But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids

How Does Slime Work?

<p>What is slime and how do you make it? What makes glue sticky? Why does mixing diet coke and Mentos make an explosion? How does glow in the dark stuff glow without batteries? We're talking about sticky things like slime and glue in this episode. Plus, bonus: explosions! The branch of science we're focusing on is called chemistry. Chemistry is basically the study of stuff and what it's made of, and how different substances interact with one another, sometimes even combining to make new stuff. Our guest is Kate Biberdorf, professor of instruction at the University of Texas, better known as "Kate the Chemist." Her new book is called The Big Book of Experiments.</p>
<p>Download our listening guide: <a href="https://www.vpr.org/sites/vpr/files/202009/how_does_slime_work_.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PDF</a> | <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1oTmUjk4_27GwsGgT1uXPo4PqHGsW_qWCmHSwdHBRdpM/copy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Slide</a> | <a href="https://www.vpr.org/sites/vpr/files/202009/But-Why-122-Chemistry-TRANSCRIPT.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Transcript</a> | <a href="https://www.vpr.org/sites/vpr/files/202009/puffy_slime_recipe.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Puffy Slime Recipe</a> | <a href="https://www.vpr.org/post/how-does-slime-work#stream/0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Experiments">Experiments</a></p>

But Why is a show led by kids. They ask the questions and we find the answers. It’s a big interesting world out there. On But Why, we tackle topics large and small, about nature, words, even the end of the world. Know a kid with a question? Record it with a smartphone. Be sure to include your kid's first name, age, and town and send the recording to questions@butwhykids.org!