Here is what you will need:
Ivory soap
a microwave
Take one bar of Ivory soap and cut into half then in half again. Place the soap in the microwave.
Set microwave for 3minutes (even though you won't need that much time) and push start.
Sit back and watch!
After about 90seconds the soap will expand to about 6 times it original size!!! It won't be too hot to touch either. Let it sit for about a minute or two and then remove it from the microwave and watch for their reaction.
I will admit that I wanted to see what would happen to a FULL bar of soap....learn from me...don't do it...fight the urge! I had to stop it before it finished because my entire microwave was FILLED with Ivory soap!
The soap still works the same, so don't toss it. I placed ours in my son's bathroom and he loves to snap off a chunk each time he takes a shower.
Oh my heck!!! This is the coolest thing I have seen ia a long time!!!! We're so doign this! You are the best!!! I laughed out loud at your comment on doing an entire bar. I'm so glad you wrote that bcause I would have probably done a whole bar too =o) Seriously! So cool!!!
ReplyDeleteUm... that is simply awesome!
ReplyDeletePosted abut this today! LOVED it!!!! Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteWhat is ivory soap? Does it work with any bar of soap?
ReplyDeleteNO way--my kids would love this :)
ReplyDeleteAnonymous--Ivory is a brand name of soap. It is sold in the USA, not sure if it is available in other countries. This experiment does not work with other kinds of bar soap. There is a lot of air mixed in with Ivory soap and that's what makes this experiment work with it and it only.
ReplyDeleteWhy does this happen with ivory and not other soaps? Is it because of the chemical composition or the air? I know its the only bar that floats so I am assuming it has something to do with that. I am going to have to look it up because while we think it looks cool...curious minds need answers lol
ReplyDeleteI found you on Pinterest. Thanks so much for posting this. I can't wait to try! I was curious and looked up why this works. It turns out that Ivory soap has air whipped into it during the manufacturing process, and as the trapped air expands when it's heated in the microwave, it expands. Fun!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/00000053
It's the air! Made in Cincinnati, Ohio (my hometown!) and one of the oldest bar soaps.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory_(soap)
ReplyDeleteGotta try this with my three grandchildren..I know they each will want one! lol thanks for posting this..I love it!!
ReplyDeleteIvory is a very mild soap. It is recommended for babies and people with sensitive skin.
ReplyDeleteohhh wow i loved the comment... "what is ivory soap?" Lol i cant wait to try this with my boys! thank you!! Found through Pinterest
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome! Gonna try to use it for some type of object lessons for kids' church.
ReplyDeleteOhhh, my boys would LOVE this!! The look on your cutie's face is adorable! My son has those same footie pjs... so cute. I'm your newest follower... hope you'll stop by my blog and follow me too.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
xo,
Laurie @ Gallamore West :)
Amazing! Can't wait to do this with my students!!!!
ReplyDeleteSaw you pin...totally cool! I unfortunately am allergic to ivory soap (breaks me out in hives), but I may try it still....my 5 & 3 year olds will get a kick out of it! Too cool. Thanks for pinning on pintrest!
ReplyDeleteI came via pinterest, also. There are only adults living in my house, but I wanted to try it anyway. It was so much fun that my husband can hardly wait to use up the rest of the bar of soap so he can watch it again and again. Some kids never grow up! Thanks for posting. (mine was done in 30 seconds, so be ready to watch from the very beginning)
ReplyDeletesounds cool. I am going to try with my grandson. Thanks
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting this, I did try it as soon as I read this.... works awesome! When you crumble it it is almost ash-like, so I thought this would be wonderful to use with the ivory laundry detergent recipe instead of grating the soap! Thanks again :)
ReplyDeletegreat site, popped over from Pinterest, so glad I found you :)
ReplyDeleteWe love "exploding" ivory soap in our house as well. We use our fluffy soap cloud to make bath tub paint. http://www.housingaforest.com/fluffy-bathtub-paint/
ReplyDeleteHmmmmm, sounds like I will have to give it a try. I have to wonder why anyone thought up putting soap in the microwave to begin with! LOL http://memoryofron.blogspot.com/2012/01/to-go-or-not-to-go.html
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to try w my kindergartner. Think he'll love it! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI make felted soaps... can't wait to see if this will work - what interesting shapes it would make! ;)
ReplyDeleteSaw this from Making Memories with Your Kids and wanted to come over here to pin it! Such a great idea - thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI found you on Pinterest! This experiment was AWESOME. Thanks so much for sharing. Both of my kids were in awe! I am so glad you warned to not put the entire bar in the microwave, because that was my first thought - how cool would it be to make a gigantic one? Yup, I would have had to clean my microwave from being covered in bar soap. Warming up food in a soapy smelling microwave does not sound appetizing at all! Thanks for the heads up!
ReplyDeleteI found you on Pinterest! This experiment was AWESOME. Thanks so much for sharing. Both of my kids were in awe! I am so glad you warned to not put the entire bar in the microwave, because that was my first thought - how cool would it be to make a gigantic one? Yup, I would have had to clean my microwave from being covered in bar soap. Warming up food in a soapy smelling microwave does not sound appetizing at all! Thanks for the heads up!
ReplyDeleteYou have to use a soap that floats - it's the air bubbles that expand in the micro. that cause this to happen. You can see a video at:
ReplyDeletehttp://dsc.discovery.com/videos/time-warp-soap-in-microwave.html
They also do this on the Discovery show Head Rush with Kari Byron.
What a great idea! We are so trying this with our kiddos!
ReplyDeleteAwesome does not even describe this fun experiment! My kids are gonna love this! Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome! We are trying this a.s.a.p.
ReplyDeleteI need to find a British soap that does the same thing!
ReplyDeleteFound this on Pinterest & I am so glad I looked beyond the pin. This is amazing and I am going to do this with my pre-k classroom. To the employees lounge for some science fun!!! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI must be the only one this didn't for. We followed your instructions exactly and it only puffed up a little. My Ivory soap was a couple of years old. Could this be why?
ReplyDeleteJust a little FYI: DO NOT try this on a really old bar of Ivory! I tried it & it started to smoke & look like motor oil. I had to take it out before it caught fire. I know the bar was several years old & it didn't puff up at all. ALWAYS USE A FRESH, NEW BAR!
ReplyDeleteI just tried it with a NON-IVORY soap.
DeleteBIG MISTAKE! same result as you, tons of smoke, it melted into a black pool. Guess I'll hit the store for some IVORY!
Oh no! Sorry guys! Yeah, it HAS to be Ivory soap. When they make Ivory soap air is whipped into it. When it is heated in the microwave, the air expands thus puffing up the soap. Other soaps don't have air whipped into them.
DeleteA co-worker used to do this and mix with oatmeal for a scrub.
ReplyDeletei tried this and it didnt work....how come?
ReplyDeleteWas the soap old? Did you use Ivory Soap???? It needs to be new and MUST be Ivory soap.
DeleteMy kids are going to LOVE this!! I will also try Tammy's bathtub "paint"! Thanks!! :)
ReplyDeleteJust tried this and it all turned to powder in no time at all. :( Not sure what happened...the kids are having fun with it nonetheless, but the powder is all over the place, getting up our noses and making us sneeze! lol!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is going to LOVE this. Thanks for posting. :0)
ReplyDeleteafter you cut the soap i only put one piece or all four?
ReplyDeleteOnly one piece. It grows to be too big to put all four in!
DeleteI didn't read the comments first... and it doesn't work with Dove Soap! It only melt. For the person asking herself if it was sold in other country...Ivory is sold in Canada too since... forever?! :)
ReplyDelete