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Reviewing the differences between solids, liquids, and gases through sorting activities.
What if you could take a hard ice cube and turn it into a splashy puddle, and then make it disappear into the air? You actually have this 'magic' power every day!
Everything around us is made of matter. The first type of matter is a solid. A solid is something that has its own shape. It doesn't change unless you do something to it, like break it or melt it. Think of your favorite toy car or a crunchy apple. If you put your toy car inside a lunchbox, it stays shaped like a car. It doesn't turn into the shape of the lunchbox! This is because the tiny parts inside a solid are packed very tightly together, like friends huddling in a group. They don't move around, so the solid stays firm and strong.
1. Take a wooden pencil. 2. Place it on a flat table. It looks like a cylinder. 3. Place it inside a round mug. 4. Notice that the pencil is still a cylinder! It did not change its shape to match the mug.
Quick Check
If you move a rock from your pocket to a glass jar, does the rock change its shape?
Answer
No, because a rock is a solid and keeps its own shape.
The second type of matter is a liquid. Unlike solids, liquids do not have their own shape. Instead, they flow and take the shape of whatever container they are in. If you pour milk into a square glass, the milk becomes square-shaped. If you pour it into a round bowl, it becomes round! The tiny parts in a liquid are close together, but they can slide past each other. This 'sliding' is what lets liquids pour and splash. Even though the shape changes, the amount of liquid stays the same. If you have cup of water, it is still cup whether it is in a tall bottle or a wide pan.
1. Imagine a juice box filled with mL of apple juice. The juice is the shape of the box. 2. You accidentally drop it, and the juice spills on the floor. 3. The juice is now a flat puddle on the floor. 4. It changed from a 'box shape' to a 'puddle shape' because it is a liquid.
Quick Check
What is one big difference between a solid and a liquid?
Answer
A solid keeps its own shape, but a liquid takes the shape of its container.
The third type of matter is gas. Gases are the 'sneakiest' because you often can't see them! The air you breathe is a gas. Unlike solids and liquids, gases don't just sit at the bottom of a container. They spread out in every direction to fill up all the space they can. The tiny parts in a gas are very far apart and move very fast, like kids running around a playground. If you blow air into a balloon, the gas fills the whole balloon. If the balloon pops, the gas spreads out to fill the entire room! Oxygen and steam are common examples of gases.
1. Think about an empty balloon. It is flat. 2. Blow air (a gas) into it. 3. The balloon grows round because the gas is pushing against the sides. 4. Even though you can't see the air inside, you know it is there because it changed the shape of the balloon!
Which of these is a solid?
What happens when you pour a liquid into a new container?
Gases stay in one spot and do not move.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning, look at your breakfast. Can you find one solid (like a spoon) and one liquid (like milk)?
Practice Activity
Go on a 'Matter Hunt' in your kitchen! Find 3 solids, 2 liquids, and 1 gas (hint: look at a boiling pot or a balloon).