Beaker Creatures Super Secret Recipe!

It’s almost time for back to school, and now is a super time to get kids back in the mode and mindset of learning. With the world being so fast-paced it can be hard to keep kids’ attention when it comes to education. Perhaps one of the best ways to keep their interest while they learn something new is to gear your plan to where kids are already looking… YouTube!

Kids love YouTube, it’s a place where they can scroll through seemingly endless amounts of videos. They can pick their own content that is age-appropriate, fits their interests, and teaches them something as well. Kids will enjoy the idea that they had control over not just what they watch and how they are learning new facts.

With that in mind, one of the best ways to get kids excited about science is to show them an over-the-top, explosively fun YouTube video. From there you can take the lessons from the video and do your own at-home experiment. They will get some hands on learning that will really stick with their young minds.

Let's use this example with an over the top video we just finished!

“SUPER SIZED BATH BOMB: Secret Science Recipe”

In this video we take the Beaker Creatures Super Lab and SUPER SIZE it! This is done by creating a GIANT reactor pod and placing it in a cylindrical clear aquarium (fun fact it’s actually an old hyperbaric chamber purchased from a reality TV show).

Kids love fast paced content that keeps their attention and this video will certainly do that. 

After the video, it’s the perfect time to bring out your own Beaker Creatures Super Lab and go through the same steps.

And if you’re wondering what makes the reactor pods fizz the way they do, let's break this down. 

The reactor pods are a mixture of some household items (although the true recipe is a secret). In the pod you will find baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), citric acid, salt, and cornstarch.

When all of these ingredients are dry nothing happens. When they are submerged into water a beautiful chemical reaction happens. Now, this may take you back to high school chemistry class, but the reaction is called an acid-base reaction.

This is a very common and classic reaction in the science world. You may have seen this reaction yourself as a kid, as the classic vinegar and baking soda volcano experiment.

The end result of mixing baking soda, a base with citric acid, an acid is CO2. When see this carbon dioxide as bubbles and with enough bubbles is appears as FIZZ.

Science naturally lends itself to be hands on and observational. Take advantage of that towards the end of summer and get your kids excited about science through watching YouTube videos and then recreating the science they just saw!

Enjoy!