Bubbly Fruit Soda

[10 Minutes]

Apples have been grown throughout the world for about 3000 years and there are thousands of varieties. Colors range from yellow to yellow-green to crimson red, while flavors vary from tart to sweet. Apples contain malic acid. The malic acid determines the sweetness of the apple. The longer an apple ripens on the tree, the sweeter the apple becomes. Apples are a good source of fiber and vitamin A and vitamin C. Use your favorite apple juice and create a delicious soda that will "bubble, pop, and fizz" just like the kind you buy in the supermarket.

You'll need:

• club soda • orange juice • grape juice • cranberry juice • apple juice • 5 ounce (oz.) paper cups

What to do:

1. If possible, print out these directions. Read them through together before you begin.
2. With your child, gather everything you'll need.
3. Pour fruit juice into a cup.
4. Let your child add club soda. Make 1 flavor or combine for fruit punch flavor.

How to use:

1. Together, think of ways to make this drink fancy--a scoop of sherbet, fancy ice cubes, decorated straws, a skewer of fresh fruit on a toothpick.
2. Ask your child where she thinks the bubbles in the club soda come from?
3. What happens when a soda drink becomes "flat"?
4. Have fun entertaining your friends and serve them your own homemade soda!

Let's Talk: Ideas to Explore Together.

• What would you like to add to this drink?
• To whom should we serve this drink?
• Would you like to give this drink a name? Which name?

Useful information:

Carbon dioxide (CO2), is a colorless, odorless gas, somewhat heavier than air. When soda water is made, the water is saturated or filled to capacity with all the carbon dioxide that it will hold. The carbon dioxide gas creates the bubbles and the fizz. Why? The bubbles of the carbon dioxide gas are lighter than the liquid, so they float to the top and escape into the air. What happens to your soda when all the bubbles of air escape? It becomes "flat."