Three variations on a classroom demonstration of the encapsulation of droplets and evidence for release of the interior solution are described. The first two demonstrations mimic biocompatible applications of encapsulation. Reversible formation of capsules from aqueous solutions of sodium alginate, a negatively charged polysaccharide derived from kelp, is shown by cross-linking with Ca[2+] ions and decomplexation with monovalent ions or a chelating agent. Rapid release of citric acid from a complex coacervate of alginate with chitosan, a positively charged polysaccharide derived from oyster shells, is compared with slow release from capsules strengthened with an outer membrane cross-linked with Ca[2+]. A third encapsulation exercise exploits the irreversible interfacial polymerization of diamine and diacid chloride to form membranes and illustrates the detection of diamine release from the capsule using an indicator.