Dry Ice Crystal Ball | STEM Activity

Kids love bubbles as well as dry ice. We combine them together to demonstrate a STEM activity. It is so fun to play this. You should really try it with your kids. Have fun.

Age: 5+        Time: < 20mins

 

 Safety 

1. your skin is not to touch the dry ice.

2. Adult supervision.

 Materials List 

• Bowl
• Water
• Dry ice
• Bubble solution (washing soap solution)
• Cotton rope

 Instruction 

Step 1/3 – Pour about 200ml water into the bowl and add two or three pieces of dry ice in the bowl.

Step 2/3 – Soak the rope in the bubble solution for 3~5 seconds and wet the rim of the bowl with the bubble solution.

Step 3/3 –  Stretch the rope between your hands and slowly pull the bubble solution across the rim of the bowl. It is to create a soap film across the entire bowl. before you are master at it, you need to take some practice. 

 Troubleshooting 

Why the film always pop when I try to pull out a whole film? 

—You can add glycerin or white sugar to the bubble solution in order to upgrade the bubble solution. And, be patient. It needs some practice.

 Scientific Description 

Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide which is the gas under room temperature. The dry ice will sublimate (the physic process that solid turns into gas directly) into carbon dioxide under the room temperature. The sublimating process makes the surrounding environment super cold and causes water vapor in the air to condense. That is where the fog comes from. The thin layer of soap film stretches across the rim of the bowl enclose the expanding cloud to create a giant crystal bubble.  

 Extensions 

What if you put the dry ice in the bubble solution? What will happen?

Interested in dry ice?    Check our Cool Dry Ice Experiments for Kids to explore more about dry ice. Let's get started with this cool dry ice explore journey now!