Scroll Down for Ice Cube Coolers Info
Common
sense convinces us that the world is solid, permanent,
and more or less unchanging. But science tells us that matter is not what it appears to be and that everything that
exists in the universe (from the smallest amoeba to the largest galaxy
of stars) is made of tiny, invisible particles.
Conductors and Insulators
2007 ICE CUBE COOLER PROJECT
Each third grader must design and build a container at home that will keep a single ice cube from melting for as long as possible. This project is a required assignment for all third graders in Mr. Hanck’s science classes.
On Monday, December 3rd (Rochester, Anglin, and Carrasco classes) and Tuesday, December 4th (Beaton and Cortez classes), the third grade science classes will begin testing their Ice Cube Coolers.
- The cooler has to be big enough to hold one standard size ice cube (approximately 3cm tall by 3cm wide by 5cm long).
- The cooler also has to be designed in such a way that it is possible to look inside the cooler to check when the ice cube is completely melted.
- Commercial (store bought) coolers cannot be used. Students are expected to make their own coolers from everyday materials and cannot use chemicals (water or ice) to keep the ice cube cold.
- Students are encouraged to try their coolers at home to see how well they work and to make improvements before bringing them to school.
- Mr. Hanck will give each student an ice cube in science class to test the coolers on December 3rd (Rochester, Anglin, Carrasco classes), and December 4th ( Beaton and Cortez classes).
- Students must bring their coolers to school on or before December 3rd and 4th, but no sooner than Friday, November 30th.
- Additional information about heat, conductors, and insulators that would be helpful to students can be found below on this page.
- This is a science project, not a competition or contest.
- All students are expected to honestly and fairly report the results of their cooler experiments. A parent or responsible adult should witness any experiments completed at home and initial the time sheet to verify that the results were reported accurately. In cases where the reported results cannot be verified, students may have to repeat the experiment at school.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Can students work as partners?
Students may work together when they build their coolers, but every student must make his or her own cooler.
Can parents, siblings, or other adults help?
Others may help with the project, but this is a student project and most of the work should be done by the student.
What if I forget to check my cooler and when I check it the ice is completely melted?
If the ice melts and you have no real idea when it melted you will need to get a new ice cube and start the experiment again.
What if I have to go to bed before my ice has melted?
You can ask someone else at home to check on the cooler for you.
Is there a prize for the cooler that keeps the ice solid the longest?
There is no prize.
How can I find out what kinds of materials will make a good cooler?
Check Mr. Hanck's links above for information about "insulators". A good cooler should use materials that are good insulators.
2006 Cooler Results
2007 Cooler Results
|
Snow Crystals
Soap Bubbles
Home Science Recipes
Here
are a couple of "recipes" for things that use ordinary household
foods. All are a bit messy but can easily be cleaned up. Make the cleanup
a part of the activity. "Gobbledeegoo" is the messiest and
has limited appeal. But salt dough can be used for all sorts of craft
projects--making ornaments, animals, pretend food, people, snowmen,
model cars, etc.
Salt
Dough
3 cups flour + 1 cup salt + 1 cup water
Any
amount of dough can be made as long as the same proportion of salt to
flour is kept. Dissolve one cup of salt in warm water. It takes some
doing to get all the salt to dissolve, so feel free to begin even though
some salt does not dissolve.
Add enough water to the flour to make it doughy. Putting water or flour
on your hands and kneading the dough is the easiest way to make it so
it feels right. Knead until it is all the same. The dough can then be shaped. Baking the finished shapes in the oven
(or microwave) will make the dough quite hard and almost like ceramics.
Paint or other decorations can then be added.
Gobbledeegoo
corn
starch and water
Mix enough water to make the corn starch
doughy and thick enough to pick up and knead. It acts like both a liquid
and a solid. Shapes can be made, but they won't last as the starch will
dry out and return to a powder in a day or so.
Oobleck
You’ll need some Twenty Mule Team Borax, white glue (Elmer’s
or something similar), food coloring, two disposable containers, and
water. Dissolve 2 tablespoons of borax in a cup
of water. Not all will dissolve. Throw away what does not dissolve and
keep the liquid.
You are going to mix glue, water, and borax water together in
rough proportions of 5, 4, and 2 parts each. Use any convenient measure
(tablespoon, teaspoon, or plastic disposable cup). A disposable plastic
container (or coffee can) can be the mixing bowl. Or you can mix a small
amount inside a plastic bag to avoid getting the stuff on your hands.
(But kneading it is really half the fun!)
Thoroughly mix glue and water together, in equal parts. Add food
coloring of your choice. Then add 2 parts borax water to the mixture
and stir quickly or knead by hand! Mixture stiffens rapidly. Knead until
it becomes the consistency of firm jell-o. Clean up with warm water.
Throw away extra ingredients. To store Oobleck for long periods of time,
keep it in a sealed plastic ziploc bag and keep it refrigerated.
Caution: Oobleck can be safely handled, but Oobleck should not
left where small children might eat some. (It would be like eating Borax
Detergent and Elmer’s glue!).
[Oobleck recipe courtesy of Golden Apple Foundation.]
|
