Elephant Toothpaste! (experiment for ages 10+)

Warning: this is an experiment that you should only do if you are 10 or older! You can also only do with the help of an adult, even if you are already 10 or older! 

If you aren't old enough to do the experiment or can't find an adult helper, that's ok! You can still watch this video where people make elephant toothpaste and explain how the chemical reaction in elephant toothpaste works:

If you're 10 or older and you have an adult helper, you can follow these instructions to make the elephant's toothpaste yourself!

Materials

1. empty plastic soda bottle 
2. ask an adult to get this for you: 1/2 cup 20-volume hydrogen peroxide (20-volume is 6% solution, purchased from a beauty supply store)
3. squirt of Dawn dish detergent
4. 1 teaspoon yeast dissolved in approximately 2 tablespoons very warm water
5. funnel
6. foil cake pan with 2-inch sides
7. safety glasses
8. lab coat or any clothing that covers your skin

Procedure

1. Put on the safety glasses and lab coat (or other protective clothes).  
2. Stand the bottle up in the center of the cake pan. Put the funnel in the opening. Have your adult helper add 3-4 drops of food coloring to the peroxide and pour the peroxide through the funnel into the bottle. 
3. Add the Dawn detergent to the peroxide in the bottle.
4. Pour the yeast mixture into the bottle and quickly remove the funnel.
5. Touch the bottle to feel any changes that take place.
6. Record your observations.

Q&A: What is nanotechnology?

Do you think there is nanotechnology in your every day life? What is nanotechnology anyway? Read this post and find out!

What is nanotechnology?

When you measure things, you use different scales. For example, you measure the height of a building in feet or meters, and the length of your finger in inches or centimeters. How would you measure something that's 40 times smaller than the width of your hair? That's when you'd use a unit called nanometers.