OK, yesterday was FUN!
(not actually me or my picture)
It is Dry Ice week for my classes, also it’s week 5 out of 6 so there’s a little extra joy around Mad Science camp. Which has nothing to do with the chili cook-off party scheduled for later this week.
There’s really no point to this story, so don’t be expecting a big punch line.
My 2nd-3rd grade girls did a wonderful job acting out molecules in solids, (all bunched up) liquids, (partially connected but able to move freely) and gasses (completely separated and moving even faster). As we “heated up” the molecules, they separated, had more energy and changed states of matter. Oh, and I learned from a 2nd grader there’s a FOURTH state of matter. Plasma. Did you know this? (The manual doesn’t tell me how to act THAT one out).
Wearing my dashing goggles and sturdy gloves, I carried a chunk of DEADLY (not really) dry ice around the class which we oh-so-carefully blew on, put a pair of scissors and spoon on to hear/feel the vibrations. Then I added water to the spoon and we watched it freeze in about 25 seconds. Now I know what God feels like with the oceans in his hands–it reminds me of the lyric “Who told the ocean you can only come this far…” but I digress.
THEN we got to do the Mad Science that every kid has been dreaming of since their parent signed them up. Colorful water in an Erlenmeyer flask bubbling over with “smoke.” Actually, the CO2 gas was trapped inside the bubbes and it snaked out and all over the flask onto the tray. Who’s the coolest in-control Mad Science teacher??? Oh yeah, that would be me. SuperSonic Shannon. (Or whoever is doing Dry Ice on any given week).
Then we used the same experiment to channel the energy from the reaction to blow up balloons–trying different ways–more Dry Ice, more hot water, etc.
You should’ve seen the looks on the mom’s faces as I poured “smoking” water into the take home color-changing cups for the students to drink as they left. What fun!
On to 1st grade Wednesday!!
You rock! And plasma, liquid… and are a gas =0)!
You are SO cool, SuperSonic Shannon!!!!!
So evidently not EVERYONE had as much fun as me. Got a call yesterday that one of the students went home crying because he “didn’t get a turn.” Didn’t get a turn doing what? TOUCHING the DANGEROUS dry ice? Getting frostbite? Now I will have a little “assistant” next Monday and will take him some extra slime to smooooth things over. Just what every complaining mom of a whiny kid wants…extra slime.
Works for me.
That is so GRACIOUS of you!