Science explosion reinforces lesson for Clements/Parsons Elementary kindergarteners

By MEGAN TAWNEY

Special to Leader-Press 

Clements/Parsons Elementary kindergarteners sat in a giant circle on the playground with their legs crossed and hands folded, but they were hardly able to contain their excitement. The young scientists had been learning all about solids, liquids, and gasses during science classes. 

Kindergarten teacher Denise Smith was dressed in her white lab coat and safety googles as she prepared the experiment of exploding soda to reinforce the lesson of scientific investigation and reasoning. Mentos candy is dropped into a bottle of soda causing an explosive eruption of gas-filled soda. 

“Students often have a difficult time understanding gases as a type of matter. It is often invisible, odorless and tasteless,” Smith said. “Through the lesson and experiment, they are beginning to understand objects are made of a solid, liquid and gas. For example, soda is a liquid but it also contains a gas. A balloon is a solid, but it also contains a gas.”

Smith added the Mentos to a bottle of soda while Smith reviewed the terms solid, liquid and gas, pointing out that when the solid Mentos went into the liquid soda, together they made an explosive gas. The young scholars eagerly waited to see what would happen only to be disappointed when the experiment failed. 

“I was so sad the first time it didn’t work out. But, we got to try again and that time, the gas really made the soda explode,” student Zayley Williams said. 

Smith was actually pleased with the experiment’s failure in the first trial.

“This reinforced the scientific process,” Smith said. “Scientists often repeat investigations to see if they get similar results.” 

The students shrieked as the soda shot high into the air and came down to splat on the pavement due to gravity.

“I was very surprised when the soda shot out like a volcano,” student Zayley Williams said. “We talked about that in my class, but I liked seeing it outside”. 

Smith said seeing the students’ excitement during the experiment and hearing them discuss it using terms of solid, liquid and gas was the most rewarding part of doing this lesson. 

“Doing an experiment like this engages students and really reinforces the lesson,” Smith said. “I don’t think this is a lesson they will be forgetting anytime soon.”