New Year’s is a time for starting fresh and setting goals. This fun experiment with penny restoration will teach the kids that, because of Jesus, we always have a fresh start.
Materials
- Salt
- Vinegar
- Paper towels
- Two Bowls
- Tongs
- Water
- Old dull pennies
Instructions
- Mix a cup of vinegar and two tablespoons of salt into one of the bowls.
- Fill the second bowl with water.
- Drop the pennies into the salt and vinegar solution.
- Wait a couple of minutes to see what happens.
- Use the tongs to pull the pennies out and drop them on the paper towels.
- Rinse them in the bowl of water so they aren’t sticky and asses the results.
Explanation
If you tried to wash the pennies in soap and water they wouldn’t come clean because, in most cases, the pennies have become oxidized. This happens when the copper in the penny comes in contact with oxygen, and forms a new molecule called copper oxide. The salt and vinegar create an acid which dissolves the copper oxide and makes the pennies shiny again.
Application
People love to make resolutions, or plan a fresh start at New Year’s. While it’s great to make plans to develop positive habits. God can help us be made new whenever we ask. He wants us to be constantly growing and he wants us to know that when we mess up we can be made new. So make New Year’s resolutions if you like, but remember that we are the pennies. And God’s love is the cleaning solution. It’s always there when we need it.
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