The "Suds" Experiment...Not What You Think!

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My kids loved this experiment where we asked, "Which dish soap makes the most suds?" Through discussion, they decided that the most suds was the best cleaner. Not sure if that's true, but I went with it!

I put students in groups of four and every person had an empty water bottle. I provided four brands of dish soap. They had to decide who was using each brand.

Their written directions told them to add 1/2 cup of water to the bottle and 2 drops (not 2 squirts) of one of the dish soaps I provided. They closed their bottle and shook for 15 seconds, then measured the height of their suds. They recorded the data for everyone in their group for comparison.

I love teaching kids how to analyze data. Analysis is basically making true statements about their conclusions. For this activity, I required at least two analysis statements. Their conclusion was to answer the original question.

You can get a FREE copy of the Student Write-Up for the Suds Experiment by subscribing to my newsletter. It gives you access to my FREE Resource Library! The write-up has teacher information and a front-to-back student sheet. It looks like this.

Yes, we had fun! We also followed the Scientific Method and it was a real-life product comparison activity. Who could ask for more? I found this great, almost free, experiment on Pinterest this summer, but I don't know who to credit...so, thanks to whoever posted this!