Liquid, solid, and gas activities please help?

Question

I am looking for activities dealing with solids and liquids that i can do with third graders any ideas will help

Answer 1

I had soooo much fun teaching Liquid Solid and Gas to 2nd graders last year. Here are some of the activities we did.

Test the objects:

We divised 4 tests (poke- will my finger go through, pick up (does it come all at once or in pieces, pour- clumpy or smooth, and shape- does it stay the same or look like the container)
We then used these tests on different objects in our everyday life and used a spread sheet to record the data.

After they had a good understanding of these ideas we started doing tests.

We made ice cream- You put sugar, milk, and vanilla into a ziploc bag. Then sit this into a larger ziploc bag filled with ice and rock salt. Shake until the liquid gets cold enough and turns into a solid.

We also melted ice and watched the difference in having a black piece of paper or being in the shade.

We also did a web quest on matter.

The kids loved all of the stuff and I had fun teaching it. It is my favorite thing to teach.

Answer 2

Parafin will melt over boiling water. If you melt it in a glass so you can see inside you can take it out and set it in cold (not ice) water and ask the kids if it will form "ice" on the surface like water. The answer is no - water is one of the few substances that is less dense as a solid than as a liquid, so the parafin will from a solid at the bottom and gradually fill the glass.
To duplicate this in water you will have to have extremely cold stuff at the bottom - dry ice in water or salt plus ice plus water then put a glass of very cold water in it and surround it with something you can see through (or put it in a large glass jar or small terrerium or empty aquarium) to keep the warm air away from it. Ice crystals should form and float to the surface.

Answer 3

Fill a pan with water. Put a little water in an empty coke can. Heat the can on a burner until the water inside begins to boil. Pick the can up with a pair of tongs, turn it over, and put it in the pan with water. The can will immediately get crushed.

The reason is because when you boil the water, the steam fills the can, forcing out all or most of the air. When you turn the can over and put it in the pan of water, the steam in the can immediately cools and condenses, creating a vacuum inside the can. Since the atmospheric pressure on the outside of the can is greater than the pressure inside the can, the can is crushed by the outside force.

Answer 4

Ice cubes, dry ice (be careful though)

Also water mixed with dye. Place celery stalks with leaves into mixture and see celery eventually absorb liquid into itself and leaves.

Answer 5

Diarrhea. Third graders think that's hilarious.

Apparently, so do some adults.