All matter is made of particles

Kitchen Chemistry for Families Grades K–5 · partly supports this outcome

Four famous kitchen experiments, done properly: a homemade lava lamp, oobleck, a baking soda volcano and invisible ink. Each one starts with a real question, works with things from your cupboard, and leaves your child able to explain what happened.

• Why do the blobs in a lava lamp go up and down? 45 min

  Kids layer oil and water in a glass, add food colouring and a piece of fizzy tablet, and watch coloured blobs rise and sink. Then they explain it with floating, sinking and gas bubbles, and test whether warm water changes the show.

• What makes a volcano erupt? 45 min

  Kids test baking soda and vinegar to find out where the fizz comes from, build the classic kitchen volcano, then open bottles of sparkling water to see what really drives an eruption: gas trapped under pressure. They finish able to explain how the model is like a real volcano, and how it isn't.

Solids, Liquids and Gases Grade 5

Where does a puddle go? Why does ice float? A first look at the tiny particles that explain the stuff around us.

• Where does a puddle go? 50–60 min

  Teams race wet paper towels in still air, in wind, in a warm spot and under a cup to find out what makes water disappear faster. They catch the 'missing' water on the inside of the cup and explain evaporation with particles.

• Why does ice float? 50–60 min

  Students compare water before and after freezing: same weight, but more space. They float a block of ice, measure how much sticks out, and use particles to explain why lakes freeze from the top down and fish survive the winter.

Printable practice for this outcome

• Kitchen Chemistry for Families workbook included with the unit

  2 English-support pages, 1 practice page, 1 reading, with answer keys.

• Solids, Liquids and Gases workbook included with the unit

  2 English-support pages, 2 practice pages, 2 readings, 1 word wall, 1 unit review, 1 unit test, with answer keys.

• Earth and Sky at Home workbook included with the unit

  2 English-support pages, 2 practice pages, 2 readings, 1 word wall, 1 unit review, 1 unit test, with answer keys.

• Winter Science at Home workbook included with the unit

  2 practice pages, 2 readings, 1 word wall, 1 unit review, 1 unit test, with answer keys.

• Living with Water: Salt, Rice and the Mekong workbook included with the unit

  2 readings, 1 word wall, 1 practice page, 1 unit review, 1 unit test, with answer keys.

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