We started out with the third workshop by comparing the observable differences between vinegar and water- we explained that although both of them are invisible liquids and look the same when put in a bottle, vinegar has a strong sour scent while water is odorless. We also made sure to mention that it's not recommendable and can be dangerous to smell chemicals straight away without knowing what it is, and that we're only smelling vinegar because it is generally used for cooking and cleaning in our everyday lives.
We then moved on to our experiment of inflating a balloon by reacting vinegar and baking soda.
Vinegar + Baking Soda -> Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
The carbon dioxide gas produced from the reaction between vinegar and baking soda is trapped in the bottle due to the balloon forming a seal around it. This causes the carbon dioxide gas to fill up the balloon, inflating it. The size of the balloon can indicate how much CO2 was produced. Generally, if a larger volume or mass of reactants (vinegar and baking soda) were added, more reactions would take place, and more products (carbon dioxide) would be formed.
Each group made two set-ups, one with 2 tablespoons of vinegar and baking soda and the other one with 4 tablespoons, so we can compare the size of the balloons as well. We then demonstrated how the carbon dioxide in the bottle can turn off a candle by cutting off the oxygen supply around the fire, as CO2 is heavier than O2 and is able to cover the fire like a blanket, preventing oxygen from coming into contact with the flames. This part of the experiment was only shown to the children by us to avoid any unnecessary hazard (since we're using fire).
Because most of the children did not know what origami was, and since we were using balloons in our experiment, we decided to teach them how to make a balloon using origami paper as a small but fun arts and crafts activity. After showing them how to make one while they followed along with their own origami paper, they were able to make another one without any help! The origami we chose was one of the simpler ones, but it was still very impressive on how quickly they caught up. I myself don't think I could have done it at once!
We also gave them time to blow in air to the extra balloons and play with them at the end of the planned activities, which they seemed to really enjoy. The balloons we brought were quite elastic, so even the younger ones didn't have much trouble blowing in them.
Now that it was our third time seeing them, we were all more comfortable with one another than before (it felt like we've seen them multiple times even though we've only met them twice before this workshop😂😊), and I'm glad to say that my explanation and instructions for each demonstration, as well as the way I communicate with them became more natural and well-structured than when we first started this project! We seem to be learning new skills (speaking and how to be leaders in general) along with the children while they learn new experiments and the scientific concepts behind them!
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