SMMART SCIENCE: EVERYDAY SCIENCE OPPORTUNITIES (GELATIN)

Opportunities to teach scientific principles are plentiful, hidden in our day-to-day activities. This activity provides a forum to teach your child about liquids, solids and gases…and you may have thought that gelatin was only good for jiggling.

Let your child help you fill a pot with 2 ½ cups of water. Let your child run his fingers under the tap and explore some of water’s properties…it runs right through his fingers, it feels wet, it pours out of the measuring cup easily, it takes the shape of the container that holds it (measuring cup, pot, bowl)…

Explain to your child that water is a LIQUID (A state of matter, neither gas nor solid, whose atoms move freely, and flows and takes the shape of its container).
Ask your child what other things are liquid (milk, juice)

Put the pot on the stove and let your child observe the water when it’s still cold, then again as it starts to boil. Explain to your child that when water becomes very hot, some of the water escapes into the air as steam. This steam is a GAS (the state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by: relatively low density and viscosity; relatively great expansion and contraction with changes in pressure and temperature; the ability to diffuse readily; and the spontaneous tendency to become distributed uniformly throughout any container)
Talk about how the air we breathe is a gas. It’s called oxygen. Wave your fingers through the air to feel the properties of this gas. Talk about the properties of this gas…it is lighter than the water (less dense) because it is rising, it takes the shape of the container that holds it…

Even if you do not use the speed chill method using ice, show your child a piece of ice. When water becomes very cold it turns from a liquid into a SOLID (of definite shape and volume; firm; neither liquid nor gaseous;)
Show your child other solid objects in the kitchen.

Let your child pour out the two large boxes of flavored gelatin powder into a bowl. Allow him to put his finger in the powder and explore the texture and movement. Explain to your child that this powder is a SOLID. It is made up of many tiny solid pieces that are sitting all together in the bowl.

Now pour the boiling water into the bowl and carefully let your child stir the gelatin and water together. Say the word “DISSOLVE” with your child. Observe that the water dissolves the gelatin powder until you don’t see the powder anymore. Now the gelatin and water in solution are a LIQUID. Allow your child to sample a teaspoon of cooled gelatin liquid.

Pour the gelatin liquid into a 9X13 pan and chill in the refrigerator at least 3 hours. Explain that the gelatin will become solid as it chills.

When the gelatin is firm, cut into blocks or shapes and allow your child to explore the solid gelatin texture. Squeeze the gelatin, look through the transparent gelatin, jiggle the gelatin. Explain that the gelatin was a SOLID powder, dissolved into a LIQUID form and chilled into SOLID form.

Enjoy your gelatinous solid matter together!

Lisa

JUST RETURNED FROM A LITTLE VACATION...

I promise, promise, promise I'll post next week. Check back for a SMMART Science activity next week!

Oh, and I'll be presenting SMMART READING on "Good Things Utah" abc4 at 10:00am on

January 14!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

A little Christmas gift to myself is no post this week.

Check in next week and hope you have wonderful holiday memories!

TIME OUT FOR TIDBITS: SMMART GINGERBREAD HOUSE

This is hands down the best gingerbread recipe for making a Gingerbread House.

SMMART SCIENCE: Talk about the different forms that a solid can take when you observe the dough form of a solid and the baked cookie solid form. Also, take notice that a solid can be a powder when you observe the spices. You can talk about how many ingredients come together to form a mixture and make something new.

SMMART MATH: You can count the number of candies that it takes to cover the roof, make a path, or circle the doorway. Create shapes with candy to form the windows, doors and designs.

SMMART MUSIC: Turn on some holly-jolly music to enjoy while you enjoy time together.

SMMART ART: You are creating a gingerbread masterpiece...colors, shapes, patterns.

SMMART READING: Use any left over icing to pipe out your child's name in cursive. Pipe the name out on wax paper and let it sit until its hard. Then peel off the wax paper and your child can eat his name.

Gingerbread House Dough (courtesy of my friend Kindy)

6 and 3/4 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 and 1/2 c light or dark corn syrup
1 and 1/4 c packed brown sugar
1 c margarine or butter
1 Tb cinnamon
1 and 1/2 tsp ginger

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix dry ingredients and spices together in a mixing bowl.
-Combine sugar, corn syrup and butter in a pot and heat until melted while stirring continually.
-Pour heated mixture into dry mixture and combine well.
-Cool the dough so you can handle.
-Pour dough out onto floured counter so dough doesn't stick. Kneed dough until workable and ready to roll out.
-Roll dough out into 1/8 to 1/4" thick. Cut dough into pattern. You can search for a pattern of your choice online. (You may also wish to cut out shapes of snowmen and Christmas trees to adorn your Gingerbread House yard.
-Bake 8-10 minutes on Parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

(If you wish to use the scraps, bunch them together in a ball and microwave for a few seconds until the stiff dough becomes pliable again)

Makes 4 to 5 homes the size in my picture or many little houses.

Royal Icing

3 level Tb meringue powder
4 c powdered sugar
5-6 Tb water
(*optional: 1 Tb corn syrup for shine)

Beat on low 7-10 minutes till forms peaks

Makes 3 cups

Happy Holidays!

Lisa

"GOOD THINGS UTAH" SMMART ART LINK

.

Here is the link to the video for the SMMART ART: Teaching Your Child Great Art segment. It won't stay up long, so take a look:

.

http://www.abc4.com/content/about_4/gtu/featured_on/story/SMMART-Ideas-Art/UIyydXSGIk64GcgcmNMbEA.cspx

.

.

Thanks for watching and tune in for

SMMART READING on January 14, 2009!

SMMART READING: SUGAR LETTERS

Works every time...

What kiddo can resist dipping their finger into straight sugar for an instant reward after they correctly draw a letter (or word).

You may wish to reserve this activity as a postlude to a healthy meal.

Pour out just enough sugar to cover the bottom of a cake pan, or a cookie sheet. If you have a beginning letter writer, the cake pan is sufficient. If you wish to work on spelling words, then you need the room that a cookie sheet provides.

.

You can guide your child's finger in the correct letter formation first and then let him try it on his own.

.

After a while, the sugar gets a little sticky. We also use rice for this activity as a good substitute. (You can try flour, oats, split peas, lentils...) It also makes times that we use sugar a little more special.

WATCH SMMART ART DEC.15 on "GOOD THINGS UTAH"

.

Be sure to tune into "Good Things Utah" abc4 on Monday, Dec.15 at 10 am

for some SMMART ART ideas!

SMMART ART: MATCHING MASTERWORKS

This activity requires a little more preparation than most of the SMMART activities, but the payoff is well worth the effort. You are introducing your child to great pieces of art and their masters. Select a variety of works from different genres for this game.

Search the internet, magazines, or thrift store books for pictures of great masterworks. The internet is a flexible resource so you can shrink pictures and paste onto a document, ready to print.

This is one website that I find useful: www.abcgallery.com (Olga's Gallery)

Find pictures of great art masterpieces. Shrink the pieces to smaller than 3X5 and print them in duplicate. Cut out each picture and paste each picture onto the back of a plain 3X5 notecard. Be sure to label the picture with the name of the artwork and artist. You may laminate these or use contact paper to aid in longevity of this card game.

Now you have duplicate pictures for a "Masterworks Matching" game. As you turn over each picture or make a match, be sure to verbalize the name of the artwork and each artist.

It won't be long before your child is naming them before you!