Second Grade Matter Experiments

The Jell-O Experiment

Materials:
·      Jell-O powder
·      water
·      gummy fish
·      cups

Problem/Question:
What happens when you add hot water to Jell-O powder and put the mixture in the fridge?

Hypothesis/Prediction: I think the Jell-O powder mixture will turn from liquid to solid.

Procedure (what we did):
First, we stirred the hot water into the Jell-O powder until the powder was dissolved. Then we poured in cold water and stirred again. Next, we poured the Jell-O mixture into cups. Then, we put the cups in the refrigerator for 90 minutes. Last, we added fish into the squishy Jell-O, and we refrigerated again.

Observations/Data (what we noticed/what happened):
We noticed that the Jell-O was solid when we took it out of the refrigerator the next day.

Results/Conclusion (answer your question):
The Jell-O powder was solid, tiny little crystals. It turned to a liquid mixture when we added hot water and cold water. The hot water was steaming. Steam is a gas. When we refrigerated the mixture it turned to solid. We were right!

The Ice Shape Experiment

Materials:
·      water
·      measuring cup
·      containers of different shapes

Problem/Question:
Does the shape of ice affect the speed it melts?

Hypothesis/Prediction:
We think the tiny cup will melt first.

Procedure (what we did):
Put the measured water in the cups. We used 2 tablespoons for each cup. Freeze it. See how they melt.

Observations/Data (what we noticed/what happened): The one with the most air is melting first. The largest looking bowl melted first. The cup melted second, and the ice cube melted last.

Results/Conclusion (answer your question):
We were wrong about the tiny cup. We think it didn't melt first even though it looks smaller, because it didn't have as much air touching the ice. The air is warm.

The Frozen Egg Experiment

Materials:
· 2 eggs
· cups to hold eggs

Problem/Question:
Does an egg change after freezing and thawing?

Hypothesis/Prediction:
We think the egg will look different. Maybe it will change colors. Maybe it will be spotted.

Procedure (what we did):
Put the egg into a cup and then put it in the freezer. Wait until the next morning and take it out. Wait until it thaws. See if the one that froze is different from one that didn't. Look at the egg and write down changes.

Observations/Data (what we noticed/what happened):
The egg white is yellow and the membrane was stuck to the shell. The yolk looked like a ball, like a cooked egg. The yolk and white do not mix now.

Results/Conclusion (answer your question):
The white changed color from clear to yellow. The yolk did not change color. The yolk turned into a ball like it was cooked. There were no spots.

The Steel Wool Experiment

Materials:
·      steel wool
·      vinegar
·      cup to hold it

Problem/Question:
What happens to steel wool when it is put in vinegar?

Hypothesis/Prediction:
I think it will form into a soft squishy thing.

Procedure (what we did):
Put the steel wool into a cup. Put the vinegar into the cup, halfway full. Try to mix it up. Wait one hour and then check for changes. Mix again. Check again after recess and lunch. Mix again. Leave on snack table for the night and check again in the next morning. Rinse the soap out. Put the steel wool back in the cup and pour in fresh vinegar. Wait over the weekend.

Observations/Data (what we noticed/what happened):
I noticed that the soap is making bubbles. It feels wet. After 1 hour, the water looks green and brown. It is wet and squishy. There are more bubbles after I poked it. Next, the water is green. The steel wool is hard and pokey. The steel wool looks mostly grey now. Next day, the water is blue and green. There is still soap on top. There is a brown ring around the top. After rinsing and changing the vinegar I didn't see any changes.

Results/Conclusion (answer your question):
The steel wool did not turn into a soft squishy thing. It started to rust. It took a long time. The soap was in the way.

ring of rust

The Egg & Vinegar Experiment

Materials:
·      egg
·      vinegar
·      cup to hold egg

Problem/Question:
What happens to an egg when it is put in vinegar?

Hypothesis/Prediction:
The egg will change into a green egg.

Procedure (what we did):
Put the egg in the cup of vinegar. See what happens to the egg. Then what will the egg look like? Check the egg 3 times every hour to see what the egg will look like in the vinegar. Wait over the weekend and check again.

Observations/Data (what we noticed/what happened):
I noticed that there are bubbles on the egg. The vinegar is turning white. Twenty minutes later there were bigger bubbles. The shell is peeling off and the white is turning red. The egg is getting bigger. After the weekend, the egg is soft. I used the knife to pop it.

Results/Conclusion (answer your question):
The egg did not turn green. I like the way it popped.

The Freezing Speed Experiment

Materials:
·      salt
·      water
·      cups to freeze water

Problem/Question:
Which will freeze faster, salt water or fresh water?

Hypothesis/Prediction:
We think maybe the fresh water will freeze faster or maybe both will freeze the same.

Procedure (what we did):
Get two cups. Put salt water in a cup. Put fresh water in the other cup. We used 1/4 cup of water for each. We put 2 tablespoons of salt in the salt water. we put them in the freezer. We checked in 30 minutes, 2 hours, and the next day.

Observations/Data (what we noticed/what happened):
In 30 minutes, the fresh water started to freeze. The salt did not.
In 2 hours, the fresh water was frozen. The salt water was not.
The next day, the fresh water was frozen. The salt water was slushy.

Results/Conclusion (answer your question):
The fresh water froze first. The salt water never froze solid.

The Evaporation Experiment

Materials:
·      petri dishes
·      salt
·      dirt
·      water

Problem/Question:
Does salt or dirt evaporate with water?

Hypothesis/Prediction:
No. I don't think salt or dirt will turn to air.

Procedure (what we did):
Get three petri dishes. Put salt in one dish. Then put water and stir. Put dirt in the second dish. Then put water and stir. Then put just water in the third dish. Put the dishes in the sunny window and wait to see what happens.

Observations/Data (what we noticed/what happened):
The water went into the air. The salt and water did not.

Results/Conclusion (answer your question):
I was right.

before

after