Mystery substances

The time has come for the children to put their five senses to the test with a real actual mystery!

I brought in a jar filled with a mystery liquid.  I wanted the children to think like a scientist to learn more about this mystery substance. 

I let the children know that they would use my mystery substances to create their own experiments.  First though, they had to get to know what materials they would be using.  We will be looking at three total.  Here is what they said about this blue liquid.


Sight:

• blue
• liquid
• water
• gargling water
• gatorade

Hearing:

• ocean
• echo

Smell:

• vinegar
• yucky
• poison
• honey
• glue
• nasty
• salty

Touch:

• cold
• water

Have you figured it out?  It's vinegar!  I added food coloring for effect later when experimenting.


Mystery Substance #2

Sight:

• yellow
• liquid
• apple juice
• honey
• butter

Hearing

• By this point, there was an understanding that the echo sound the children heard was the classroom noises getting trapped in the jar.  

Smell:

• funny
• ok
• lemon lime
• yucky
• pizza dough
• oil

Touch:

• greasy
• liquid
• honey
• sticky
• butter
• wet
• weird

Did you figure it out yet?  Vegetable oil! 

Mystery Substance #3

Sight:

• milk
• sugar
• flour
• powdered sugar
• white

Hearing:

• no sound

Smell:

• powder
• nothing
• flour
• wind
• sugar

Touch

• soft
• powder

And the mystery substance is...... baking soda!

I think you can tell where I'm going with this.  The next steps are for the children to come up with a plan/procedure for a mixing experiment.  I haven't given them any clues as to what will happen when they mix two of these substances together.  They will hopefully find it out on their own in the next few weeks.