Substance 3 was not a liquid like the first two. It was a white powder. We called it many things:
- grainy
- white
- powdery
- bumpy
- sugar
- soft
- nothing (sounds like)
- strong (smells like)
- sandy
- grainy
It reminded us of salt, sugar, and sand. It had a strong smell we just couldn't name. It was a mystery. I gave the children a hint saying it was something you could use in recipes and something that is very good at getting stinky smells out of things.
Did you guess it yet? It is baking powder!
When I brought out substance 4, the children thought it was the same exact jar with a afferent number on it. Upon further inspection, it moved differently and looked differently in the jar. It smelled strange to some children, and some children said it was a different feel. We used a lot of the same language when describing this powder.
- crumbly
- stinky
- white
- smooth
- yucky
- rubbery
- nothing (sounds like)
- stinky
- sugar
- soft
- powder
Figure it out yet? This substance is great for making liquids thicker in the kitchen. People use it a lot of the time for gravy. It's corn starch!
The Venn Diagram became very useful when comparing these two powders. There were subtle differences that came out when we sorted our adjectives.
Knowing what the names are and properties of the four substances, we have already started thinking about mixing them. I will be sitting down with the children and going over their procedures in mixing two of the jars together. A little bit of corn starch with a big scoop of vinegar? One part baking soda with one part vegetable oil? What materials are needed? What is your prediction? We will have to do our best to wait unit after Thanksgiving to follow through with our plans.
And as experienced grown-ups, I am sure you have some knowledge on how these materials might interact with each other, but try your best to keep that wonderful secret with you so the children can learn as scientists. Thank you!
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