Cornstarch and water is so much fun!
Playing with helium balloons and weights. Our four's class has been investigating science this week. They've studied gravity and air, solids and liquids, and chemical reactions. We've mixed cornstarch and water, played with vinegar and baking soda, and had one of our dad's come in to explore gravity with the children! It's been a busy week!
One of our favorite activities this week was making Irish Soda Bread. After exploring what happens when you mix vinegar and baking soda together, we made the bread. If the bread turns out right, which ours did, then the children will see holes in the baked bread very similar to the holes left in the baking soda after dripping the vinegar onto the soda.
Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vinegar
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Mix milk and vinegar in cup and set aside for about 10 minutes. This will curdle the milk.
In the bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and baking soda.
Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture until smooth.
Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface.
Form dough into disk shape and put into pan.
Bake for approximately 15 minutes.
Have the children observe the air pockets in the bread. Discuss how the mixing of the baking soda and vinegar created bubbles. The bubbles in the bread happened to become stuck in the dough.
