Blowing Up Balloons

Using vinegar (liquid) in a pop bottle and baking soda (solid) in a balloon, carefully attach the balloon to the top of the pop bottle without spilling any baking soda inside. Then hold the balloon up and allow the soda to fall into the bottle. This creates a gas that causes the balloon to inflate. Use caution around children.

Water can be observes as a solid (frozen), a liquid ( in a cup) and as a gas (steam). Freeze water in a small bowl. Place in a pan over a heat source. Heat the water. As the ice melts, it is a liquid. When it gets to boiling it is a gas!

Paint with ice cubes.(can wear gloves)

Place ice in a water table. Let the children play in the melting water and ice.

Solid to liquid to solid

Put about 1/2 cup corn starch in a bowl. Add water until it mixes into a liquid. Add food coloring and play with. The idea is that it solidifies into a ball and then relax your hand to see it go into liquids.

Solid/Liquid

We take water (liquid) and freeze it overnight in the freezer (solid). The next day I challenge the children--Can they turn the solid ice back into liquid water? The only things I place on the table are ice cubes, warm water, salt, and spoons. As they experiment and make their ice "disappear" we talk about icy roads in the winter, salt trucks and how they help us out.

Ice Painting

Fill ice cube trays with water and place a popsicle stick in each square before placing in the freezer. Once frozen I ask the children if they have ever painted with an ice cube?? I then show them powered tempera and ask if they can "guess" what it is. We place the powered tempera paint in salt shakers and sprinkle it onto construction or finger paint paper. Then we "paint" with our ice cube. What happens to the solid ice cube as you rub it across the paper? Where is the liquid water coming from? And how are we making "paint" appear? (Hint: Place the paper in pans before "painting". As the ice cube melts it can get messy.

Tornado in a bottle

take two empty pop bottles fill one 2/3 full with water + add food coloring for an even better tornado Tape the other bottle on top securely with electrical/duct tape turn upside down and swirl bottles at same time then place on counter and watch the tornado!! My 3 year old loved this and we had to do it again and again, is also good for explaining how the water is displacing the air - as you can see it happening.

Water Experiment

Use water to demonstrate how tings can be a solid (ice) liquid (water) and gas (steam). use a balloon to demonstrate how air expands and contracts. Blow up the balloon. Place it in the freezer...what happens? When the air warms up again...what happens?

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