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Do an Icy Experiment 1

Winter's a great time to learn about ice, and here are two simple experiments you can do with your child!

What You Need:

water
measuring cup
thermometer
ice cubes
plastic bowl

What You Do:

Explain to your child that water, which is usually a liquid, also has a solid form called ice.

Experiment #1: Tell your child that the liquid form of water freezes or turns into its solid form (ice) when its temperature is 32º Fahrenheit (0º Celsius). To show your child how this happens, pour 1/2 cup of water into a small plastic bowl and use a thermometer to measure its temperature. Put the water in the freezer. Check the water's temperature every 15 minutes. Your child will see it slowly drop. Finally the ice will freeze, and you'll know that it's reached 32º.

Experiment #2: Leave a few ice cubes out in a bowl. Ask your child if it is warmer in the kitchen than it is in the freezer. Of course it is! What does he or she think will happen to the ice cubes if you leave them out of the freezer? They will begin to melt. Why? Because once the temperature of the ice rises above freezing, it will return to its liquid state. Complete the experiment to verify this.

Adapted from Your Big Backyard magazine. For more details, visit Your Big Backyard's website.