplies 1/2 cup white chocolate chips Microwavable bowl Wooden spoon Rubber spatula 3 pretzel rods Waxed paper Pink, blue, and green decorator sugars and/or candies

Project Steps1. Microwave the white chocolate chips for 15-second intervals until they are nearly melted. Stir the chips until you have a smooth icing.2. Use a rubber spatula to evenly spread white chocolate on one of the pretzel rods, leaving the bottom inch or so uncoated.3. Working over a waxed paper-covered surface, generously sprinkle pink sugar and/or candies on the white chocolate before it hardens.4. Repeat the process to transform the other two pretzel rods into blue and green wands.

Glow in the dark jello shapes

IntroThe secret to glowing food is tonic water (diet tonic water works too). It contains quinine, and guess what happens when you expose quinine to black light? It glows! Pretty much anything you can make that includes water can glow with tonic water. This is also an example of super saturation and an example of a solution.

Supplies

Jell-o packets

microwave

tonic water

refrigerator

pans

cookie cutters

black light

Time

Overnight

Prep

Make the jello

Project Steps

Make the jello and bring in to the girls

Have them cut out the shapes they want

Turn out the lights!

Chemical Compound Jars (Spices!)

Intro

Teach the girls about chemical compounds while making attractive containers for spices. This activity doubles as a spice exploration. You are going to be making your own labels for jars that already have spices in them.

Compound Basics

Let’s start with molecules. Molecule is the general term used to describe any atoms that are connected by chemical bonds. Every combination of atoms is a molecule. A compound is a molecule made of atoms from different elements. All compounds are molecules, but not all molecules are compounds. Hydrogen gas (H2) is a molecule, but not a compound because it is made of only one element. Water (H2O) can be called a molecule or a compound because it is made of hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms.

There are two main types of chemical bonds that hold atoms together: covalent and ionic/electrovalent bonds. Atoms that share electrons in a chemical bond have covalent bonds. An oxygen molecule (O2) is a good example of a molecule with a covalent bond. Ionic bonds occur when electrons are donated from one atom to another. Table salt (NaCl) is a common example of a compound with an ionic bond.

You may also learn about a third type of bond. Metallic bonds occur between metal atoms. We’re going to focus on ionic and covalent bonds.

For example, salt:

Supplies

Packing labels

Sharpies

Chemical compound print out

Enough spices for each girl to get one in jars

Time

45 minutes

Prep

None

Project Steps

Talk about compounds

Pass around spices. What are the properties and qualities of each spice? What do they remind you of? How do you use each spice in cooking?

Each girl gets a label and chooses a compound depending on what she is going to put in the spice jar.

Decorate the labels

Stick the labels onto the jars