Ice, Water, and Oobleck: Exploring States of Matter

Materials Needed

• Several ice cubes
• Small bowl or tray
• Clear cup or container of water
• Cornstarch
• Water for making oobleck
• Large bowl or shallow tray
• Spoon or craft stick
• Measuring cups
• Food coloring, optional
• Towel or washable table covering
• Paper and crayons
• Optional: timer

Safety note: An adult should supervise the activity. Do not eat the oobleck, and do not pour it down a sink or drain. Let it dry or place it in the trash.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, the child will be able to:

• Name and describe solids, liquids, and gases in simple words.
• Explain that ice is a solid and water is a liquid.
• Observe that heating ice changes it into water.
• Explore how oobleck can feel like both a liquid and a solid.
• Use words such as hard, cold, wet, runny, squishy, and change.

Success Criteria

The child is successful when they can:

• Point to or name a solid and a liquid.
• Tell what happens to an ice cube when it gets warm.
• Show or describe what happens when oobleck is tapped, squeezed, or held.
• Share one observation using a science word.

Introduction: The Mystery of the Changing Ice

Time: 5 minutes

Show the child an ice cube and ask:

• “What do you think this is?”
• “How does it feel?”
• “What do you think will happen if we leave it on the table?”

Say:

“Today we are matter detectives! Matter is the stuff around us. We will investigate ice, water, and a very unusual mixture called oobleck.”

Share the lesson goal in child-friendly language:

“We will find out how things can be hard, runny, or even act in surprising ways.”

Body: Explore States of Matter

Part 1: I Do—The Three Main States

Time: 5 minutes

Use simple examples and gestures:

• Solid: “A solid keeps its shape. This ice cube is a solid.” Hold your hands still like a block.
• Liquid: “A liquid can flow and take the shape of its container. Water is a liquid.” Move your hands in a flowing motion.
• Gas: “A gas spreads out. The air around us is a gas.” Wave your hands through the air.

Ask the child to copy each movement and repeat the words:

“Solid stays. Liquid flows. Gas spreads.”

Quick check: Name an object and ask, “Is it a solid, liquid, or gas?” Try a toy, juice, air, a spoon, or bathwater.

Part 2: We Do—Ice Changes into Water

Time: 10 minutes

1. Place an ice cube in a bowl or on a tray.
2. Invite the child to touch it briefly and describe it.
3. Ask the child to draw or tell you what the ice cube looks like.
4. Set the ice cube in a warm place and observe it every few minutes.
5. Ask, “Is it still hard? Is there water on the tray?”

Explain:

“Ice is frozen water. Ice is a solid because it keeps its shape. When ice gets warm, it melts and becomes liquid water.”

If appropriate, place one ice cube in a warm area and one in a cooler area. Ask which one melts faster and why the child thinks so.

Think-pair-share option: The child can tell a stuffed animal, another person, or the homeschool teacher what happened to the ice.

Formative assessment questions:

• “Was the ice hard or runny?”
• “What happened when it got warm?”
• “Is melted ice a solid or a liquid?”

Part 3: You Do—Make and Investigate Oobleck

Time: 15 minutes

Tell the child:

“Now we will make a silly mixture called oobleck. Oobleck can act like a liquid or like a solid!”

Make the Oobleck

1. Place 1 cup of cornstarch in a bowl.
2. Slowly add about 1/2 cup of water while stirring.
3. Add a little more water or cornstarch until the mixture feels thick but can still move.
4. Add a few drops of food coloring, if desired.

Let the child help measure, pour, stir, and describe what is happening.

Oobleck Investigation

Invite the child to try each action and notice what happens:

• Tap the oobleck gently with one finger.
• Press it quickly.
• Move a finger through it slowly.
• Squeeze a handful, then open the hand.
• Try to roll it into a ball.
• Stop squeezing and watch what happens.

Use simple questions:

• “Did it feel hard when you pushed quickly?”
• “What happened when you stopped squeezing?”
• “Did it stay in a ball?”
• “Does it feel more like a solid or a liquid right now?”

Explain:

“Oobleck is made from tiny cornstarch pieces and water. When we push it quickly, it can feel like a solid. When we move slowly, it can flow like a liquid. It is a very unusual mixture.”

Choice and autonomy: Let the child choose one investigation:

• Make oobleck footprints with a toy.
• Hide a small washable object in the oobleck and find it.
• Compare oobleck with plain water by moving a spoon through both.
• Make a prediction about whether a toy will sink or sit on top.

Part 4: Sort and Move—Matter Action Game

Time: 5 minutes

Call out different examples. The child acts out each state:

• Solid: Stand still like a statue.
• Liquid: Wiggle and flow like water.
• Gas: Stretch arms and gently move around the room like air.

Use examples such as:

• Ice cube
• Milk
• Air
• Rock
• Juice
• Steam from a warm drink, observed from a safe distance

Creative Application: Matter Detective Page

Time: 10 minutes

Ask the child to draw three sections on a piece of paper:

1. A solid
2. A liquid
3. Something surprising, such as oobleck

Invite the child to draw and label each picture with help. Encourage a sentence such as:

• “Ice is hard.”
• “Water flows.”
• “Oobleck can be hard or runny.”

Assessment

Formative Assessment During the Lesson

• Listen for correct use of the words solid, liquid, and gas.
• Ask the child to predict what will happen before testing ice or oobleck.
• Have the child demonstrate “solid,” “liquid,” and “gas” with body movements.
• Ask the child to compare ice, water, and oobleck.

Summative Assessment: Show What You Know

Ask the child to complete these three prompts:

1. “Show me a solid.” The child may point to ice, a toy, or a spoon.
2. “Show me a liquid.” The child may point to water or melted ice.
3. “Tell me one thing oobleck can do.”

Success benchmark: The child identifies at least one solid and one liquid and describes one observation about melting ice or oobleck.

Differentiation and Adaptations

For Extra Support

• Use only the words hard, runny, and air at first.
• Offer two choices: “Is ice hard or runny?”
• Let the child point, gesture, or act instead of answering with words.
• Use picture cards or household objects for sorting.
• Complete only the ice investigation if the oobleck texture is uncomfortable.

For Additional Challenge

• Ask the child to predict which ice cube will melt faster.
• Compare oobleck made with a little more water and oobleck made with a little less water.
• Ask, “Does oobleck have its own shape, or does it take the shape of the bowl?”
• Invite the child to explain the investigation to another person or record a short science explanation.

For Different Learning Settings

• Homeschool: Explore ice during snack or bath time and keep a simple observation drawing.
• Small group: Give each child a role such as measurer, stirrer, observer, or reporter.
• Online or digital: Demonstrate the experiments on camera and have the child make predictions before each test.
• Low-mess option: Place oobleck in a sealed plastic bag for the child to press and explore.

Conclusion: Tell What We Learned

Time: 5 minutes

Gather the child and review the main ideas:

• Solids keep their shape.
• Liquids flow and take the shape of their container.
• Gases spread through the air.
• Ice is solid water.
• Warm ice melts and becomes liquid water.
• Oobleck can act like a solid when pushed quickly and like a liquid when moved slowly.

Ask the child:

• “What was your favorite thing to explore?”
• “What happened to the ice?”
• “How did the oobleck surprise you?”
• “Can you find one solid and one liquid in our home?”

End with the child completing this sentence:

“Today I learned that matter can __________.”

Clean the oobleck from hands and surfaces with a damp cloth. Place leftover oobleck in the trash rather than washing it down the drain.