Experiments

Last week the children worked with mystery substances.  They did this in preparation for an experiment.  I let them know that they would be doing a mixing experiment.  Here was the process.

We talked about what they would need for mixing two substances together.  What would they mix it in?  How would they mix it?  Could they think of anything else they would need based on their prediction?  I mostly got the ideas of spoons, bowls, bottles, trays, towels, and the 'ingredients."  

Then I moved on to the procedure.  How was it going to happen?  Would they just pour everything in together at once?  Would they shake it?  What were their steps?  Here are some examples of their plans.

After making their plans, everyone made a prediction.  I made sure to talk about the seriousness of thinking like a scientist.  Some were quick to predict "a big explosion" or "a bomb," but I reminded them to think seriously.  I do this project every year to help the students practice critical thinking and problem solving.

When it was time to follow through with the experiment, the children went over their plans with me.  We grabbed the materials first.  Then we followed the steps.  

I think you can imagine the results with baking soda, vinegar, and oil.  Surprisingly most of the experiments involved baking soda and vinegar.  The children wrote down the results.  

Once all of the experiments were done, we talked about it as a group.  Then I performed each combination of experiments in front of everyone.

Through these experiments, the children have practiced what they've been learning since August.  They used tools and thought like scientists to learn about the world around them.  

As a class, we will keep those ideas in mind as we move on to other projects and units.  Happy experimenting!