Chocolate Chip Cookies and the Capitol of Rousillon

We are researching Elne, a town with a population of 6,410. First we looked in the Table of Contents and then in the Index for the name of the town. Johann found a picture of a chateau (castle). According to our book, "at the end of the Roman Empire, it was the true capital of the Roussillon area."

For science class, we are making chocolate chip cookies. Our friends, the Kiskers, brought us chocolate chips from the United States (Les Etats Unis). We went to the pharmacy to look for baking soda, but she said to go to the Marche. At the Carrefour Marche we bought baking soda and vanilla. At home we began our project by washing our hands. Karl began smooshing the butter. Johann measured 1 cup of sugar (sucre) and added it to the butter. Mom added two eggs. We smooshed the egg yolks in with the butter and the sugar, added vanilla, baking soda, salt and flour. We stirred it up. Karl loves the smell of vanilla, but Johann does not.

While we waited for the first batch of cookies to cook, Karl did an experiment. He got a glass, added some baking soda and some salt mixed with sugar that was spilled on the counter. He put the glass in the sink. He added water, but nothing changed. He added vinegar, and it bubbled over! Dad asked, "Why?" and Karl answered, "Because they don't mix." Mom said, "But oil and vinegar don't mix, but they also don't bubble." Johann mixed some oil and vinegar to test it and it separated: the oil went to the top and the vinegar sank to the bottom. We talked about how it's like a piece of cork and a rock, the rock sinks to the bottom while the cork floats to the top, because the the cork is lighter than the rock. So the oil is lighter than the vinegar.

Karl is going to do the vinegar and baking soda experiment again. He used the same ingredients and just added more vinegar. this time it poured out more slowly, like a waterfall. The boys do the experiment again, but this time Karl begins with some liquid soap. Then he adds 2 teaspoons baking soda and finally some vinegar. This time there are hardly any bubbles and it's doing it even more slowly. So, we figure the soap is stopping the bubbles (the reaction). We dumped this and started over. This time, Johann started with some baking soda and then added vinegar. It exploded with huge bubbles. Karl added even more baking soda and a little cold water and it turned into foam. Finally, the boys mixed water and oil and saw that the oil sank to the bottom. So, oil is heavier than water.

"The cookies were really good," said Karl. We are going to give some cookies to Geoff and Maureen and our neighbors, John and Miriam.