Sunday, April 19, 2026

Experiment with science in the kitchen

Get some ground black pepper, dish soap, a bowl and some toothpicks and try this fun science experiment with your child: Fill the bowl with water. Sprinkle a little pepper on top. Have your child dip a toothpick into the center of the pepper. What happens? (Not much.) What happens if you put a drop of dish soap on the toothpick first? (The pepper moves quickly to the sides of the bowl.) Explain that this is because the soap breaks the surface tension of the water.