Dancing Raisins Science Activity

Dancing Raisins Science Activity

There are so many fun finds in the kitchen that makes great supplies for science experiments. Today we’re getting out raisins and a few other key ingredients for a cool dancing raisins activity. We’ve experimented with dancing popcorn, dancing rice, lava in a jar, and magic milk on our DIY page so be sure to check them out when you’re looking for magic science or kitchen science activities.

Supplies

• 1 T. Baking Soda
• Spoon
• Vinegar
• Raisins
• Glass filled half full with water

Directions

1. Add the baking soda to the water and stir.
2. Break the raisins in half and drop them in the water.
3. Add vinegar to the water until the glass until it is 3/4 full of water and vinegar.

Watch the raisins dance! Are they moving up and down in the mixture? It may take a few minutes but soon you’ll see tiny bubbles on the raisins and they’ll begin to move up and down in the glass.

How it Works

When the vinegar is poured into the water it reacts with the baking soda creating carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide can be seen as bubbles through the glass. At first, the raisins sit at the bottom of the glass because they have a higher density than the water. Soon the carbon dioxide bubble will hold onto the raisins and cause them to float up to the surface. When the bubbles pop at the surface of the water the raisin falls back down until more bubbles hold onto the raisin causing it to float to the surface again. This process makes the raisins look like they’re dancing!

Fill your afternoons with more exciting STEAM activities from our Pinterest page!

Get more fantastic science activities for kids in our human body, kitchen science and science pack, as well as our science kits for kids.