Mad Science Monday: Ice, Ice, Baby!

I'm pretty sure over the last few years that I was the *only* teacher to look forward to Monday mornings all winter long. There's nothing like a great science experiment to keep you warm on the chilliest of winter days. And that is actually how my Mad Science Mondays were originally born! I grew up in upstate New York and nothing kept us indoors--but here in Virginia, two inches of snow are considered blizzard conditions. I'm still the teacher and the parent who gets outside NO MATTER WHAT if and when at all possible. Even if it takes 54 minutes to pile into snow gear and approximately 2.6 seconds before we must roll like giant overstuffed marshmallows back inside to de-layer and defrost. By January of my first year teaching full time here, my class needed something new to get us through the winter doldrums, and so Mad Science Mondays were born. To date, the greatest compliment I have received in my career--and maybe life--was that I reminded my boss of Mrs. Frizzle. We all have aspirations in life...
Science was explosive. It was messy. It was fun and educational and fascinating. My own son was still only 6 months old at the time he started being subjected to included in trying out my preschool science experiments and we still have fun with this now that he is my sole student. Here's a peek at one of my favorite science experiments and observations to do with ice. It's perfect for a winter theme and just as ideal to cool off with in the summer. It is not one of those instantaneously impressive experiments but it is a great way to encourage longer observation, critical thought and to introduce the ideas of making scientific predictions.
One of the aspects of science I most love is its ability to gently teach children (and adults) that being WRONG is OK! In science, we are encouraged to ask questions and have questions and to try and answer them when we can. We are encouraged to make "educated guesses" and to try again when we are incorrect--and maybe again and again after that. Many of the worlds greatest inventions and discoveries came from mistakes that worked. This experiment/observation is easy to set up and can be done with materials you likely already have at home.

The Arctic Melt
*The night before you plan to begin you will need to freeze a tray or two of water for ice cubes (if you do not already have a stock in your freezer). If you wish, you can plunk some plastic animals in your ice cube trays for an element of added whimsy as you wait and watch for the little trapped animals to be released!

You Will Need:
Ice cube trays
Water
Salt
Sugar
Access to a sunny window
Small plastic animals (optional)
4 Trays or baking pans to hold your experiment during the observation period

Explain to your junior scientist(s) that you want to see the fastest way to melt ice. You will try warm water, salt, sugar and sunlight. You can also encourage children to come up with their own suggestions for methods/materials. Take some time to also make a prediction about which method will be the fastest and which will take the most time to melt the ice. You may want to chart these responses. Designate your observation areas and set up your experiment.

table salt

Warm water

Sunlight

Sugar

Over the course of the day, take a few moments to return to your observation stations to observe any changes. This is a great experiment to set up in the morning and complete by afternoon. Then gather again to discuss and ponder the results. If you made a prediction chart, you may wish to also chart your results. This is a fabulous experiment to introduce scientific vocabulary words like "prediction," "observation," and "results." In this, you are expanding language development and mathematical skills of using charts and graphs! Who knew science was so well rounded? You might also encourage conversation about how ice/snow melt outside. When there is a lot of snow and ice on the roads, what do grown-ups put down to make it melt very quickly? (Rock salt!) And what causes snow to disappear after the winter? (Warm weather/sunlight!) This is bound to be an activity that goes beyond the classroom or learning space and encourages continued thought and discussion. That is always one of my main goals in teaching science to young children!

And, of course, to have fun!

Happy Experimenting, Observing, and Playing!