Science and the Bible: Make Waves with Jonah

I love the story of Jonah and the big fish. I’ve always been intrigued by what it must have been like in the belly of the fish for three days. Here’s a fun science experiment that you can use with kids while teaching the story of Jonah. Download a teaching picture and Bible story summary here.

Before the Activity:

o   Where are some places that you have seen “foamy” water?

o   What Bible story do you think of when I say these words: storm, sea, foam, spit, throw up, and big fish?

o   Today we are going to study the story of Jonah.

Items needed:

o   Plastic soda bottle (16 or 20 ounce)

o   ½ cup 20-volume hydrogen peroxide (Available at beauty supply stores)

o   1 packet of dry yeast

o   3 tablespoons of warm water

o   Liquid dish soap

o   Food color

o   Small cup

o   Safety goggles

o   Tray or pan

Instructions:

o   Place hydrogen peroxide in the plastic bottle.

o   Add food color and about a tablespoon of dish soap to the bottle and mix.

o   Combine warm water and yeast and mix together for about 30 seconds.

o   Pour the yeast in the bottle and step back.

What happened:

o   This experiment created an exothermic reaction. This means that along with the foam there was also heat. The foam and heat were produced as oxygen bubbles were quickly created as the yeast mixed with the hydrogen and soap.

Bible Story Connection:

o   The book of Jonah

o   Connection Point: When water crashes around in the waves, it creates a foamy texture. We know that when Jonah was thrown off of the boat there was a great storm, so there were probably some “foamy” waters. Also, another point of connection with this activity is when the big fish spit Jonah up onto dry land. The foam shooting out of the bottle kind of reminds us of spit shooting out.

After the Story/Activity:

o   What part of the story did the foam remind you of?

o   What part of the story did the foam shooting out of the bottle remind you of?

o   Do you think that Jonah really was in a big fish and spit up onto dry land? Why or why not?

 

Jeff Land loves Life! That’s pretty great, because his job here at Lifeway is the Team Leader for Bible Studies for Life: Kids. Jeff loves his life which is so blessed by his amazing wife, Abbey, and their four sons, Reed, Nash, Will, and Tuck. A natural encourager and fun-lover, look for Jeff’s posts about teacher appreciation and game ideas. When not serving at work, Jeff serves 2nd graders at his church, First Baptist Church, Joelton, TN.