Dancing Heart Experiment
Looking for a fun way to use conversation hearts? This dancing heart experiment is super easy to set up, and only requires a few simple supplies. Your child will love seeing the heart candies dance inside the jar!
Servings: 1 dancing heart jar
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 tbsp baking soda
- 1 handful conversation heart candies or another type of candy
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 1 clear jar or glass 24 oz or similar
Instructions
- Add the baking soda to the water, and stir with a spoon until it has completely dissolved. Pour the water and baking soda mixture into a clear jar or drinking glass.
- Drop a handful of conversation heart candies into the jar of water and observe whether they sink or float.
- Slowly pour some vinegar into the jar and watch as the hearts start moving upward and floating to the top of the jar! If the candy doesn’t float up, give the jar a gentle stir to get them unstuck. The conversation hearts will stay suspended for as long as the bubbles remain, occasionally falling and rising back up, but will eventually sink to the bottom once all the bubbles have dissipated.
Video
Notes
1. Choosing the right candy: Candy that is heavy enough to sink in water and that doesn't leach color into the water too quickly will work best for this experiment.
2. Keeping a clear view: To get a clear view of the reaction, use a clear jar and clear water, allow the baking soda to dissolve fully, and add the vinegar before the water has a chance to get too cloudy.
3. Continuing the reaction: Once the bubbles have popped, adding more vinegar will cause the reaction to reoccur until all the baking soda has reacted with the vinegar, at which point it will stop.
4. Extending the experiment: Play around with the ratio of baking soda to water, skip the baking soda and vinegar in favor of replacing the water with clear soda, use different types of candy (or even raisins or corn kernels), or use a wider or narrower jar.