Chemistry - Volcanos

We continue our unit on Chemistry this week. The three states of matter are liquid, solid and gas. We discussed changes in the states of matter and experimented with a combination of a solid and a liquid to form a gas through a chemical reaction. A mixture is a combination of substances that keep their identity and don't dissolve into each other, such as salt + sand. But with a solution one substance will dissolve into the other and combine, such as salt + water. Trail mix that you eat is a mixture. Koolaid powder with sugar and water is a solution. Chemistry is used every day in the kitchen!

We will also explore the science behind Volcanoes and Earthquakes this week and discuss the shifting plates under the Earth's surface. We will make model volcanoes. Then we will combine baking soda (solid) and vinegar (liquid) with red dye to recreate an exploding Volcano(gases). We will also be out in the side yard and "explode" coke with mentos and talk about the chemical reaction which causes such an eruption. You can recreate these experiment again at home.

We will combine a frozen solid ice cream with liquid Coke to create foamy gases in our floats for snack.

Next week: Backyard Friends-earthworms