Dancing Raisins

These little guys can groove!

This was always a favourite when I was teaching Kindergarten or Grade 1, but equally loved by my three year old, who giggles like mad when they move up and down inexplicably. Too hard a concept for him to really understand but enjoyed nonetheless. (The amount of pop consumed and raisins eaten mid-experiment can vary from child to child, so have extra on hand.)

Materials Needed
tall clear glass
raisins
club soda (or other clear carbonated beverage) that has a lot of bubbles (This won't work if the club soda is flat.)

Instructions

First, pour the club soda in the glass.
Next, drop in a raisin.
Wait at least 20 to 30 seconds and watch what happens to the raisin. (The raisin should rise and fall.)

Add a few raisins and watch them 'dance' at different times.

The reason why the raisin floats to the top is because the bubbles stick to the sides of the raisin and make the raisin more buoyant. Buoyant means that something floats more easily. The bubbles make the raisin float the way a life jacket makes a person float.