Read this aloud:
After a snowy night, Jonah watched a big truck rumble down the street, spraying something white across the road. By lunchtime, the road was wet and black while the sidewalks were still icy. "It's salt," said his grandma. "Salt melts ice." Jonah frowned. "But salt isn't hot. How can it melt anything? And would sugar work too?" Your job: find out what really melts ice faster, and use what you learn to do a magic trick.
Jobs:
- One child does everything, with you helping.
- Two children: the Sprinkler (adds the salt and sugar) and the Timer (keeps time and calls out what's happening every two minutes).
- Three children: add a Checker, who makes sure all three ice cubes start the same.
In the full lesson PDF
- Bet (5 min)
- Hunt (20–30 min)
- Reveal (10 min)
- Act (10 min)
- The science, for grown-ups
- Questions they'll ask (and what to say)
- Make it easier, make it harder
- Go further
- Student sheet
Written for parents: no science background needed. US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white, with a kids’ sheet on its own page.