Ginger Beer Science Project (non-alcoholic)

In this Senior Primary / Junior Secondary version of the ginger beer program, students brew a small (15L) barrel of (non-alcoholic!) ginger beer over the course of two school weeks, optionally starting a broader investigation which can be extended to an entire term and across most curriculum subject areas.

This is all done in the classroom, and completely from scratch. Naturally the process can be repeated after the first batch, allowing for more investigations and experiments, and potential fundraising.

Layout

This program can be either independently run by the classroom teacher, or guided by an OpenSTEM facilitator. In the facilitated version, we do three in-classroom workshops of about 1h30 each, across a period of two-three school weeks:

Introduction, and getting started with the ginger beer plant.
Extraction of the juice, transfer to barrel, adding additional ingredients (day 7)
Completing the process, testing the results! (day 10-14)

Some of the project and research work is done in between the workshops, as part of the regular class work guided by the teacher using the workbook supplied.

Once started, the ginger beer plant requires a few minutes of daily attention. During the school week there are worthwhile observations to make for the class, and across the weekend the essential tasks are performed by one student or teacher.

Mind that this an organic process, timelines can change depending on temperature and other factors.

Ingredients

Water
Ginger (ground or chopped)
Sugar
Lemon juice
Time & Patience
No yeast!

Plus some equipment (provided).

Carbonating: The Old Way

In the process we let the mix catch naturally occurring yeast from the air – the way it used to be done… this means that the ginger beer mix starts producing very gentle carbon dioxide bubbles.

That’s right! CO2 is a natural by-product of the fermentation process, thus when properly brewed it does not need to be added.

Consumable Results

The ginger beer café project is a scaled-up and much extended version of our Junior Primary Making Ginger Beer Program, with a yield of more than 14 litres per batch, stored in a 15L barrel.

The students do all the work in this program, which can have an extensive scope across the curriculum.

The remaining ginger plant “gunk” can be used to start one or more new batches and do the process faster (since there is already yeast present from the start). It can be split and given to people to use at home, and it can be kept frozen.

Creating and Selling a Product

The final product can be sold through a school tuck shop, school café, or at a special event. Students investigate suitable product pricing, and of course the cost of production and how different scales of production can affect the cost and other factors (including sustainability).

The process can be kept going, or restarted at any point. It’s designed to be at a sustainable and manageable scale.

Scientific Process

Making ginger beer is a complete scientific experiment, covering all aspects of the scientific method from research and defining a hypothesis to analysis, evaluation and reporting results. Students also learn to structure a basic scientific report on the process.

Safety

Because we don’t add brewer’s yeast or any another “aggressive” ingredient, the fermentation process is very gentle.

The mix does produce carbon dioxide (CO2), and with the larger quantity of ginger beer produced by our scaled-up process, the total amount and rate is naturally also higher than with the basic program.

We use a standard brewing air lock on the barrel, which also neatly visualises the process for the students to monitor.

Pricing and Availability

The Ginger Beer Science Project teaching materials are, like other OpenSTEM units, available for subscribers – for a mere $20 + GST!
This program can now run entirely by the teacher, or run facilitated ($550 + GST, or $450 + GST for subscribers) by someone from OpenSTEM in conjunction with the class teacher.
The equipment kit is $95 + GST. Naturally the equipment can be used again and again. It seems that most kids like ginger beer, and thus it’s likely to be in hot demand through the school tuck shop or café!

Credits

This OpenSTEM program was developed by Arjen Lentz and Dr Claire Reeler.

The ginger beer production process was adapted from a recipe documented by Rhonda Hetzel of Down to Earth.

Curriculum Integration

OpenSTEM aims to provide educators with practical implementations of the curriculum, enabling students to gain hands-on experience and skills practice with real-world environments. Thus, it’s possible to integrate our programs in to your regular planning, rather having to make special time for it or seeing it as an extra-curricular activity.

As shown below, the subject matter spans Science, Mathematics, Economics and Business, and Design & Technologies, applying to Year 4 to 6 [Curriculum source: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)]. The creation of advertising material for the ginger beer sold at school addresses the literacy strand of the English curriculum.

Science

Year 4

Living things have life cycles (ACSSU072).
Living things, including plants and animals, depend on each other and the environment to survive (ACSSU073).
Natural and processed materials have a range of physical properties; These properties can influence their use (ACSSU074).
Science involves making predictions and describing patterns and relationships (ACSHE061).
Science knowledge helps people to understand the effect of their actions (ACSHE062).
With guidance, identify questions in familiar contexts that can be investigated scientifically and predict what might happen based on prior knowledge (ACSIS064).
Suggest ways to plan and conduct investigations to find answers to questions (ACSIS065).
Safely use appropriate materials, tools or equipment to make and record observations, using formal measurements and digital technologies as appropriate (ACSIS066).
Use a range of methods including tables and simple column graphs to represent data and to identify patterns and trends (ACSIS068).
Compare results with predictions, suggesting possible reasons for findings (ACSIS216).
Reflect on the investigation; including whether a test was fair or not (ACSIS069).
Represent and communicate ideas and findings in a variety of ways such as diagrams, physical representations and simple reports (ACSIS071).

Year 5

Living things have structural features and adaptations that help them to survive in their environment (ACSSU043).
Solids, liquids and gases have different observable properties and behave in different ways (ACSSU077).
Science involves testing predictions by gathering data and using evidence to develop explanations of events and phenomena (ACSHE081).
Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect peoples’ lives (ACSHE083).
Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions (ACSHE217).
With guidance, pose questions to clarify practical problems or inform a scientific investigation, and predict what the findings of an investigation might be (ACSIS231).
With guidance, plan appropriate investigation methods to answer questions or solve problems (ACSIS086).
Decide which variable should be changed and measured in fair tests and accurately observe, measure and record data, using digital technologies as appropriate (ACSIS087).
Use equipment and materials safely, identifying potential risks (ACSIS088).
Construct and use a range of representations, including tables and graphs, to represent and describe observations, patterns or relationships in data using digital technologies as appropriate (ACSIS090).
Compare data with predictions and use as evidence in developing explanations (ACSIS218).
Suggest improvements to the methods used to investigate a question or solve a problem (ACSIS091).
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS093).

Year 6

The growth and survival of living things are affected by the physical conditions of their environment (ACSSU094).
Changes to materials can be reversible, such as melting, freezing, evaporating; or irreversible, such as burning and rusting (ACSSU095).
Science involves testing predictions by gathering data and using evidence to develop explanations of events and phenomena (ACSHE098).
Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect peoples’ lives (ACSHE100).
Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions (ACSHE220).
With guidance, pose questions to clarify practical problems or inform a scientific investigation, and predict what the findings of an investigation might be (ACSIS232).
With guidance, plan appropriate investigation methods to answer questions or solve problems (ACSIS103).
Decide which variable should be changed and measured in fair tests and accurately observe, measure and record data, using digital technologies as appropriate (ACSIS104).
Use equipment and materials safely, identifying potential risks (ACSIS105).
Construct and use a range of representations, including tables and graphs, to represent and describe observations, patterns or relationships in data using digital technologies as appropriate (ACSIS107).
Compare data with predictions and use as evidence in developing explanations (ACSIS221).
Suggest improvements to the methods used to investigate a question or solve a problem (ACSIS108).
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS110).

Economics and Business

Year 5

Why do I have to make choices as a consumer?
What influences the decisions I make?
What can I do to make informed decisions?
The difference between needs and wants and why choices need to be made about how limited resources are used.
Types of resources (natural, human, capital) and the ways societies use them in order to satisfy the needs and wants of present and future generations.
Influences on consumer choices and methods that can be used to help make informed personal consumer and financial choices.

Year 6

Why are there trade-offs associated with making decisions?
What are the possible effects of my consumer and financial choices?
Why do businesses exist and what are the different ways they provide goods and services?
How the concept of opportunity cost involves choices about the alternative use of resources and the need to consider trade-offs.
The effect that consumer and financial decisions can have on the individual, the broader community and the environment.
The reasons businesses exist and the different ways they provide goods and services.

Year 5 & 6 Skills

Develop questions to guide an investigation of an economic or business issue or event, and gather data and information from observation, print and online sources.
Sort data and information into categories.
Identify alternative responses to an issue or event, and consider the advantages and disadvantages of preferring one to others.
Apply economics and business knowledge and skills in familiar situations.
Present findings in an appropriate format using economics and business terms, and reflect on the possible effects of decisions.

Maths

Year 4

Count by quarters halves and thirds, including with mixed numerals. Locate and represent these fractions on a number line (ACMNA078).
Use scaled instruments to measure and compare lengths, masses, capacities and temperatures (ACMMG084).
Compare objects using familiar metric units of area and volume (ACMMG290).
Construct suitable data displays, with and without the use of digital technologies, from given or collected data. Include tables, column graphs and picture graphs where one picture can represent many data values (ACMSP096).
Evaluate the effectiveness of different displays in illustrating data features including variability (ACMSP097).
Solve problems involving purchases and the calculation of change to the nearest five cents with and without digital technologies (ACMNA080).

Year 5

Use estimation and rounding to check the reasonableness of answers to calculations (ACMNA099).
Choose appropriate units of measurement for length, area, volume, capacity and mass (ACMMG108).
Pose questions and collect categorical or numerical data by observation or survey (ACMSP118).
Construct displays, including column graphs, dot plots and tables, appropriate for data type, with and without the use of digital technologies (ACMSP119).
Describe and interpret different data sets in context (ACMSP120).
Create simple financial plans (ACMNA106).

Year 6

Select and apply efficient mental and written strategies and appropriate digital technologies to solve problems involving all four operations with whole numbers (ACMNA123)
Solve problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions with the same or related denominators (ACMNA126)
Find a simple fraction of a quantity where the result is a whole number, with and without digital technologies (ACMNA127)
Add and subtract decimals, with and without digital technologies, and use estimation and rounding to check the reasonableness of answers (ACMNA128)
Multiply decimals by whole numbers and perform divisions by non-zero whole numbers where the results are terminating decimals, with and without digital technologies (ACMNA129)
Make connections between equivalent fractions, decimals and percentages (ACMNA131)
Investigate and calculate percentage discounts of 10%, 25% and 50% on sale items, with and without digital technologies (ACMNA132)
Continue and create sequences involving whole numbers, fractions and decimals. Describe the rule used to create the sequence (ACMNA133)
Connect decimal representations to the metric system (ACMMG135)
Convert between common metric units of length, mass and capacity (ACMMG136)
Connect volume and capacity and their units of measurement (ACMMG138)
Describe probabilities using fractions, decimals and percentages (ACMSP144)
Conduct chance experiments with both small and large numbers of trials using appropriate digital technologies (ACMSP145)
Compare observed frequencies across experiments with expected frequencies (ACMSP146)
Interpret and compare a range of data displays, including side-by-side column graphs for two categorical variables (ACMSP147)
Interpret secondary data presented in digital media and elsewhere (ACMSP148)

Design & Technologies

Year 4

Recognise the role of people in design and technologies occupations and explore factors, including sustainability that impact on the design of products, services and environments to meet community needs (ACTDEK010)
Investigate how forces and the properties of materials affect the behaviour of a product or system (ACTDEK011)
Investigate food and fibre production and food technologies used in modern and traditional societies (ACTDEK012)
Investigate the suitability of materials, systems, components, tools and equipment for a range of purposes (ACTDEK013)
Critique needs or opportunities for designing and explore and test a variety of materials, components, tools and equipment and the techniques needed to produce designed solutions (ACTDEP014)
Generate, develop, and communicate design ideas and decisions using appropriate technical terms and graphical representation techniques (ACTDEP015)
Select and use materials, components, tools and equipment using safe work practices to make designed solutions (ACTDEP016)
Evaluate design ideas, processes and solutions based on criteria for success developed with guidance and including care for the environment (ACTDEP017)
Plan a sequence of production steps when making designed solutions individually and collaboratively (ACTDEP018)

Year 5 & 6

Investigate how people in design and technologies occupations address competing considerations, including sustainability in the design of products, services, and environments and for current and future use (ACTDEK019)
Investigate how and why food and fibre are produced in managed environments (ACTDEK021)
Investigate the role of food preparation in maintaining good health and the importance of food safety and hygiene (ACTDEK022)
Investigate characteristics and properties of a range of materials, systems, components, tools and equipment and evaluate the impact of their use (ACTDEK023)
Critique needs or opportunities for designing, and investigate materials, components, tools, equipment and processes to achieve intended designed solutions (ACTDEP024)
Generate, develop, communicate and document design ideas and processes for audiences using appropriate technical terms and graphical representation techniques (ACTDEP025)
Apply safe procedures when using a variety of materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques to make designed solutions (ACTDEP026)
Negotiate criteria for success that include consideration of sustainability to evaluate design ideas, processes and solutions (ACTDEP027)
Develop project plans that include consideration of resources when making designed solutions individually and collaboratively (ACTDEP028)