Check this page regularly. Every week I will update it with a new experiment.

The Incredible Expanding Ivory Soap

To impress your friends, take an ordinary bar of Ivory soap, dip it in water, place it on a paper towel, and place in the microwave oven. Turn it on for 3 minutes. It will not harm your microwave. When the soap is removed, it will have expanded to nearly the entire microwave oven! This amazing effect is due to the fact that Ivory soap contains air, and air expands as it is heated. Air was first introduced into Ivory soap many years ago when a worker accidentally left his mixing machine on during his lunch hour. Every since then, it has been introduced intentionally, giving us the soap that floats.

Do flares work underwater?

Purchase a safety road flare from any auto parts store, such as NAPA. They can be purchased for a few dollars each. This experiment must be done by an adult, in a fume hood or outdoors only, as some smoke is produced. Do it after dark or in a darkened room. Light the flare, let it burn for about 30 seconds, then drop into a 10-gallon aquarium filled with water. The flare will glow brightly for several minutes--underwater! Flares contain an internal oxidizer that enables it to burn without the availability of atmospheric oxygen. This is the reason that certain explosives can work underground or underwater and work so quickly --all oxygen is suppiled internally. Although the composition of flares can vary, a typical flare contains about 9% by mass potassium chlorate, which acts as the internal oxidizer. The red color is generally due to strontium nitrate, and the fuel is a mixture of magnesium and other substances.

Fun With a Lightstick

To demonstrate how rate of reaction is dependent on temperature, use an ordinary lightstick available at any sporting goods store. Put on a pair of safety goggles, and perform this experiment only under adult supervision. Activate the lightstick and then cut it open with a pair of scissors. Pour the contents into a test tube. In a completely darkened room, heat up the contents with a Bunsen burner or propane torch. Heat gently, making sure it does not overflow. The contents will glow very brightly! This is great evidence that as the temperature of a chemical reaction is increased, its reaction rate increases as well. If liquid nitrogen is available, dip an activated lightstick within a container of liquid nitrogen. It will cease to glow entirely, until it warms back up.