We wondered if we dyed popcorn on the outside if the popcorn would be the same color as the outside of the kernel was or would it be white? We also wondered if the dye would seep into the inside of the kernel. These seemed like great questions to find answers to right before Thanksgiving. The pilgrims and Indians are said to have had corn at the first Thanksgiving. Popcorn is made from corn right?
Popcorn was placed into three bowls that already contained a little bit of vegetable oil. JDaniel used a measuring cup to add popcorn kernels to the bowl. Then he used a spoon to stir up the mixture and coat the corn.
The directions I had read for dyeing popcorn said to add white vinegar to the mixture. We added only a dash to each bowl. Neither of us had any idea what it would make the popped popcorn kernels smell like. We did know that the bowls smelled a little stinky. Maybe it would have been better to put the mixtures into a plastic zipper bag. The bag would have sealed the smell in.
The bowls were set aside overnight in a closed cabinet so, the smell would be contained. We ended up being busy the next day. The mixtures ended up sitting for twenty four hours before we took them out of the cabinet. When we took them out we noticed that the outsides of most of the popcorn kernel were tinted the color of the dye that had been soaking in.
We should have set the kernel onto a paper towel and patted them dry. We didn’t do that. Instead JDaniel scooped up the kernels with a slotted spoon. Most of the liquid dripped off of the kernels, but enough was left on them to make the bag a little bit drippy and messy.
After the buzzer on the microwave went off, I took out the bag. I thought it would be too hot for JDaniel. There was a slight pink tint on the walls of the microwave. I guess the red corn kernels decided to share their color with the walls. The wall cleaned up quickly with a wet sponge!
The warm bag was placed into a bowl that JDaniel carried to the table. We were both excited to see what the contents of the bag would look like. Would the popcorn be red, green and blue?
I dumped the contents of the bag into the bowl. The puffy section of each kernel was white. The area the white puffs curl around in the center of the puff was still the color we had dyed it.
This led us into a wonderful discussion on surface area. We talked about how the surface area (the outside) of the popcorn pops open and the inside of the kernel becomes the outside. It was fun to see how this happens. Being able to see the remnants of the outer surfaces dyed color really helped JDaniel see that.
It also gave us a yummy afternoon snack tinged of vinegar flavor on it. We added melted margarine and some salt to cover that flavor a little bit.
What book did we read before exploring this science kids dyeing corn experiment?
The Life and Times of Corn. Actually, we read and reread this book. JDaniel was fascinated by corn facts shared in the book.
The Life and Times of Corn cover everything you might want to know about corn. There is a diagram of the plant and all is sections. Different types and colors of corn from about the world. (Who knew there is pink corn!) Ways it was popped through out the years along with ways it is served around the world.
There are so many interesting facts and illustrations it is no wonder that we had to read it several times.
Looks like a fun experiment! I will have to look for this corn book, it is not one that I am familiar with.
We have not read that book before. My boys would like the end result – popcorn for a snack!
Now I want to dye some popcorn. 😉
Such a fun experiment!
Oh I was so intrigued!! And I love the end result since popcorn is my favorite snack.
I never thought about it before, but now I totally want to try it! 🙂
awe man… i was hoping you were going to say they were rich in color….
Cool experiment!
=)
Great science lesson! I’ve pinned it.
What a cool idea for exploring an hypothesis!
How fun! What a great lesson!
What a great experiment for you and your son!! Off to pin this so we can see if our dyed corn pops colorfully! 🙂