Everyday Experimentation

Being a bio major, I recall disliking O-chem, Bio-chem, and chem1, chem2 & chem3 - yet I had to take 'em. Pete treated us to Chemistry set this summer and it's actually been fun! Here, we took baking soda and vinegar

and mixed them in a bottle...and STAND BACK...
A gas filled the ballo0n. We made CO2 from a liquid and a solid! Time to check density: We filled a balloon with air and then dropped the balloons at the same time. We discovered that CO2 is densest and sinks quickly. The air balloon sinks slowly because it's about as dense as the room air and a Helium balloon floated/rose because it was less dense than air :-)
Here, pepper flakes floated on top of water. With just a touch of bar soap, we broke the surface tension of water and the flakes scattered immediately! very cool. Do all liquids mix together? We stirred water and oil
and learned that they will separate. Oil floats on top since it's lighter than water. Water is heavier than oil and sinks to the bottom.

I've learned something about myself with all this. That I truly enjoy hands on learning. I remember being in college & grad school thinking to myself, I wish I could be a "student" the rest of my life. Continually learning.