There are a lot of things that are totally obvious to adults, but completely bewildering to kids.  Our recent ice storm gave the perfect example of this.  As we were climbing in the car on a sunny day, Daniel remarked that the sun melts the ice.  Yes, it does.  But then he wanted to know if the sun melted water too.  I explained that the sun melted the ice into water – that ice was frozen water, but he just didn’t believe me.  (And really, who can blame him – they look really different!)  I told him we’d melt some ice when we got home so he could see, but he wasn’t happy with the idea of waiting.  Then, inspiration struck.

I ran inside and grabbed a tiny clear rubbermaid container.  I put an ice cube in it, snapped the lid on, and handed it to him in the car.  He saw the ice, and as we drove, he watched it melt.  And lo and behold, it turned into water!  He was amazed, especially at the end, when I proved to him that it was indeed water – by opening the container and letting him drink it!

Sometimes science is big and fancy.  And sometimes it’s completely simple.  And it’s still equally amazing.  Daniel was truly blown away that ice and water are the same thing.  He never believed me when I told him, but when he watched the transformation himself, it became completely concrete and believable.

So give it a try.  Give your preschooler a container with ice, and let them watch what happens.  The easiest way to learn science is by doing science.

Let’s continue the balloon theme from last time.  Your kids will love this one, because, if your bottle is plastic, they can do it over and over, all by themselves.

You’ll need:

• a bottle, like a 20 oz soda bottle, or similar
• a balloon
• a bowl of hot water and a bowl of ice water

Leave the bottle empty, and place the balloon over the top.  Hold the bottom of the bottle, or let your child do it, if the bottle is plastic, in the hot water.  Leave it for a minute or so and watch what happens.  Then, move it to the ice water and see what happens.

What’s going on?  Heat excites molecules and makes them move more and take up more room.  When you place the bottle in the hot water, the air in the bottle expands, filling up the balloon.  When you place the bottle in the cold water, the molecules calm down and take up less space – deflating the balloon.  And the best part is you can do it again and again!

Your kids will love this one, because it seems like magic!

You’ll need:

• a bottle – like a 20 oz soda bottle or something similar in size
• a balloon (or several, because your kids will want to do this again and again)
• vinegar
• baking soda

Put some baking soda in the balloon – about a teaspoon or so – no need to measure.  Then, pour a few ounces of vinegar in the bottle.  Now’s the tricky part – put the mouth of the balloon over the top of the bottle, without pouring the baking soda out of the balloon and into the bottle.  In other words, you’ll want the balloon bent, so that the baking soda stays put, for now.  Then, when you’re ready for amazement, lift up the bottom of the balloon so the baking soda pours into the bottle and mixes with the vinegar (don’t pull – you want the balloon to stay on the bottle).  Watch what happens!

What’s happening?  Vinegar is an acid and baking soda is a base, and as you might remember from your high school chemistry days, when you mix an acid and a base, a chemical reaction occurs!  The by-product of this reaction is carbon dioxide, which blows up the balloon.

This one is an exercise in patience, but your kids will love the end result!

You’ll need:

• sugar
• water
• a small saucepan
• a wooden spoon
• a clean glass jar
• cotton string
• a weight (like a paperclip or a washer – give it a good wash first!)
• waxed paper
• a pencil or dowel
• food coloring (optional)

Put 2 cups of water in the saucepan and bring to a boil.  Add 4 cups of sugar and stir continuously, until the liquid is clear and reaches a rolling boil.

Carefully pour the solution into the jar.  Be careful, as the liquid will be very hot.  Cover the jar with waxed paper.

Tie one end of the string to the weight, and the other end to the pencil or dowel.  The string should be about 2/3 the depth of the jar.  Dip the string into the sugar solution, lay it on a piece of waxed paper and let it dry for a couple days.

Once dry, gently place the string in the jar and rest the pencil across the top of the jar.  Let the jar sit, undisturbed, for several days at room temperature.  Don’t touch the jar until the experiment is finished – though you can look every day and see what’s going on.  Your crystals should be grown after about 7 days.  The longer you leave the string, the larger the crystals will be.

Eat and enjoy!

What’s happening?  First, when we dipped the string in the sugar solution and allowed it to dry, tiny sugar crystals (or seed crystals) formed on the string.  Then, when we placed the string in the sugar solution, these seed crystals provide spots for larger crystals to start growing.  The sugar solution is called a supersaturated solution – it has so much sugar in it, it can’t hold any more.  The solution is unstable, so the sugar can’t stay in solution.  Once you put in the string with the seed crystals, the sugar starts coming out of the solution – forming crystals.  (Delicious crystals!)

If you still have your magnifying glass around from the nature walk a few weeks ago, use it to look at your crystals before you eat them!  Mom and dad can also use the sugar crystals to sweeten their coffee!