Super Matter Scientists: Ice, Water, Steam, and Oobleck

Materials Needed

• Ice cubes
• Two clear cups or bowls
• Water
• Adult-supervised heat source, such as a kettle or warm water from a faucet
• Oven mitt or towel
• Cornstarch
• Water for making oobleck
• Large mixing bowl or tray
• Spoon
• Measuring cup
• Small toys or plastic objects for testing oobleck
• Paper and crayons, or a simple science notebook
• Towel for spills

Lesson Overview

Age: 4 years old

Time: 35–50 minutes, with optional extra play time

Big idea: Matter is the stuff around us. It can be a solid, a liquid, or a gas. Heat can change some matter from one state to another.

Learning Objectives

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

• Name three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas.
• Describe ice as a solid, water as a liquid, and steam or water vapor as a gas.
• Observe that heat can change ice into water and water into water vapor.
• Make and explore oobleck, a mixture that can feel like a liquid or a solid.
• Use simple scientific-method words: question, predict, test, observe, and share.
• Describe what happened using words, drawings, gestures, or short sentences.

Success Criteria

The child is successful when they can:

• Point to or name a solid, liquid, and gas.
• Say or show that heat changes ice into water.
• Make a prediction before an experiment.
• Tell one thing they observed.
• Explain that oobleck can act like a liquid or a solid when touched in different ways.

Safety Notes

• An adult must handle hot water, steam, kettles, and heat sources.
• Keep the child’s face and hands away from steam. Steam can burn.
• Use warm water rather than boiling water whenever possible.
• Oobleck is for exploring, not eating. Wash hands after the activity.
• Use a towel or tray to catch spills. Do not pour oobleck down the drain; place it in the trash.

Introduction: Meet the Matter Scientists

Hook

Place an ice cube in the child’s hand or on a plate.

Ask:

• “What do you feel?”
• “Is the ice hard or runny?”
• “What do you think will happen if the ice gets warm?”

Say:

“Today we are matter scientists! Matter is the stuff that makes up everything around us. We will investigate ice, water, steam, and a very surprising mixture called oobleck.”

Introduce the Scientific Method

Use simple words and motions:

1. Question: “What do we wonder?” Hold one finger up like you are asking.
2. Predict: “What do we think will happen?” Place a hand over your eyes like you are looking ahead.
3. Test: “What can we do to find out?” Pretend to mix or investigate.
4. Observe: “What do we see, feel, or hear?” Point to your eyes, hands, and ears.
5. Share: “What did we learn?” Pretend to tell a friend.

Say:

“Scientists do not have to guess perfectly. Scientists ask, try, look carefully, and learn.”

Body: Investigation 1—Heat Changes Ice and Water

I Do: Teach and Model

Show the child an ice cube.

Say:

• “Ice is a solid. A solid keeps its shape.”
• “Water is a liquid. A liquid can flow and take the shape of its container.”
• “Water vapor is a gas. A gas spreads out in the air.”

Place an ice cube in a clear cup or bowl. Leave it in a warm place and ask the child to watch it for several minutes.

Model the scientific method:

• Question: “What will happen to the ice when it gets warm?”
• Prediction: “I predict the ice will melt and become water.”
• Test: “We will leave the ice in the warm room and check it.”
• Observe: “The ice is getting smaller. There is water in the cup.”
• Share: “Heat changed the solid ice into liquid water.”

We Do: Investigate Together

Give the child a second ice cube to observe. Invite the child to touch it briefly and describe it.

Ask:

• “Is it hard or soft?”
• “Is it dry or wet?”
• “What is your prediction?”

Make a simple drawing or record the child’s words:

Science Step	Our Idea
Question	What will happen to the ice?
Prediction	It might melt.
Observation	It became water.

Adult Demonstration: Water to Water Vapor

Place water in a kettle or pot and have the adult heat it. Keep the child at a safe distance. If possible, point to the mist or steam above the warm water without allowing the child to touch it.

Say:

“The water is getting very hot. Some of the liquid water is changing into a gas called water vapor. We may see a mist, but the gas itself spreads into the air.”

Ask:

• “What made the water hot?”
• “What did you see above the water?”
• “Can we touch steam?”

Reinforce:

“We never touch steam because it is very hot. We look with our eyes from a safe distance.”

Quick Check

Ask the child to act out each state:

• Solid: Stand still like an ice cube.
• Liquid: Wiggle and flow slowly like water.
• Gas: Stretch arms out and move around the room like water vapor spreading out.

Body: Investigation 2—Oobleck

Introduction to Oobleck

Say:

“Now we will make a mystery mixture. It may act like a liquid, and it may act like a solid. We will test it!”

I Do: Make a Small Sample

In a bowl, mix:

• 1 cup cornstarch
• About 1/2 cup water, added slowly

Stir with a spoon. Add a little more water or cornstarch until the mixture is thick but can still move.

Model two ways to test it:

1. Move the spoon slowly through the mixture. Say, “When I move slowly, it flows like a liquid.”
2. Tap or squeeze it quickly. Say, “When I push quickly, it feels firm like a solid.”

We Do: Scientific Method Test

Work through the steps with the child:

1. Question:

   “Will oobleck feel the same when we move slowly and quickly?”

2. Prediction:

   Invite the child to choose one:

   • “I think it will be runny.”
   • “I think it will be hard.”
   • “I think it will do both.”
3. Test:

   Let the child:

   • Stir slowly with a spoon.
   • Tap the surface gently.
   • Squeeze a small amount in one hand.
   • Open the hand and watch it drip.
   • Place a small plastic toy on top.
4. Observe:

   Ask, “What did it feel like? Did it move? Did it stay together?”

5. Share:

   Help the child complete the sentence: “Oobleck acts like a ______ when I move slowly, and like a ______ when I push quickly.”

You Do: Oobleck Challenge

Invite the child to choose two or three challenges:

• Make a slow swirl with a spoon.
• Try to roll a small ball of oobleck in the hand.
• Drop the ball back into the bowl.
• See whether a toy sinks or stays on top.
• Make a “river” by slowly moving the oobleck with a spoon.

Ask the child to draw or dictate one observation:

“My oobleck was ______ when I ______.”

Discussion: What Is Matter?

Place or point to the materials used and ask the child to classify them:

Example	State or Description
Ice cube	Solid
Water in a cup	Liquid
Water vapor	Gas
Oobleck	Mixture that can act like a liquid or a solid

Use these simple prompts:

• “Which one keeps its shape?”
• “Which one can flow?”
• “What did heat do to the ice?”
• “What happened when we pushed oobleck quickly?”
• “What did you observe like a real scientist?”

Choice Activity

Let the child choose one way to show what they learned:

• Draw: Draw ice changing into water and water vapor.
• Act: Pretend to be a solid, liquid, and gas.
• Explain: Tell a toy or family member what happened.
• Build: Use blocks or clay to make a model of a solid, liquid, and gas.
• Retest: Try one more oobleck test and make a new prediction.

Formative Assessment

Check understanding during the lesson by listening for or observing whether the child can:

• Use or show the words solid, liquid, and gas.
• Make a prediction before testing.
• Notice a change in the ice.
• Describe oobleck as runny, firm, sticky, squishy, or both.
• Answer questions with words, gestures, drawings, or actions.

Summative Assessment: Little Scientist Demonstration

Ask the child to complete these three tasks:

1. Point to or name one solid, one liquid, and one gas.
2. Finish the sentence: “Heat changed ice into ______.”
3. Show what happens when oobleck is moved slowly and when it is pushed quickly.

Simple rubric:

• Developing: Needs help naming or showing the states of matter.
• Growing: Names or shows two states and describes one observation with help.
• Ready: Names or shows all three states, explains the ice change, and describes an oobleck observation.

Differentiation and Adaptations

For a Child Who Needs More Support

• Use picture cards or real objects instead of requiring written answers.
• Offer sentence starters: “Ice is a ____.” “I see ____.”
• Give two choices, such as “Is ice hard or runny?”
• Allow the child to watch the adult demonstration before touching materials.
• Focus on one change: “Ice gets warm and becomes water.”

For a Child Ready for More

• Compare an ice cube in a warm room with one held in a warm hand.
• Ask the child to predict which ice cube will melt faster.
• Test different amounts of water in the oobleck mixture.
• Invite the child to explain why scientists repeat tests.
• Create a three-part science story: “First ice, next water, then water vapor.”

Flexible Learning Options

• For homeschool: Complete the investigations at a kitchen table or outside.
• For a small group: Give each child a role such as predictor, mixer, observer, or reporter.
• For digital learning: Watch an adult demonstration by video, then have the child make predictions and record observations verbally.
• For limited materials: Use household examples such as a toy for a solid, juice for a liquid, and visible mist from a safe distance for water vapor.

Conclusion: Tell What We Learned

Review the lesson using the phrase, “Tell, teach, tell.”

Tell: “We were going to learn about solids, liquids, gases, heat, and oobleck.”

Teach: Review:

• “Ice is a solid.”
• “Water is a liquid.”
• “Water vapor is a gas.”
• “Heat can change ice into water and water into water vapor.”
• “Oobleck can act like a liquid or a solid.”
• “Scientists ask questions, make predictions, test, observe, and share.”

Tell: Ask the child to finish one or more sentences:

• “Today I discovered that ______.”
• “My prediction was ______.”
• “I observed ______.”
• “My favorite experiment was ______ because ______.”

End with:

“You asked questions, made predictions, tested ideas, and observed carefully. You were a real matter scientist!”

Optional Follow-Up

During the day, invite the child to find matter examples around the home:

• Solids: A spoon, toy, book, or chair
• Liquids: Milk, juice, soap, or water
• Gases: Air in a balloon or water vapor from a safe distance

Ask, “What is it? How do you know?”