Our first science unit of the the year focused on matter because:
Matter matters, and it has mass and takes up space!
Everything in the world is made up of matter!
Matter can be found in 3 states:
solid, liquid, and gas.
We learned that all matter has physical properties.
We observed the physical properties of our basketball speed ball!
We posted adjectives that described
shape, size/mass, color, texture, hardness, flavor, and temperature.
(Click on picture to enlarge.)
We posted adjectives that described
shape, size/mass, color, texture, hardness, flavor, and temperature.
(Click on picture to enlarge.)
Watch our slide show to see what investigations with matter we have done!
Investigating Matter! on PhotoPeach
Investigating Matter! on PhotoPeach
***********
Here is a video about another one of our
exciting matter investigations!
Science Corner: Solid + Liquid = Gas!
*****************
We just recently had another wonderful experience with matter.
Mrs. Yollis' and Mrs. Ranney's second and third graders teamed up with Mr. JR's high school chemistry students via a Google Hangout. The high school students gave a fabulous science demonstration about matter.
Here is a link to a post about it:
Mr. JR's Science Stop: Matter Matters!
*****************
If you are interested in science and would like to do more investigations and demonstrations with matter, a great website for you is Science Bob!
***********
What did you find most interesting about matter?
What investigation did you most enjoy?
Do you have some facts about matter to share?
Leave us a comment about experiments, investigations, or demonstrations you have tried!
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteI did the experiment 1 hour ago. I put in a little too much Baking Soda, and the balloon POPPED. I had so much fun doing that experiment. I hope to it again.
Did anyone else do the experiment?
Love,
Charlotte
Dear Charlotte,
DeleteI did the experiment with the balloon at home as well. I did it with different sizes of balloons and water bottles. One of the balloons POPPED as well! I really enjoyed doing this at home.
Has anyone done any other experiments?
If so what have you done?
Has anyone done an experiment that is not on Science Bob's website?
Love, your fellow science student,
♔ Rain
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteI love science!
One experiment I really loved is the one with the paper towel.
I know why the paper towel didn't get wet.
The paper did not get wet because before you put the cup in the water air filled up the cup and when you put the cup in the water the air pushed against the water.
So the paper didn't get wet!
I loved all the experiments we did but this one was my personal favorite.
Did anybody else really enjoy that experiment?
I will try another experiment at home, and I will bring it to share.
Cheers,
Lia
Dear Mrs Ranney,
ReplyDeleteI really liked the experiment on matter. I have to admit it was fun to feel that the balloon and bottle got colder.I definitely learned a lot. I cannot wait until next experiment.
There is another fact about gas (a type of matter) that is interesting to me. Hot air takes up more space than cold air. This is related to why we have hot air balloons in the sky instead of cold air balloons. See my mom's post for more information.
Cheers,
Aidan F.
Dear Mrs. Ranney and Class,
ReplyDeleteI was so impressed to see the experiment you all did on matter using the balloon, baking soda, and vinegar. I thought you might be interested to know about a related experiment you can try with help of an adult.
(1) Fit a balloon over the mouth of a bottle; (2) Stand the bottle in a bowl of warm water. After a few minutes you should see the balloon start to inflate. (3) Empty the water and fill the bowl with ice. Now what happens? You should see the balloon start to deflate.
How/Why does this work? When the air is warmed by the hot water, it expands and needs more space. This is what stretches out the balloon. When the air inside the balloon is cooled by the ice, it contracts and needs less space, so the ballon goes down.
The bottom line: Air takes up space, but hot air takes up even more space!
Hope you find that interesting, too.
Kari (Aidan F's mom)
Dear Mrs.Ranney,
ReplyDeleteWe did not do the experiment on the video, but I did a different experiment in Girl Scouts where we made rock candy. It took a few days for the sugar crystals to form on the string, but it was fun to watch and eat. My mom showed me a video of the MythBusters putting Mentos candy into soda bottles. It was exciting to watch the carbon dioxide push the soda out of the bottle like a geyser. Have you done this experiment before?
Sincerely,
Brooke
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite demonstrations at school was when we froze the grape juice. It was very interesting because I saw that you can change states of matter. Another example I saw was when I went to an ice skating rink with my friends. When we were there, I saw a large truck that let water out from the back to smoothen the ice in the rink. The thin layer of water froze after few minutes and it was much easier to skate.
Two facts I know are that water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit and that the water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water boils, it evaporates and turns into water vapor.
What was your favorite demonstration?
Your science-loving student,
☀Alexandra
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteI think the coolest thing about matter is that it can change from a solid, to a liquid, to a gas.
My favorite investigation was cleaning up the pennies. It was fun watching something old become new again.
Sincerely,
Tyler
Dear Mrs. Ranney and class,
ReplyDeleteI really liked that balloon experiment. I found out that Solid + Liquid = Gas. I hope I get to do the next science video, and everybody knows Matter matters, and it has mass and takes up space.
Your science loving friend,
A.J.
Dear Mrs.Ranney
ReplyDeleteMy favorite experiment was when we put baking soda with vinegar in bottle and it blew up. I also liked when we put a bottle in water with a paper towel and the paper towel was still dry.
Cheers,
Aiden R
Dear Mrs. Ranney and class,
ReplyDeleteMy favorite experiment was to clean the pennies. I liked to see the copper of the pennies change over time. What was your favorite experiment?
Your science loving student,
Matthew
Dear Mrs. Ranney and Class,
ReplyDeleteI didn't do the experiment yet. I have everything you need to blow up a balloon with out using your mouth. The problem is that the balloon that I am using does not fit onto the top of a water bottle.:( Soon I will get a big balloon that will fit on the top of a water bottle. The only reason the balloon did not fit was because it was a water balloon!
I want to do the experiment so badly. Hopefully I will get to do it!
Your experiment-loving student,
Jules
Dear Aiden R,
ReplyDeleteMy favorite experiment was with the balloon too! I liked the part when the climate dropped and turned to room temperature. I also liked when we turned the grape juice to frozen matter. I liked it because of the flavor. YUMMY!
Did anyone like the frozen (grape juice) matter too?
Cheers,
Noel
Dear Noel,
DeleteThat frozen matter was very good. I also liked when J.R lit that cooper on fire. Did anyone else like it too?
Cheers,
Aiden R.
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteMy favorite experiment was the one when we cleaned the pennies. I liked it because it was weird to see old pennies become new again. Unfortunately, mine didn't get clean because they did not have that much copper-oxide.
A couple of facts I know are that a solid plus a liquid sometimes equals a gas, like when we add baking soda to vinegar, and made the balloon blow up. Another fact I know is that you can change states of matter, like when you cook pancakes the batter is a liquid. Then the pancake is a solid.
Does anyone else have an example of changing states of matter?
Sincerely,
Jackson
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteI loved the experiment that we cleaned the pennies, because it was nice to see such an immediate change.
It was so cool that a dirty penny went through physical change, and became new again.
My penny was actually quite clean.
Was anyone else's penny as clean as mine?
Cheers,
Shai
Dear Charlotte,
ReplyDeleteI thought the experiment was really fun, and it was funny that the balloon popped!
This weekend, I watched a bunch of videos on sciencebob.com. My favorite video, "Make Your Own Volcano", was so cool because it looked like a real erupting volcano. I also liked "Fun With Foam" video ecause the foam almost spayed all over the girl.
Has anyone else watched the sciencebob.com videos?
Cheers,
Alex
Dear Alex,
DeleteWe did not watch the Science Bob but we will love to do the experiment.Did you like when we blew up the balloon with salt and vinegar?
Best Wishes
Tyler and Aiden
Dear Mrs.Ranney,
ReplyDeleteIt was so fun doing all the experiments. My favorite one was the one with the pennies. I think it was cool that the vinegar and salt cleaned the pennies.I have not tried any other experiments, but I want to.
From,
Cate
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteI didn't do the experiment, but I did watch the video. During the video the balloon popped twice. At one part of the video when the balloon popped the baking powder splattered out of the bottle.
Cheers,
Maya
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteI really liked the experiment when we mixed the baking soda with the vinegar, and saw the gas form in the bottle. It was really cool to see a solid and liquid turn into a gas.
From,
Zachary
Dear Mrs, Ranney and class...
ReplyDeleteScience and the states of matter... magic words for me to read as I have many interests in science. My university degree is in science so I was fascinated by your studies.
I enjoyed watching your baking soda experiment. I have used similar experiments in a school where I ran a weekly science club.
Baking soda, or bicarbonate of soda, is used in cooking because of its ability to produce carbon dioxide when mixed with an acid. Mixed in a recipe, the bubbling carbon dioxide makes the mix rise. Isn’t it a cool idea the change of matter allows cakes to rise when baking?
Did you know science tells us there is a temperature so low everything, even in the air we breathe, becomes a solid? It is called absolute zero.
The temperature is known as…
0 degrees Kelvin
-273 degrees Celsius
-460 degrees Fahrenheit
Any temperature lower than that doesn’t make any sense as there would be no way of working out how cold it is.
If there are temperatures where everything is solid, does this mean something like the metal, iron, can be turned to gas if heated enough? The answer would be yes but I think it would take a temperature higher than 5000 degrees F to do it.
You found temperature can change matter from one state to another…
ice melted in the sunlight … the heat changed it from solid to liquid
the water evaporated … the liquid became gas.
Matter certainly does matter and it’s interesting to learn about too. :)
@RossMannell
Teacher (retired), N.S.W., Australia
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteOne of the experiments I did with my grandpa was making an electromagnet out of a nail.
The materials I used were:
1. A nail that is at least three inches long
2. Battery housing
3. (2) AA batteries
4. Coper wires about 3ft long
5. Small metal objects. We used nails from my dad's tool box.
I suggest using Alligator clips to hold the ends of the wires to the battery or battery housing.
My grandpa and I got these things at Radio Shack.
You will need to wrap the copper wire around the nail and make sure the wires don't touch each other.
There should be at least 8 inches left on both sides.
Then, put the ends of the wire onto the top of the battery or, battery housing.
You can use Alligator clips if you want.
Finally touch the nail to the small metal object you are using.
Now you have an electromagnet.
I used my grandpa's compass to prove that nail acts as a magnet.
I found this experiment to be very interesting. Does anybody else think that is interesting?
Cheers,
Lia
Dear Mrs. Ranney,
ReplyDeleteAbbey and I (Jules) have an experiment! We got our idea from Science Bob. It's called Fantastic Foamy Fountain!
What state of matter is foam?
What's your favorite type of matter?
Things you need are:
16 oz. plastic bottle
1/2 cups of hydrogen peroxide ( 20 volume is a 6% solution beauty supply store)
1 tablespoon of dry yeast
3 tablespoons of warm water
liquid dish soap
any color food coloring
safety goggles
and gloves
Those are the things you need to make a Fantastic Foamy Fountain!
Two experimenting friends,
Abbey and Jules