• Use universal indicator paper to test which substances are acids and which are bases. After adding certain substances and solutions to your universal indicator paper it will change color, the color it changes to depends on how strong an acid or base it is.

• Do some tests on various substances you can find such as lemon juice, ammonia, cleaning products, tap water, pure water, soft drinks and more. Record your results, were they what you expected?

 

Chemical Reaction:

• For a fun acid and base activity that's easy to do try adding baking soda (a base) to vinegar (an acid) and see what happens. Combining the two should create an exciting chemical reaction for you to enjoy.

 

Sherbet Making Activity:

• You may be familiar with sherbet, it’s a tasty treat for kids and also great for talking about acids and bases. Why? Let’s find out!

• Sherbet is great because it contains both an acid and a base which react when they are together. The key is that they don’t react until they reach your tongue. Why? Because this chemical reaction needs moisture to get it started. So where does this moisture come from? It comes from your mouth! That’s right, there’s a chemical reaction going on in your mouth when you eat sherbet.

Try making some sherbet of your own and give it a try:

• Find a bowl and make sure it’s clean and dry.

Mix together the following ingredients:

• 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid crystals
• 1 teaspoon of icing sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of drink crystals
• 1/4 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

Stir everything together and then have a taste of your delicious sherbet! Can you tell that there’s a chemical reaction happening on your tongue?