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Just kidding...it's chemistry!
Each year, 8th grade Science students conclude their study of chemistry by making a drink from scratch!
The chemistry properties in a drink largely depend on its ingredients and their molecular interactions. In this project, students need to use the chemistry knowledge they have learned thus far and their growing lab skills to make and analyze a drink. Students use Google Sheets and information from a USDA database to create their own nutrition labels representing all the ingredients and targeted serving size. Students write a list of ingredients and set of instructions to plan the investigation, including food safety recommendations; then they carry their drink making out as a lab activity, using a variety of measurement tools, physical changes and depending on the drink, chemical reactions. They test the pH of their creation and compare it to a published source from the Journal of the American Dental Association, noting its likely impact on teeth with regular consumption.
Student projects have included drinks with three-nine ingredients, including simple lemonades to complex boba milk teas. If students follow the food safety rules, they get to share their drink with classmates!
