Foam Tower

Add to list Go to activity
Activity link broken? See if it's at the internet archive
In this activity (page 1 of the PDF under SciGirls Activity: Water Slides), learners will whip up some suds with a cup of water and a tablespoon of dish soap until the bubbles are stiff enough to start piling on a plate. The challenge is to build the tallest pile, varying soap, water, or time of mixing to maximize height. Relates to the linked video, DragonflyTV: Waterslides.

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
30 to 45 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
1 cent - $1 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 14
Resource Types:
Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • a large mixing bowl
  • a kitchen mixer, hand or electric
  • a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid
  • a cup of water
  • a plate

Keywords

Subjects

  • Earth and Space Science
    • Earth Structure
      • Oceans and Water
  • Engineering and Technology
    • Engineering
      • Civil Engineering
    • Technology
      • Construction
  • Physical Sciences
    • Chemistry
      • Solutions
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Conducting Investigations
  • The Nature of Technology
    • The Design Process
      • Invention and Innovation
      • Problem Solving

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves teamwork and communication skills
  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Culture, ethnicity, and gender

  • Girls

    • Explicity developed for this group
    • Highlights STEM opportunities for this group
    • Identifies role models or mentors in STEM fields from this group
    • Uses inclusive images of people from this group

Other

Components that are part of this resource:

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Source Collection

  • DragonflyTV

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, Twin Cities Public Television, Inc., 2005

Funding Source:

  • National Science Foundation, 436260