Colorful bubbles rise and fall through homemade lava lamps as students in Keiki Chemists, a Punahou Summer Programs course for rising fourth and fifth graders, investigate how temperature affects chemical reactions.
Using bottles filled with cold, room-temperature and hot water, students add vegetable oil, food coloring and effervescent tablets before observing how each mixture reacts. As the bubbling reactions unfold, students compare their results, make observations and discuss the science behind what they see.
The lava lamp experiment is one of several laboratory investigations featured throughout the summer course, where students explore chemistry through the work of scientists whose discoveries continue to shape the field today. Lessons introduce topics such as chemical batteries, evaporation, carbonation, organic compounds and oil extraction while highlighting the contributions of scientists from around the world.
Following the experiment, students return to the classroom to record their observations and explain the chemical reactions they witnessed. Offered exclusively through Punahou Summer Programs, Keiki Chemists combines hands-on experiments with scientific inquiry, encouraging students to investigate the chemistry behind everyday reactions.
Photos by Kathleen Connelly