On Thursday we had the pleasure of meeting our buddies for the first time this year. After a few minutes of introducing ourselves, we got right to work! First grade studies states of matter and all grades study the scientific process, so we put the two ideas to work for us.
Working together, buddy pairs formed a hypothesis and gathered materials to test their theory.
3 freezer Ziploc bags
2 cups of non fat milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups of ice
1/2 cup rock salt
Mix milk, sugar, and vanilla in the quart size bag. Place sealed quart size bag inside gallon size bag and add ice and salt. Seal that bag and place inside another gallon sized bag. Move out to the grassy area and SHAKE! At 2 minute intervals, observe the state of the matter inside the bag. Is it still liquid? After 10 minutes, open the bag and pour contents in to two bowls. Observe the matter. After making careful observations, dispose of contents using a spoon.
The first graders and seventh graders did an excellent job of following the scientific method throughout the experiment. After first grade left us, we wrote up our lab reports, analyzing the results. About 25% of the experiments failed. Students identified amount of ice, amount of salt, and the speed or duration of shaking as variables that could contribute to the failure of the experiment.
Who says science can't be fun?
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