About 13 years ago, I met Matt at Vanderbilt University. We actually had a couple of classes together, but we didn’t know that. We actually met each other because we were both part of a volunteer organization called “Vanderbilt Students Volunteer for Science” where we would take cool science experiments into Nashville inner-city schools and get the kids revved up and interested in science. That’s where we met and the rest, as they say, is history. But throughout our time at Vandy, we were always involved with VSVS and when Tabby started school, Matt wanted to bring some of the magic of science to her class. So he took the most favorite VSVS lesson plan about states of matter and adapted it to kindergarteners. This lesson plan hinges on the use of dry ice and liquid nitrogen and he found sources for both in Denver and got permission from her teacher and principle and then took his show on the road.
Well not quite. First, we had some friends and their kids over for a trial run. It was a success and he learned some things … more importantly, our friends loved it!
So Matt and I went to Tabby’s class last Friday to give the states of matter lesson.
First he taught them all about atoms and the states of matter (in a kindergarten level way of course). Here they are being a cold solid, all huddled together for warmth.
Then he demonstrated changing matter from one state to another, first with water (an ice cube melting in your hand) and then with CO2. He let dry ice melt into a balloon and fill it and then he poured liquid nitrogen on it to
Re-freeze it. We cut the balloon open to show the kids the dry ice dust.
We froze lots of things… like a flower an a banana. Matt showed the kids how to hammer a nail in with a banana. You can do it if you freeze it rock solid first. The big finale was ice cream making. At school we used the kitchen aid mixer to keep from having to stir and stir.
At home we used a bowl. Either way, this is about what it looks like: kinda soft servy. But very tasty.
The kids had fun and I honestly think they learned quite a bit. Tabby had retained most of what she’d learned from the demo at our house and I heard some other kids talking about the different states of matter. It was fun for us too and I know Matt would love to give it another go!
That is pretty cool.