Slime Lab!

We had a whole week of SLIME LAB!

Using both PHYSICAL and CHEMICAL changes, we produced a whole bunch of different slimes and goos! The best part about these is that you can make every single one at home all you want - with very inexpensive ingredients!


First, we used vinegar to create a CHEMICAL CHANGE in warm milk, separating a strange smelling substance called "casein" from the milk! The casein can be molded and dried out to make a plastic-like material. You can use it to make Christmas ornaments!








On Wednesday, we made a PHYSICAL CHANGE, combining flour, cornmeal, water, salt, and vegetable oil to make home made modeling dough!










On Thursday, we made a lightening fast CHEMICAL CHANGE, by adding Borax powder to wood glue and water! It instantly creates a substance very similar to Silly Putty! Try using blue gel glue for a translucent slime! Add yellow food coloring to make it look like something very disgusting!



Make sure you don't use too much water, or you'll end up with something like this:




Finally, my personal favorite goo to make is created by a PHYSICAL CHANGE of adding one part water to two parts cornstarch! This stuff is unbelievable!



Is it a liquid?
Or is it a solid? It can't seem to make up its mind!

Star Student - Josh

Congratulations to our Star Student Josh!


-- Post From My iPhone

Congratulations to our President and Vice President!

Today the winners of the student council election were announced and the top two winners were BOTH from Mr. Sofferin and Ms. Harris's classes!

Student Council Vice-President
Jonathan Perez

Student Council President
Isabel Snow

Here's Isabel upon hearing the news that she was the winner! Now, I want to see President Obama have the guts to wear a hat like that while someone's taking his picture!

Um.....speaking of strange looking hats....

Partial Products

Students have homework today to practice with partial products.

Click here for a quick explanation of how the strategy works.

More Fun with Chemical Reactions!

Today we had even more fun with carbon dioxide gas! First, we used CO2 to make spaghetti dance! It's hard to see here, but that's a mixture of water, baking soda, and vinegar that creates CO2 bubbles. The bubbles attach to the spaghetti and lift it up the container. As the bubbles pop, the spaghetti sinks back down into the water. You can add moth balls colored like eyeballs and red food coloring for a fun Halloween display!





Next, we used carbon dioxide gas to put out fire. I placed several, different height candles in a fish tank, and filled the bottom with vinegar.


Then, I lit the candles. If you try this at home, make sure there is an adult around, since you're working with fire!


Next, I sprinkled baking soda into the fish tank, a little bit at a time, making sure not to get any on the candles.


As the carbon dioxide was created, it pushed the oxygen out of the tank, causing the flames to go out. This works because carbon dioxide is more dense than air and so it doesn't mix right away.


Finally, we saw what happens when you put a pack of Mentos candy into a bottle of soda. The carbon dioxide in the soda rushes to the candy and erupts from the opening of the bottle! Mrs. Hartless tried this earlier this week with regular Coke, but because of the sugar making the Coke more dense than the Diet Pepsi, it didn't explode nearly as high as ours did! Next week, we'll try this again with other types of soda to see if we have different reactions!


-- Post From My iPhone

Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Fire!

We had a blast today learning more about physical and chemical changes. The students saw that different types of materials react differently to heat. Things that were once living, such as paper and wool go through a chemical reaction as they burn. Things that are not made from living things usually just change phase, and go through a physical change. The kids had a blast watching things melt and burn.









As a grand finale to our experiments with fire, I showed the kids Flash Paper - a special kind of tissue paper that's been treated with chemicals which allow the paper to burn very quickly, leaving no smoke or ash. It's the same type of paper magicians use to create flames at the snap of a finger.




Then, I introduced them to the chemical lycopodium - a moss spore that is also used by magicians as well as special effects artists. It's a very light, flammable powder which, when scattered lightly in the air over a flame, will ignite into a quick fiery flash and extinguish itself just as quickly.


Don't worry, parents! Mr. Sofferin isn't crazy! This stuff isn't nearly as dangerous as it looks! But if you decide to get some from a magic shop for your kids, make sure they don't use it without an adult around to supervise!

Chemical Changes

Today we did a bunch of experiments involving both chemical and physical changes. Since the chemical changes are more fun, those are what I took pictures of!

We combined vinegar and baking soda to create carbon dioxide gas bubbles!

We used a solution of vinegar and salt to clean old, dirty pennies and make them shiny again! The pictures of this one aren't as impressive, but the kids were still amazed at the result!

For the grand finale, we used the same combination of vinegar and baking soda to create carbon dioxide gas to blow up a balloon with air! Check out the awesome expressions on the kids' faces.

And my favorite picture of the day!

Tomorrow, we're going to create some chemical and physical changes involving fire! Then, Friday we're going to do a bunch more WAY COOL experiments with carbon dioxide gas! And next week is SLIME LAB - A whole week of making all kinds of slimes, goos, and other concoctions!