A Good Excuse for a Popcorn Party!
October 10, 2007 by Janne 
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Did you know that October is National Popcorn Popping month? (No, I don’t make these things up.) What a perfect excuse to have a popcorn party…and to make it educational in the process! — which is just what we did. 
On Friday we read about the origins and history of the children’s favorite snack, and what makes popcorn pop (something most of them already knew. Gotta love those homeschooled kids — always wanting to know the whys and the hows. I spent over 30 years of my life never wondering what made popcorn pop…just accepting it as it is.) Then we did a little experiment — Microwave vs. Stovetop Popcorn.
The hypotheses of all of the children turned out to be correct, as far as which popped better, but the surprising part of the experiment was in the difference in texture between the two different types of popcorn. Amazing! (I will spare you the results, in case you’d like to try the experiment yourself).
We found the experiment, and many others (which we may try later this week, if I get a popcorn hankerin’) at the Pop Weaver site.
Fun & Educational links of interest:
- Pop Weaver Science Projects
- Schneider’s Popcorn Fun Facts
- Jollytime Popcorn Kids’ Corner
- KCTS Learns: Popcorn Science
- Popcorn Board
- Kinetic Molecular Theory with Popcorn
- Popcorn!
- Teaching with Popcorn
If you have your own educational popcorn party, leave me a comment. I’d love to see your results.
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How fun! I’m excited to check out a couple of the links. We eat popcorn for a snack almost every day! I use an oil popper. However, to keep it healthy (since we eat it daily) I don’t put any butter or salt on it.
[Reply]
sorry to see you are feeling so badly. i’m feeling rotten right now myself. i feel like i’ve been run over by a truck. hoping to see my chiro today who helps me in the nutritional/vitamin/homeopathic way.
and i too want to throw up.
feeling your pain, julie
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