El Dorado Middle School 6th-graders scream in delight as foam spews into the air during science experiment

Sixth-graders in science teacher Ian Maslen's class at El Dorado MS squealed with delight as they practiced safety and scientific observation during a recent experiment that resulted in a chemical reaction, sending foam spewing out of a glass flask.

Student Walter Edwards, whom Maslen chose to lead the experiment, donned safety goggles, safety gloves, a lab coat and rubberized apron before pouring liquids into the flask he placed on a drain outside the classroom.

Walter poured clear hydrogen peroxide in first, then blue Dawn dish soap. He held each one up before pouring it in, while his classmates took careful notes, using scientific observation. Campus Supervisor Shawna DeLaRosa then poured in a yellow concentrated solution that triggered the foam, which rose up into the air, then flowed over the sides of the glass flask. 

The class also measured the temperature of the flask before and after the experiment, noticing a sharp rise. 

"We're making observations and writing down things you see, smell or hear - that's the assignment," Maslen said, adding that students make observations and inferences. 

"When I go outside, we have to take wind measurements to make sure the foam doesn't blow all over them. They had to do a little math to figure out how much the temperature changed. This is just getting them used to science. It's an introductory science demonstration and they get to see how it's done." Maslen said students will soon be doing a classroom lab, so this experiment helped prepare them for that.

Walter said he enjoyed participating in the experiment, but he is also very aware of all the safety rules he must follow. such as: Don't touch anything without permission, treat everything with respect, and pay attention and listen to instructions. He said he's excited to do more lab experiments. "I think it's going to be really fun and fascinating," he said.

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