Experiments
Red Cabbage Color Lab
Use cabbage juice to find out which kitchen liquids are acids and which are bases.
Ages 8 to 13
30 minutes
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Get ready
10 minutes. Chop a quarter of a red cabbage, cover it with hot water for 10 minutes, then strain the purple juice.
What you’ll need
Red cabbage, hot water, a strainer, clear cups, vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, dish soap and a spoon.
Let’s play
1. Pour a little purple juice into five clear cups and label each one.
2. Before adding anything, have your kid guess what color each cup will turn.
3. Add vinegar to one, lemon juice to another, baking soda water to the next, and so on.
4. Line the cups up from pink to green. Pink means acid, green or blue means base.
5. Mix a pink cup into a green one and watch the color shift back.
Your part in the adventure
Handle the hot water and let your kid run the experiment and keep the results.
What they’re discovering
They’re making predictions, testing them and learning the basics of the pH scale.
Before you begin
An adult handles the hot water. Keep everything away from eyes, and rinse hands if baking soda or soap gets on skin.
Keep the idea going
Ages 8 to 10 can just sort colors. Ages 11 to 13 can rank liquids by strength and write down a simple chart.
Every child is different. Adjust activities for their age and abilities, and stay close by. These are play ideas, not medical or developmental advice.