Description

This Barf Bag Lab is going to have your students talking about cellular respiration all throughout the school!  Not really “barf”, but the mixture of cereal, yeast, and water sure looks like it when the sandwich bag bursts open! This quick and easy lesson is perfect for life science or biology students learning about cellular respiration or fermentation.

This inquiry lab involves very little preparation.  Students set up the lab by mixing cereal, yeast, and water and then monitor the expansion of the gas during the alcoholic fermentation process.  By comparing class data on different cereals, students can identify the best source of sugar for the yeast.  Data tables, graphing instructions, and discussion questions are all included.

You will not be disappointed by this unique and memorable lab!

If you are using this as part of a unit on cellular respiration, you may also like my  Cellular Energy Unit!

Vocabulary incorporated into this lab: alcoholic fermentation, glucose, carbon dioxide

Science skills incorporated into this lab: observations, measurement, finding an average, graphing multiple lines, manipulating variables