Chew that Gum

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In this quick activity (page 1 of PDF under SciGirls Activity: Exercise and Memory), learners will investigate what happens to bubble gum when it is chewed for 5-10 minutes. First, learners measure the weight of unwrapped pieces on a kitchen scale and recorded. Then learners chew the gum for 5-10 minutes and record the new weight. Learners are encouraged to compare sugarless gum with regular gum as well as different brands. Relates to the linked video, DragonflyTV: Exercise and Memory.

Quick Guide

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

Materials List (per group of students)

  • a kitchen scale
  • bubble gum

Keywords

Subjects

  • Life Sciences
    • Human Body
      • Digestion
      • Health and Nutrition
  • Mathematics
    • Data Analysis and Probability
      • Data Analysis
      • Data Collection
      • Data Representation
    • Measurement
  • Physical Sciences
    • Structure and Properties of Matter
      • Mass and Weight
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Asking Questions
      • Conducting Investigations
      • Gathering Data
      • Formulating Explanations
      • Communicating Results

Informal Categories

  • Food and Cooking

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • read
  • taste
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • 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