Lesson: States of Matter Slushies

PREP

• Fill up small ziploc bags with Hawaiian Punch (1 per student)
• Have 2 bags of ice (for a class of 20)
• Have freezer/gallon ziploc bags for each student
• You will need 1-2 boxes of rocksalt for the whole class.
• “Bendy” Straws for each student
• Set up stations at different tables. One for the small juice bags, one with the gallon ziplocs, one for the ice (teacher run), and one for the rock salt.
• This activity is best done outside.

LAUNCH

• Tell the students that today we will be turning one state of matter into another state of matter.
• You will start with a small bag of juice.
• Ask: what state of matter is it?                  Liquid
• Walk to each station and explain the steps:
• Students will start by picking up their small juice bag. They should make sure that it is tightly closed.
• Then they should put the little bag into the freezer bag.
• They should hold it open while you put ~2 cups of ice into the freezer bag.
• Last, they should put a small handful of rocksalt into their freezer bag, zip the top closed tight, and start shaking.
• Call on students to repeat the steps, before the experiment begins.

EXPLORE

• Excuse a few students at a time to start the activity at the small juice bag station.
• The teacher should be at the ice station. * I usually put in 1-2 large handfuls of ice in each freezer bag. Make sure you have enough for each student.
• Students should shake vigorously for several minutes.
• * The juice in the small bag will turn into a slushie consistency.
• After the drinks have started to solidify, tell the students that they can take out the small bag, slide in their straw and enjoy!

CLOSE

• Tell students that they just witnessed ice rapidly melt into a liquid, and the juice rapidly cooled into an “almost” solid.
• Usually this melting and freezing happens very slowly.
• Ask: Where does this usually happen?       In the freezer.
• Tomorrow we will learn about all of the different ways solids, liquids, and gases can change states from one to the other.

 REFLECTION/NOTES

Any lesson with food or something sweet is always an instant hit with my students! :)  This activity makes a a seemingly invisible process (freezing to a solid) and speeds it up in front of students eyes, so they can observe the transform from one state into the other. The freezer doesn't "magically" turn liquids into solids, it's a process that takes place when temperature drops.