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    • Popcorn

    Popcorn

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    Popcorn is fun to make, healthy to eat, and a great ingredient for science experiments. Whether you are entertaining preschoolers or teaching middle-schoolers the scientific method, you’ll find what you’re looking for in these popcorn pages.

    		Popcorn Resource Handout for Classroom or Homeschool: Just $2.00

    Exploratorium: Popping Popcorn5 stars

    "As a popcorn kernel is heated, water and oil inside the seed heat up and soften the surrounding starch. The surrounding shell is so tough that the water can’t escape when it initially boils into steam. As the steam gets even hotter, the water molecules move even faster and pressure builds up inside the seed. When the seed coat bursts, steam cooks and fluffs the starch molecules as it's released. At some point, the pressure gets so high (up to seven times normal pressure!) that the seed coat bursts." Visit Exploratorium to learn more about popcorn science, and try the "Every Last Popcorn" activity linked to at the bottom of this lesson.



    Jolly Time Popcorn Kids Club5 stars

    Start with this huge recipe collection (Peanut Butter and Maple Gourmet Popcorn, anyone?) , and then explore The Story of Popcorn (look for Virtual Museum below Our Family in the main menu). Popcorn started as street food, but the invention of the electric popcorn machine made it a movie theater staple. Later, in the 1930's, radio advertising brought popcorn making into the home.

    Kid Activities: 31 Fun Popcorn Games and Activities5 stars

    From Popcorn Relay Races to Popcorn Trivia, Kid Activities brings us a varied list of 31 popcorn games and activities. "Corn was first grown about 7000 years ago in the highlands of central Mexico, and by the first century B.C. was a staple crop of all the agricultural peoples in the Americas. One of the first uses of corn kernels was for popping. Archeologists found some popped corn in a bat cave in New Mexico that was 5,600 years old."

    Love to Know: Science: Experiments with Popcorn5 stars

    "Popcorn is unique from the other three types of corn in that its hull is thinner which is why it can break open. Popcorn makes a great experimental material for kids because it's readily available and fascinating to all." After enjoying these three popcorn experiments (Temperature Comparison Experiment, Popcorn Matters, and Grow Popcorn), you can explore the site's related experiments and articles.

    Popcorn Board: Fun Facts5 stars

    My popcorn pick of the day is published by the Popcorn Board, an association created to increase popcorn sales. From the very first pop to the very last kernel, there is fun behind every click. Best educational nuggets are found in the Encyclopedia Popcornica, where you can explore the hows and whys of popcorn science, history and trivia. "Americans consume 17 billion quarts of popped popcorn annually or 58 quarts per man, woman and child. It is one of the most wholesome and economical foods available."

    		Popcorn Resource Handout for Classroom or Homeschool: Just $2.00



    Honorable Mentions

    The following links are either new discoveries or sites that didn't make it into my newspaper column because of space constraints. Enjoy!

    Explore the "POP" in Popcorn

    The Science of Popcorn

    Kinetic Molecular Theory with Popcorn

    Mouth-Watering Popcorn Facts


    Cite This Page

    Feldman, Barbara. "Popcorn." Surfnetkids. Feldman Publishing. 14 Jan. 2020. Web. 20 Nov. 2024. <https://www.surfnetkids.com/resources/popcorn/ >.


    About This Page

    By . Originally published January 14, 2020. Last modified January 14, 2020.

    Filed Under: Arts, Crafts, Music, Experiments, Recipes, Science

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