Fun Homeschool Science Project: What's the Best Electrolyte Drink?

 

A fun homeschool science project can be one of the best ways to capture your child's attention as you boost learning. When that homeschool science project is paired with your child's interests, complex concepts are suddenly much easier to understand and apply to real life. Find out what our homeschool is using for affordable science projects that engage and teach.

Disclaimer:  I received these Homes Science Tools products for free and was compensated for my time. All opinions are 100% honest & I wasn’t required to post a positive review.

 

Using An Interest-Led Homeschool Science Project

When you select a theme or topic based on your child's interests, you're more likely to get their attention and focus. This smart practice can help you successfully teach, especially a difficult concept, in your homeschool.

After seven years of homeschooling, I've discovered that my boys learn best when we use an interest-led approach whenever possible. They're more engaged and they tend to learn and master the concept or skill faster. After our homeschool science fun experiment that mixed chemistry and nutrition to teach calories and energy, I made sure to include more amazing science kits from Home Science Tools to our homeschool list.

My two older boys are competitive soccer players, for clubs and our local school district. Recently, they've expressed interest in learning more about health careers, nutrition, and the effects of exercise on the human body. Both boys are fortunate to have coaches and trainers who place an emphasis on proper hydration, nutrition, exercise, and sleep for all, especially student-athletes.

To build upon their interests and boost their homeschool science, I've incorporated more hands-on science activities and experiments. These homeschool science projects have helped me overcome my fears of teaching homeschool high school science and provided engaging ways to solidify concepts for my boys.

 

A Homeschool Science Project to Bust Sports Drinks Myths

When I saw this Electrolyte Challenge Sensor Kit on the Home Science Tools site, I immediately added it to our list of homeschool science projects. The materials in the kit, plus detailed experiment steps, turn complicated chemistry and nutrition ideas (like electrolytes) into real-life applications. Measuring conductance and electrical variables are among other concepts also covered.

As student-athletes, my boys are bombarded with messages about sports drinks being the only way to replace electrolytes. I have my own reservations about those drinks (have you read the labels?!?) and thought this homeschool science project would be a great way to test my theory while teaching an important lesson.

 

Also, I wanted to make sure that my boys knew what electrolytes were, why they're important, and natural options for including them in a healthy diet. As my boys get older, I'm encouraging them to think about what they're putting into their bodies and how it affects them during these crucial times of growth and development. They will be launched into the world at some point and won't have mom lecturing them all the time 😉

What's The Best Electrolyte Drink?: A Homeschool Science Project

After receiving the Electrolyte Challenge Sensor Kit, I printed out the free printable experiment pack through Science Buddies (scroll down on this page and click "Science Buddies Science Kit Instructions" to check it out).

For this homeschool science project, I also bought a variety of sports drinks and other beverages that we've heard to be good for electrolyte replacement. Beverages tested in our experiment included:

• Gatorade
• Powerade
• Powerade Zero
• Body Armor
• Orange Juice
• Lemonade
• Coconut Water with Aloe Vera Juice
• Chocolate Milk (the boys added this beverage to the list after reading an article about the benefits of drinking it after sports practices and games)
• Tap Water
• Distilled Water

Which beverage do YOU think will have the most electrolytes?

Before we began the actual experiment, the boys and I reviewed the scientific method and discussed how it could be applied to this project. Predictions were made and tallied.

Setting up the materials took about 15 minutes. I recommend having a clean area, like a kitchen counter or table with waterproof cloth, and thoroughly reading instructions prior to beginning this experiment. We accidentally blew a fuse in our first multimeter because we didn't properly set up the wires. Home Science Tools kindly and quickly replaced our multimeter with no questions asked and wonderful advice for our next attempt.

Also, make sure to have your homeschool science notebook or another way to record your data close at hand. You'll need to quickly jot down the readings on the multimeter for each liquid.

After testing each liquid, we were shocked by the results! Our predictions were inaccurate. See for yourself!

Coconut water was the winner! And my curious boys had to see if combining the "best" liquids (coconut water, Body Armor, and orange juice) would mean more electrolytes. Yup, it sure did!

Chocolate milk also did well, coming in at 39.4 mA (milliamps).

So, our homeschool science project debunked the myth that sports drinks are the best way to replace electrolytes. We took this discussion a step further and looked at nutrition labels, too.

We talked about what to look for in a post-sports activity drink and why. Also, possible ways to help your body prepare for exercise by making smart food choices.

The boys can't wait to share their findings with their coaches and teammates. This homeschool science project was a major hit!

Find a Homeschool Science Project: List & Ideas

If you're interested in boosting your homeschool science with cool projects and hands-on activities, check out these other awesome kits at Home Science Tools:

• Complete Introduction to Chemistry Kit:  Yowzers! This kit is ah-mazing! I’ll be using this kit with my boys. Over 27 experiments + safety equipment = tons of homeschool science fun!
• Chemistry of Food Experiment Kit:  This kit is a natural extension from the Calorimeter Kit. We can’t wait to get started with this one.
• Vitamin C Experiment Kit:  Another natural extension. Professor (13) is big on learning about supplements, especially Vitamin C, so this kit is a definite.
• Science in the Kitchen Kit:  We’ll be using this kit to tie together their cooking and baking lessons with science. I love when we can combine subjects, save time, and save money!

 

Keep the homeschool science fun going! See what other materials and kits are available from Home Science Tools that you can use to boost your homeschool science. Homeschool Science Tools has a fantastic program called My Science Perks! When you sign up by clicking HERE, you’ll get a $5 off coupon plus find out ways to easily earn more points (like following on Facebook and Instagram).

 

I'm so grateful that this homeschool science project reinforced healthy habits in my boys. This activity was a fantastic tool in helping my boys build solid decision-making skills that they can use in sports, academics, and life.

What homeschool science project from Home Science Tools would your family love the most?

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