Discovery Lab Teaches Kids About Chemical Reactions In Safe Environment

Discovery Lab at Gathering Place is giving kids some explosive science lessons.

Chip Lindsey is the Director of Education at the Discovery Lab. He says by using common items like soda cans and water bottles, it makes the experiments easier to understand.

"Those phenomena are important because they are ways that we can transfer energy or use energy and cause things to happen, or prevent things from happening,” Lindsey said.

To show an implosion, he filled a soda can with water and held it over a flame to make it boil. Then, he soaked the can in cold water making it condense and shrink.

Lindsey says that's because of the quick change from steam to water.

To demonstrate an explosion, he poured alcohol into this gallon jug. Then, he held a match over the top adding heat.

Lindsey says the gas from burning the alcohol must go somewhere, so it goes up, creating loud noise and gust of air.

He says it's helpful to know how different things work together for demonstration and caution.

"We're interested in bringing the stuff that normally, you just see in a textbook illustration and give you a real-life experience with it. Once you've seen that, you can know that. And once you know it, then it makes the textbook understanding real,” Lindsey said.

The hope is that these demonstrations will help kids remember the lessons they learned in the classroom