Spooky Science: Dry Ice Experiment: Ghost Bubbles: Super Simple!
Kids Science Activities:
Dry Ice Experiment: Ghost Bubbles: super simple!
Ages: 3 & Older
Dry ice is one of those items that takes your “spooky science” up a huge notch. The element of smoke and “danger” adds mystery and wonder to even to simplest activity. I was inspired by Science Bob, yet again, for this Halloween science experiment. His science experiment was a bit too tricky for me to tackle, but I made it a bit more simple, and still got some awesome results and impressed the kids! Here is how you make ominous ghost bubbles with dry ice:
Supplies:
Two bowls (one large with a rim & one small)
Liquid dish soap
Warm water
Block of dry ice (I was able to find some at “Smart & Final”)
Gloves (I used garden gloves)
Towel to lay down on the floor, if doing this experiment inside
Directions:
Fill both bowls up with warm water
In the small bowl, put a few squirts of soap in it
Using your gloves, put the block of dry ice into the large bowl with rim (This step by itself is great, if you want, you can stop here. The dry ice begins to evaporate and spill spoke everywhere. Eventually the water cools off and it will stop smoking. You will have to keep pouring warm water into the bowl to keep the smoke filling)
Put a squirt of soap into the mix
Once the soap mixes with the dry ice, it forms gas, which causes bubbles. The bubbles are filled with the smoke, making them completely white…hence the “ghost” bubble. They are super cool!
you can have the kids blow into the bowl, causing the smoke to move, and bubbles to brew
Make sure you DO NOT TOUCH the DRY ICE!!! It will BURN your SKIN!
How to explain it to kids:
Why is this called DRY ice? Ask them, what is regular ice made from? It’s frozen, what? Water! Is water wet? Yes! This is made from frozen carbon dioxide. It’s not wet, because it’s a gas. When it melts, it does not turn into water, like when ice melts. When dry ice melts, it turns into gas, and evaporates.
Expansions:
What happens if you add cold water instead of warm water?
What happens if you add hand soap, or shampoo, instead of dish soap?
What happens if you cover the bowl with a rag or lid?
Looking for other spooky science experiments? Check out Monster Slime, & Ghost Screams.
Resources:
https://sciencebob.com/the-giant-dry-ice-bubble-sphere/