What's Happening?
Where did the ice cube go? What is the puddle made of?
- What do you think happened to the ice cube?
- Is the puddle the same thing as the ice cube, or something different?
Big Ideas About Water
Water is amazing! It can look and feel very different. Sometimes water is hard and cold, like an ice cube. Sometimes water is a flowing liquid, like what comes out of a faucet. But it is ALL still water!
Water as a Solid
Water as a Liquid
Let's Try It!
Scientists learn by watching carefully and writing down what they see. We call this observing. Let's be scientists and observe what happens to ice!
Ice Cube Observation
Here is a simple activity you can do at home or at school:
You will need: 2 ice cubes, 1 plate, 1 cup of warm water
- Put one ice cube on a plate. Look at it carefully. Touch it. How does it feel? Is it hard or soft? Write down or draw what you see.
- Put the other ice cube into the cup of warm water. Watch what happens. What do you see?
- Wait 10 minutes. Go back and look at the plate and the cup. What changed? Draw or write what you see now.
What We Found Out
When we watched the ice cube on the plate, we saw it get smaller and smaller. A puddle of water grew around it. The ice was melting! Melting means the solid ice was turning into liquid water.
The ice cube in the warm water melted even faster! The warm water made the ice change more quickly. But the same thing happened — the solid ice turned into liquid water.
Here is the important part: the ice did not disappear. It changed from a solid to a liquid. It was water the whole time! Water can be solid ice OR it can be liquid water.
| What We Observed | Ice on the Plate | Ice in Warm Water |
|---|---|---|
| At the start | 🧊 Hard ice cube sitting on plate | 🧊 Hard ice cube floating in water |
| After 5 minutes | 💧 Smaller ice cube, small puddle | 💧 Much smaller ice cube, more water |
| After 10 minutes | 💧 Tiny ice piece, bigger puddle | 💧 No ice left! All liquid water |
Spot the Pattern!
Scientists look for patterns. A pattern is when something happens the same way again and again. Can you spot the pattern with water?
When things get cold enough, liquid water turns into solid ice. When things get warm enough, solid ice turns back into liquid water. This pattern happens every time! It does not matter if it is a tiny ice cube or a big frozen lake.
You can see this pattern in lots of places:
| Place | Water as Solid (Ice) | Water as Liquid |
|---|---|---|
| 🏠 Your Kitchen | 🧊 Ice cubes in the freezer | 💧 Water from the faucet |
| 🌳 Outside | ❄️ Frozen puddles in winter | 💧 Rain puddles in spring |
| 🏔️ Mountains | ❄️ Snow and glaciers | 💧 Rivers and streams |
Water in the Real World
People use what they know about solid and liquid water every day!
Keeping Food Cold
Icy Roads
Can you think of other times people need to know about ice and water? What about ice skating? The solid ice on a rink is frozen water. What about making a snowman? Snow is tiny pieces of solid water!
Words to Know
- Solid — Something that is hard and keeps its own shape. Ice is a solid.
- Liquid — Something that flows and takes the shape of what holds it. Water from the faucet is a liquid.
- Ice — Water when it is a solid. Ice is very cold and hard.
- Melt — When a solid turns into a liquid. Ice melts into liquid water when it gets warm.
- Freeze — When a liquid turns into a solid. Water freezes into ice when it gets very cold.