CLASSIFYING MATTER

MATERIALS

1 tray per team
At least 2 people
A variety of small objects found around the home (buttons, paper clips, etc.)
Paper towels

PROCEDURE

1. Arrange a variety of small household objects on a tray (about 40-50 items). Prepare one tray per team. A team may consist of 1-4 people. Have at least 2 teams.
2. Each team classifies the objects on its tray into just 2 groups. Do not tell the other team what properties are being used to classify the 2 groups.
3. Now, each team inspects the trays of the other teams and tries to guess how that team classified its matter (example, by color, by size, by material, etc.)
4. Return to your own tray. Cover one of the 2 groups with a paper towel. Now, classify the remaining objects into 2 groups.
5. Now, each team inspects the trays of the other teams and tries to guess how that team classified its matter.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you cannot classify any further.

EXPLANATION

This is a fun activity with valuable skills learned. Matter is classified according to its properties, in any way the children decide. Each classification system is as valid as the other. There are no wrong answers.
This can also be done with buttons if you happen to have a large collection of a variety of buttons that provide different shapes, colors, materials, number of buttonholes, etc.

MEASUREMENT

TEMPERATURE

MATERIALS

Cup or bowl with ice
Rock salt
Graph paper
Thermometer that reads Fahrenheit and Centigrade degrees
Timer

PROCEDURE

1. Place ice in cup, or bowl, and read the temperature. Record.
2. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of rock salt on the ice. Start timing.
3. Read and record temperature every 30 seconds for 3 minutes (see the chart on the following pages.)
4. Try different bowls. Does the type of bowl (size, metal or plastic) change your answers? Change the amount of salt you added. Does this change your answer?
5. Graph your results with temperature as the ‘y’ axis, and time as the ‘x’ axis.
Have your parents help.

EXPLANATION

After addition of the rock salt, you will notice the temperature decreasing. This is why you add rock salt to the ice in an ice cream machine; it makes it colder which in turn makes it easier for ice cream to form.