Food Science Camp

A few months ago I asked around to see if anyone would be interested in sending their kids to a Food Science Camp. I have missed my job and thought this might be a fun way to teach what I love. People were pretty positive so a few weeks ago I offered my first camp to three darling girls! It was Mon-Thurs from 10-12 and each day had a theme and I sent home a little experiment so they could show their families. My girls were watched by friends so I could focus on the class - I had a blast!! Here are a few fun things we did!

First Day - Our Tastebuds

Jelly bean experiment, they could take it home to their families (if you want to do it yourself - hold your nose while putting a jellybean in your mouth and chew. Notice what you taste, then release your nose and breath in while chewing, notice the difference!! Our tastebuds primarily taste sweet/salty/sour/bitter while our olfactory system brings flavors to life!)

We tried juice dyed the "wrong" color

And finished by decorating cupcakes with bright colors. 

Each girl took home a "lab book" filled with drawings and notes from the experiments. We alternated coloring, experiments and just food fun. Five years old is such a fun age.

Day 2 - Candy 101

Elise made sure my stash stayed in good condition

We tried a bite of different candies and talked about them and then watched short videos I found that took you into the factories. They were pretty mesmerized:)

We also made some of our own candy - marshmallows and chocolate dipped strawberries

Day 3 - Temperatures and Textures

We spent the first part of class squishing a bunch of different textures - jello, frosting (this was a favorite and soooo messy!), pudding, bananas, rice krispies and a bunch more. We talked a little bit about why things have different textures and which ones we prefer.

We also talked about cold and hot. We made monster toast (we did this all the time as a kid, paint toast with colored milk then toast it) and made home made ice cream.

We also played with cornstarch and water - my favorite!

Day 4 - Bubbles

We had to move day 4 since Hadley woke up sick that morning, I was lucky that my friends were so understanding! We made up the day just last week.

We started off with fizzy painting, colored vinegar on baking soda, it was also an excellent excuse to purchase a case of pipettes!

The bottle is filled with yeast and the balloon filled almost all the way, the girls were fascinated!

We even ate some bubbly yeast

We finished off the class by setting off bottles of coke. The girls LOVED it!!! Each girl got her own bottle and mentos and took turns. 

I had so much fun and hopefully will do it again next year!