[funky upbeat music] [singer] We can, we can, we can We can, we can, we can We can, we can, we can Mini Fab Science Lab We can ask big questions We can figure it out Let’s investigate in the Mini Fab Science Lab [Ava] Carter, I’m so excited you got to hang out today.

[Carter] I know, me too.

What’s on the agenda today?

I thought we could start with some brain food to help us decide.

Great idea, Ava.

I love sandwiches almost as much as I love science experiments.

Well, if you think of it, sandwiches are kind of like an experiment.

What do you mean?

Well, with an experiment, you always try something new to figure out how it works.

And with every sandwich, I try something new to see if I like it.

And today, I thought I would skip the mayo and get extra pickles.

Yuck.

Definitely don’t add pickles.

I like everything except pickles.

You don’t like pickles?

But there are so many different types-- crunchy pickles, sweet pickles, sour pickles, and spicy pickles.

OK, I haven’t actually ever tried a pickle.

They just look so cold and slimy and green.

Hmm.

Do you like cucumbers?

Sure, I’d put a cucumber on my sandwich if you have any.

Pickles come from cucumbers.

Really?

How does a cucumber turn into a pickle?

Well, with science, when you put a cucumber into vinegar long enough, it makes a pickle.

And you can do more cool things with acids over time.

Like pickles, you can also do cool things with acid really fast, like acid-base reactions.

I think I need an explainer.

What’s an acid-base reaction?

Well, now that sounds like a big question.

Let’s investigate.

[pensive music] Wow, it looks so cool in here.

I feel ready to experiment now.

It’s always time to experiment in the Mini Fab Science Lab.

We’re going to need vinegar, baking soda, an empty beaker, a funnel, and, of course, last but not least, a latex glove.

Looks like we’ve got it all ready to go.

Yes, OK, great.

Now, step one, can you pour the vinegar into the empty beaker?

[Carter] Sure, like this?

[Ava] Yes, perfect.

And while you’re doing that I’ll go ahead and pour the baking soda into the glove.

[Carter] Oh, OK, I think I’m good here.

[Ava] Now I’m going to put the glove onto the beaker, and then you can shake it up and see what happens.

OK, Carter, shake it up.

[Ava and Carter] Shake it, shake it, shake it shake it, shake it.

[Carter] Whoa, it’s like it’s waving at us.

How did you do that, Ava?

We did it together with science.

What we just saw was an acid-base reaction.

That’s so cool, but why did baking soda and vinegar blow up the glove?

That’s a big question.

Let’s investigate.

When we put the glove on top of the beaker, the baking soda falls into the vinegar.

And that’s what caused the chemical reaction.

Right, acids and bases are two different chemical substances that have different properties.

Bases are opposite than acids.

So when we put an acid, like vinegar, into the beaker, and then a base, like baking soda, into the glove, inside of the beaker, the acid and the base had a big reaction, just like the vinegar and baking soda came together and transformed into salt and water.

And a gas called carbon dioxide.

[Carter] Is that what made the glove inflate?

[Ava] Yup.

Carbon dioxide gas filled up the gloves and made it look like a big hand balloon and an acid-base reaction that you can see really well.

So acids can change a cucumber into a pickle and cause an acid-base reaction that makes a glove inflate?

What else can acids do?

Now, that’s a big question.

We can ask big questions.

We can figure it out.

And I know just the expert we could talk to.

You do?

Yes.

Mom, can I call Miss Liani at Duke Gardens?

We have a big question.

[Mom] Yes, dear.

But be sure to tell her I said hello.

Awesome!

Please call Miss Liani at Sarah P. Duke Gardens.

[soft keyboard music] Well, hello there, young scientists.

Hi, Miss Liani.

And my mom says hi, too.

And this is my friend Carter.

Hi, Miss Liani.

Hi.

What can I help you with today?

Well, we were talking about pickles and how vinegar is an acid.

And then we did a vinegar baking soda experiment with a glove.

And it just got us thinking.

What else can acids do?

Beautiful.

That is a really big question.

You know, I think my friend Jason can help us.

You do?

I do.

Hey, Jason.

Jason, we have some special visitors to ask you a question.

[pensive music] [thud] Hey, Miss Liani.

Hey, kids.

What’s the big question?

We wanted to know more about what do acids do?

Oh, acids can do so many cool things, even here with the plants.

Acid-base reactions are some of my favorite science experiments.

I get to use them every day here at the gardens.

Plants like blueberries, azaleas, magnolias, and hydrangeas all grow the best when they’re in acidic soil.

How do you make sure the soil is acidic?

Great question.

We test the soil pH.

pH?

What is that?

pH is a scale that measures how much acid or base Is in something.

And for our beautiful hydrangeas to grow, they need a pH level between 5.5 and 6.5 Check this out.

Hydrangeas are naturally pink.

But if we add more acid to the soil, the flowers will turn blue.

[Ava and Carter ] Wow.

Cool.

To make sure that we get the color we want, we have to test the pH of the soil.

So when a cucumber reacts with an acid, it turns into a pickle.

But when a hydrangea reacts with an acid, it turns blue.

So when we add acids to things, those things react and change.

Right, Carter.

If you like what adding acids to hydrangeas did, you might like what it does to cucumbers, too.

I don’t know.

What do you think, Mr. Jason?

Well, I’ve never met a veggie I didn’t like.

It’s an experiment, Carter.

It could be great.

I got to think about it.

Thank you for showing us the flowers.

Yeah.

It was cool to see there’s science even in the garden.

Science is all around us.

Just keep your eyes open and watch it bloom.

-Bye.

-Bye.

-Bye -Bye friends [soft music] Mom, Miss Liani said hi.

And guess what?

[Mom] What’s that, sweetie?

We met her friend, Mr. Jason and he taught us all about how plant scientists use acid-base reactions.

They taught us about the pH scale in soil and why the cucumbers change to pickles.

[Mom] Wow.

You learned a lot today.

[hesitant] I think there’s one more thing to learn.

[nervous] I can do this.

I can do this.

[Ava] Are you going to try it?

I can try new things.

I can figure it out.

[crunch] [Ava] Well, what do you think?

I think-- I think I love it.

I think I want another bite.

Experiment successful.

Wow.

I love pickles.

And I love science.

[Ava] Cheers.

[upbeat music] [] [] Mini Fab Science Lab is a production of PBS North Carolina in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Child Development and Early Education.