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Many Thanksgiving traditions wouldn’t be possible without the important work of chemistry. From the dinner table to the famous Thanksgiving Day Parade, learn how Thanksgiving and chemistry are connected.
Sections
Activities
- Food Chemistry Infographic from AACT
Create an infographic to share about the chemical content and nutritional value of favorite holiday foods!
- 6 Thanksgiving Science Activities for Students to Try Around the Holiday Table from Ward’s ScienceUsing common household supplies, gobble up these at-home science activities.
Demos
- Energy in Hot and Cold Packs from AACT
Football and Thanksgiving go “hand in hand” and if you live up north, you probably need hand warmer during the game! With this demonstration, observe temperature changes in chemical hot and cold packs and discuss processes of endothermic and exothermic changes.
- Inflating a Balloon with Chemistry from AACT
The balloons that fly in the Thanksgiving Day Parade are filled with helium, but balloons can be filled with other gases. In this demo, observe a reaction between acetic acid and sodium that causes a balloon to inflate.
Labs
- As Easy as Pie from AACT
Use chemical and physical properties to identify an unknown powder in this “who done it” lab activity.
- From Sauce to Solid: The Science of Cranberry Condiments from Science Buddies
Try out different consistencies of cranberry sauce, all in the name of science.
- Cooking Chemistry: Not Your Traditional Pumpkin Pie from Carolina
Pies are a staple of the harvest season, but it is likely that you have not considered the chemistry involved in making one of those delicious pastries.
- How Quickly Does Your Potato Cool? from Vernier Science
Have you ever sat down to a nice, hot Thanksgiving dinner only to find that the potatoes have gotten cold while things were readied? Does the size of the potatoes affect how long they stay hot?
- Is Thanksgiving Dinner Aggravating Your Acid Indigestion? from Vernier Science
Thanksgiving dinner is filled with a much wider variety of foods than your everyday supper menu. Which one of those traditional ingredients is most likely to contribute to acid indigestion?
Articles
- The Science of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloons, from Helium to Plastic
from Newsweek
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade relies on a lot more than Santa Claus—vast quantities of helium.
- The Great Thanksgiving Chemistry Debates from InChemistry
This year around the table, why not discuss the chemistry behind your favorite holiday foods.
- Why is there White Meat and Dark Meat Turkey? from ThoughtCo.
Did you know that white meat and dark meat have different chemical compositions and different purposes for the turkey?
- Meet the Balloonatics: SciFri Goes to the Macy’s Day Parade Studio from The Kids Should See This
How are Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons designed, calculated, fabricated, tested, and retested before they show up on the streets of Manhattan on Thanksgiving morning?
- How Pop-Up turkey Timers Work from How Stuff Works
Check out the nifty material science behind the pop-up turkey timer, signaling to you the bird is done.
- Why Thanksgiving Dinners Makes You So Sleepy from ThoughtCo.
L-tryptophan, an essential amino acid, is the culprit for you falling asleep after Thanksgiving dinner, right? - The Chemistry of Thanksgiving Dinner from Ward’s Science
You probably stuff yourself silly at Thanksgiving – Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy. But Thanksgiving isn’t a day off from science, there’s lots of chemistry in everyone’s
- Foiled Again: Science of Keeping Thanksgiving Leftovers Safe
from Ward’s Science
Explore the science of properly putting away the leftovers.
- The Flavor Chemistry of Your Thanksgiving Turkey from Compound Interest
A huge number of chemical reactions occur when you stick your turkey in the oven. Learn how they affect the taste of your bird in this infographic.