Students learn value of inquiry during foam experiment

Oct. 5—Kokomo High School's Environmental Club was greeted with an enthusiastic crowd Friday at Lafayette Park Elementary School.

Students in kindergarten through second grade were excited to watch the high school students perform an experiment, and maybe get in on the action.

The experiment at hand was the Elephant's Toothpaste reaction that combines water, dish soap, hydrogen peroxide, food coloring and yeast. The result is a fun, foamy mess.

Environmental Club students led the experiment on stage as an eager crowd of participants awaited the next time a volunteer was needed.

One student got to add the hydrogen peroxide. Another added the dish soap. The older students were quick to make sure proper eye safety was worn. Those ingredients were shaken together.

A raucous chant of "Shake it! Shake it! Shake it!" filled the auditorium.

Next, it was time for the food coloring. The food coloring is needed "in order to be maximum cool," said Mailee Pearl Sewell, president of the Environmental Club.

With multiple colors to choose from, the crowd was polled for their favorite.

Blue was the obvious winner. Another student went up on stage and added a few drops to the mixture.

Then it was time for another round of "Shake it! Shake it! Shake it!"

The Environmental Club was at Lafayette Park as part of Elwood Haynes' participation in the Rock Your School initiative from Get Your Teach On, which offers professional development and support for educators.

Rock Your School encourages schools and teachers to do outside-of-the-box activities with their students.

The experiment tied into the inquirer trait of the International Baccalaureate program's Learner Profile.

Friday's presentation started with what it means to be an inquirer.

"Being an inquirer is like being a super cool detective," club member Arianna Hall told the students. "Imagine if you never asked questions ... (like) why the sky is blue, you'd miss out on those answers."

Club members asked the students what their favorite animal was. Many said the cheetah, which the entire crowd knew was fast.

But how does everyone know the cheetah is fast? By inquiring.

"If we didn't inquire about animals, we wouldn't know this stuff," said club member Branden Woods.

The Environmental Club at KHS engages in community cleanup events and helps fundraise for world projects, like building a well in India. It's important to ask questions, the club members told the students.

"By finding the answers, we can make a difference," Hall said.

One final volunteer was needed. Nearly all hands shot up. One lucky girl was chosen to add the yeast, which activates the reaction.

"Your job is super duper cool," Sewell told her.

Upon adding the yeast, the reaction occurred and blue foam snaked out of the top of the 2-liter bottle.

The yeast acts as a catalyst separating the oxygen from the hydrogen peroxide. This creates bubbles, lots of them, which is where the foam comes from.

The reaction was a hit among the excited young students, even if it didn't make as big a mess as expected.

Spencer Durham can be reached at 765-454-8598, by email at spencer.durham@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @Durham_KT.