AWANA Science Experiment - A Superabsorber

(This experiment was taken from Science and the Bible - an awesome set of books!)

Theme: Creation is filled with useful gifts

Bible Verses: [God] who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited (Isaiah 45:18)

Materials Used: disposable diapers, clear glasses, water

Lesson: Our Bible verse states that the earth is a unique place in the entire universe. It was here that God focused his special attention for our welfare. He supplied the earth with just the right balance of oxygen, water, and useful elements. We are surrounded with examples of obvious design and planning. It is very common today to “put down” any special significance for the earth. After all is only one of the planets circling the sun. We are in a distant corner of the milky way, just one of billions of galaxies. Isaiah 45:18 however gives an entirely different perspective. After all, it was the earth that Christ came and walked among men. In this light, the earth is truly a spiritual center of the universe.

Lesson:When God created the earth, he placed in it many potential benefits for mankind. The job of scientists and engineers is to discover these things in nature and to develop usefully applications. We will experiment with one cool product called water absorber. It can be bought from a chemical supplier or landscaper, and it’s also found inside the fluffy fabric of larger disposable absorbent diapers. Take about one tablespoon of the white absorber grains out of the diaper and place it in a clear glass. Place water in the other glass. Pour the water back and forth between the glasses. The water should mix with the powder and turn into a thick Jell-O like substance that will not pour. This is only one of many uses for this amazing material that God gave us when he created the world. (To do this with a small class so that everyone has a turn, have each child pour the liquid into the cup one time and pass it to the next child).

Note - when we did this experiment a couple weeks ago, I got the diapers to use from my neighbor. She said those diapers were ones that her baby didn't like (they gave him a rash) so she was glad that I would be able to use them for my experiment. When I cut open the diapers to get the powder out, there was only a dusting of powder. We cut open three diapers and the powder from those diapers made almost no change to the water. When I realized that this experiment looked like a failure, I finally got another type of diaper out of the nursery. The diapers from the nursery were great! I opened up one diaper and found several tablespoons of the superabsorbing powder. We used just part of the powder and after pouring the water from one cup to the other just a few times, the water changed into the jell-o like stuff.

So this experiment showed a good reason why the first diaper brand we tried gave my neighbor's baby a rash. It contained little or no superabsorbing powder! So if you're wondering if a certain diaper brand is better than another, do this experiment with both types of diapers!