Easy Elephant Toothpaste

For school this year, we are mainly utilizing the free Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool website.  It incorporates many videos and hands on projects, and Owen is really thriving with those inclusions.  We're working slowly but surely through Chemistry and Physics for science.

Today's experiment brought giggles all around, and it was so simple I wanted to share.

First, gather up your supplies. 

*1 20 oz empty plastic bottle (Thanks Bryan for drinking the Coke so we could do this!)
*1/2 cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide
*1/4 cup dish soap (we used Kirkland brand, but don't think it matters!)
*1 T yeast
*1/2 c warm water
*Food coloring (optional) --we did this experiment twice, once without and once with.  With was WAY neater looking!
*A large cooking pot or baking pan to catch the overflow

Next, you need to prepare for the experiment.

Combine the yeast and the warm water in a small cup and mix well. 

Let this sit for about five minutes to get bubbly (activated).

Meanwhile, carefully pour your peroxide and dish soap into the plastic bottle.  Add food coloring if desired.

Swish the bottle around (be careful not to get over excited here and splash it out the top!) to mix the ingredients.

Place the bottle in your overflow container.

Once the yeast is bubbly, carefully pour the yeast into the bottle.

Sit back and watch the elephant toothpaste grow!

The website linked to above has a wonderful scientific explanation so you can explain what is going on. 

Have you completed any neat experiments this year?