We've officially entered spring break territory!
Joining us with some cool, spring-themed ideas to beat boredom is scientist and "Momma Gone Geek" author Lynn Brunelle.
Peeps Play Dough Recipe
Materials:
- 3 peeps (any preferred flavor)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp. coconut oil
What you do:
- Put the Peeps, powdered sugar, and oil into a microwave-safe bowl and heat in microwave for 30 seconds.
- Mix together until blended and soft.
The science:
You are making a chemical reaction that changes the stickiness of the sugar molecules and allows the molecules to slide past each other. It's still a solid, but it also has properties of a liquid. Otherwise known as a non-Newtonian fluid. COOL!
Peeps Slime
*Adult supervision is necessary for using the microwave as this slime gets hot! You are heating up marshmallows.
Materials:
- Peeps (sleeves of 5)
- Cornstarch
- Vegetable oil
- Tablespoon
- Bowl and spoon
- Microwave oven
What you do:
- Break apart the sleeve of five peeps and add to a microwave-safe bowl.
- Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to the bowl of peeps.
- Put the bowl of peeps in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- Remove the bowl from the microwave (adults should do this please).
- Add a tablespoon of cornstarch at a time and mush it into your softened peeps. The peeps will be on the warm/hot side so adults should do this to start.
- We added a total of approximately 3 tbsp. of cornstarch to each color batch. You can feel when it isn't really sticky anymore, but you want to make sure to really knead each tablespoon in well before you add more. Continue to knead and stretch and play with your Peeps slime!
- At this point, you can continue to make more batches of the Peeps slime if you have more colors. My son was most excited to be able to combine the colors!
Try and Dissolve a Peep!
Most people think that Peeps are primarily sugar. We all know that sugar dissolves in water. This means that Peeps should dissolve in water, right? Wrong!
What you need:
- A grownup
- 3 jars with lids
- Hot water
- White vinegar
- Nail polish remover (acetone)
- Peeps
What you do:
1. Get a grownup to help you gather and label your glass jars:
A. Hot water
B. White vinegar
C. Nail polish remover
2. Drop a Peep in each jar.
3. Put the lid on it.
4. How long does it take for the Peep to dissolve?
5. Does the Peep dissolve?
What's going on?
Essentially, we found that Peeps are not soluble in water (a polar liquid), acetone (a non-polar liquid), or vinegar (a strong acid). Some of the sugar did dissolve off the surface of the Peeps, but there was no noticeable dissolving of the Peeps of any kind.
Think about that the next time you think about popping one in your mouth!
Make Your Own Egg Geodes
What's cooler than smacking a rock in half and discovering brightly colored crystal geodes? Well, maybe making your Easter eggs into geodes can be as fun! Try making your own geodes with stuff you probably already have around the house.
What you need:
- 3 containers of Alum (you can find it in the spice section)
- Neon food coloring
- Small glass bowls or jars
- Eggs
- Pushpin
- Scissors
- White glue
- Small paintbrush
What you do:
1. Prepare the egg
a. Make a hole in one end of a raw egg with a pushpin. Make a few holes so you end up with an opening about the diameter of a chopstick.
b. Make another hole on the other end.
c. Place your lips on one end and blow hard. The egg should trickle out the other side. Save it for later.
d. Use your scissors to cut the shell in half lengthwise.
e. Wash the inside of the shells.
f. When they are dry, paint the inside with a layer of white glue and sprinkle a layer of alum. Let this dry for a couple of hours.
2. Make the dyes
a. Make the solution by adding ¾ cup alum to 2 cups boiling water. Stir until is it completely mixed.
b. Pour some of this solution into your glass cups and add 2-3 drops of food coloring.
3. Make the geodes
a. When the solution is cool enough to touch, place your egg shells in cup side up — fully submerged.
b. Let this sit overnight 12-15 hours.
c. Carefully lift out your geode
d. Place them on a paper towel to dry.
e. Enjoy!
What's going on?
You are making a supersaturated solution by adding hot water to alum. As it cools, crystals form. Because you have the eggshells in the water with a thin layer of alum, the crystals will begin to form on these alum crystal "seeds" all night and the solution will form crystals. The color of the food coloring will be trapped in the crystals.
Segment Producer Suzie Wiley. Watch New Day Northwest 11 AM weekdays on KING 5 and streaming live on KING5.com. Contact New Day.