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Leftover Lab: Science Experiments with Thanksgiving Food

  • taylorkateoakley
  • 3 days ago
  • 3 min read

Are you looking for something fun to do over Thanksgiving break? Below are 6 science experiments (and their explanations) you can do with Thanksgiving foods! They are for kids of all ages.



Invisible Ink


Cranberries are an acid and baking soda is a base. Cranberries contain a chemical called anthocyanins, that change color when exposed to different pH's. Because the baking soda you drew with is a base, the cranberries change color from red to blue when they come in contact.


  1. Mix 3 teaspoons baking soda and 1/2 cup room temperature water

  2. Using a cotton swab write or draw on a piece of thick white paper

  3. Let the message dry or use a hairdryer to speed it up

  4. Spread a can of cranberry sauce across a tray

  5. Gently press, but don't submerge, the paper in the cranberry sauce for 30 seconds

  6. Be sure to let the paper dry, then you can add color if you'd like


Bendable Bones


One of the elements that makes bones hard is calcium. Vinegar is an acid that is strong enough to dissolve the calcium in the bones. When the vinegar dissolves the calcium in the bones, the bones become flexible and easy to bend.


  1. Clean thin turkey bones and leave them to dry for a day or two

  2. Put the bones in a covered jar or bowl of vinegar

  3. Leave the bones in the vinegar for 3 days

  4. Rinse the bones off and bend them in whatever shape you please


Image from Star Tribune (Google)
Image from Star Tribune (Google)

Potato Battery


A potato is an example of and electrochemical cell. An electrochemical cell is a cell where chemical energy is converted into electricity due to spontaneous electron transfer. The zinc and copper (from the nail and penny respectively) react with each other to create chemical energy. The potato acts as a buffer separating the zinc and copper forcing the to flow through the potato, creating a circuit. The potato is also an electrolyte which lets the energy flow through it. When the wires are attached to an object, it completes the circuit powering the device.


  1. Insert a screw with a zinc coating about 1 inch into a potato

  2. Insert a penny into the other end of the potato

  3. Repeat with two other potatoes

  4. Label the nail end (-) and the penny end (+) also label the potatoes 1, 2, and 3

  5. Cut a copper wire into 4 pieces and wrap one end of each around an alligator clip

  6. Connect the each alligator clip to a penny and wrap th0e loose wires around the nail of the next potato

  7. Connect the extra wire to the first nail and connect the wires from the first nail and the last penny to a low power device (preferably LED)

  8. If the one battery is not enough, make more and watch as you device lights up


Dancing Berries


The cranberries are lifted up by the bubbles in the carbonated beverage. The carbonation is little bubbles of CO2. The CO2 is less dense the the liquid, so it floats to the surface. When the bubbles reach the surface of the cup they pop and the cranberries sink again. This makes it look like the cranberries are "dancing" in the drink.


  1. Pour a carbonated beverage, any soda or soda water should work, into a glass

  2. Add a handful of dried cranberries to the carbonated beverage


Popping Corn


Popcorn kernels contain water, so when it is heated on the stove, the water turns into steam. The steam puts the kernel under pressure, causing the popcorn to explode. The pop sound is the sound of the vapor being released from the corn. The foamy part of the popcorn is caused by the starch heating up, gelatinizing, then exploding when the kernel bursts.


  1. Heat up a pot with oil on a stove at high heat.

  2. Put your popcorn kernels in the pot and cover it with a lid

    1. Just a side note, popcorn is a type of corn that has a thicker shell and more starch than regular corn

  3. Wait 2-5 minutes or until the popping has stopped to remove the popcorn from the pot


Image from Unsplash
Image from Unsplash

Homemade Spread


Whole fat milk and heavy whipping cream contain a lot of fat. When the jar is shaken, the fat molecules begin to clump together and float to the surface. After the cream or milk is shaken enough it form solid butter. The warmer the milk/cream the faster the molecules move. When the molecules are already moving fast, the butter forms quicker.


  1. Pour a 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream or whole fat milk into a jar

  2. Screw the lid on the jar of cream and shake it hard

  3. Depending on the temperature of the liquid, butter could form from 5-20 minutes

  4. Rinse and knead the butter 3 times to help remove any liquid lengthening the shelf life



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