Chemical Reactions Activity: Elephant's Toothpaste Experiment 6-8

Rated 4.88 out of 5, based on 133 reviews
133 Ratings
;
Sarah's STEM stuff
2.6k Followers
Grade Levels
6th - 8th, Homeschool
Resource Type
Standards
Formats Included
  • PDF
Pages
7 pages
$4.00
$4.00
Share this resource
Report this resource to TPT
Sarah's STEM stuff
2.6k Followers

What educators are saying

During distnace learning my 6th graders found this lesson to be very enganging and interesting. This is something that can also be done in person.
Students love making elephant toothpaste. It's messy but it leads to great questions and discussions.

Description

In this activity, students are wowed by the chemical reaction between hydrogen peroxide, yeast, and dish soap when they make elephant's toothpaste - so much foam! In this grades version, students are introduced to chemical reactions including: chemical equations, exothermic and endothermic reactions, reactants and products. This is a class favoriete - it is so exciting and has major wow factor.

The activity can be done as a teacher demonstration, or working in lab groups.

After completing the activity, students read a short passage about chemical reactions and then complete a conclusion worksheet to apply their learning.

What's Included?

  • Student worksheet with procedure and observations
  • Reading passage about chemical reactions including exothermic and endothermic reactions.
  • Conclusions page to apply their learning about chemical reactions
  • Teacher Notes and Answer Key

In this activity, a solution of yeast is mixed with a solution of hydrogen peroxide, food coloring and dish soap. The substances react vigorously to release a gas which bubbles out quickly pushing foam out of a plastic bottle resembling giant toothpaste.

Total Pages
7 pages
Answer Key
Included
Teaching Duration
45 minutes
Report this resource to TPT
Reported resources will be reviewed by our team. Report this resource to let us know if this resource violates TPT’s content guidelines.

Standards

to see state-specific standards (only available in the US).
NGSSMS-PS1-2
Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after the substances interact to determine if a chemical reaction has occurred. Examples of reactions could include burning sugar or steel wool, fat reacting with sodium hydroxide, and mixing zinc with hydrogen chloride. Assessment is limited to analysis of the following properties: density, melting point, boiling point, solubility, flammability, and odor.
NGSSMS-PS1-6
Undertake a design project to construct, test, and modify a device that either releases or absorbs thermal energy by chemical processes. Emphasis is on the design, controlling the transfer of energy to the environment, and modification of a device using factors such as type and concentration of a substance. Examples of designs could involve chemical reactions such as dissolving ammonium chloride or calcium chloride. Assessment is limited to the criteria of amount, time, and temperature of substance in testing the device.

Reviews

Questions & Answers

2.6k Followers
TPT

TPT empowers educators to teach at their best.

More About Us

Keep in Touch!

Sign Up