Matter and Muskets

Dry Ice in a Bottle Experiment

Matter:  What do dry ice and liquid nitrogen have in common? They are both substances with temperatures well below zero!  These two substances were used in many science experiments provided by the Discovery Museum this week to expand the study of 'Matter' through this in-house field trip.  See what the kids had to say:

• Sam G. "I like when the lady froze the banana in the liquid nitrogen and then used it like a hammer and "bananaed" a nail into a piece of wood."
• Vidyut "Dry ice is very cold. When you put it in warm water it sublimates into a gas!"
• Trever "I liked when she poured liquid nitrogen on the floor. It evaporated and picked up the dust on the floor!"
• Maddie R. "She submerged a ping-pong ball in the liquid nitrogen (then put it on a tray)The ping-pong ball started spinning around on the silver tray because the liquid nitrogen evaporated into a gas and the gas came out of a hole in the ping pong ball which made it spin"
• Cate Mrs. Harris put a flower in liquid nitrogen. When she took it she put her hand on the flower (with gloves). It fell apart into a lot of tiny pieces.

Muskets:  Stepping back in time with the Bay Colony Educators, the fourth grade students learned what life was like for boys and girls living in Walpole in the 1760's.   Dressed in colonial garb, Tim and Carol Greene spoke to the children about their clothing and the long, arduous process to produce one item.  Students were amazed to learn that chores such as making soap, fetching water (that might weigh up to 50 pounds) and planting flax seed were common for children in those days.  Information was shared about school, homes, toys and more.  The program ended literally with a bang, as Tim was allowed to fire a musket that would have been used in the Revolutionary War.   
Comments from the students:

• Madison A. "I would like to live in colonial times because the toys looked fun and I like how they dressed."
• Leo "I would not like to live in colonial times because I wouldn't much time to play."
• Meagan "I would not like to live in colonial times because it would be a lot of work making soap and candles and getting water."
• Alex "I would like to live in colonial times because I would love to serve in the militia!

 Ask your child what they learned this week from either of these programs.