States of Water: A Snow Mobile (Wrapping Up)
EXPLORE! ICE WORLDS!

States of Water: A Snow Mobile (Wrapping Up)

Overview

After answering questions and recording their discoveries about water in its solid, liquid, and gas states on their Show Mobile pieces, the children assemble their mobiles!

What's the Point?

  • Water can exist in different states — solid (ice), liquid (water), and gas (water vapor).
  • Water can be changed from one state to another by heating or cooling.
  • Water has many observable properties that vary depending upon its state.

Materials

For each child:

  • His/her Ice Investigator Journal
  • His/her envelope of mobile pieces
  • 3 paper plates
  • 1 (4') piece of string or yarn
  • 18 (4"–6") pieces of string or yarn
  • Tape
  • Crayons, colored pencils, glitter, yarn, foil, tissue paper, stickers, and other craft items to further decorate the mobile pieces
  • Hole punch (optional)
  • Scissors
  • A pen or pencil


For the facilitator:

Preparation

You can pre-cut the string or yarn or let the children select lengths of their own.

Activity

Ice Mobile1. Have the children examine their snow mobile pieces. Have they answered all of the questions? Prompt them to talk about any they have not answered and brainstorm the answer as a group.

2. Distribute the tape and string and invite the children to assemble their snow mobiles. Have them decorate their paper plates — the frame of the mobile — if they wish. They also may further decorate their mobile pieces.

3. Invite the children to make a three-tiered hanger for their mobile pieces. Have them tie a knot at one end of their long string. Instruct them to poke a tiny hole in the middle of one of the paper plates. Have them thread string through the hole in the paper plate so that the paper plate rests on the knot. Invite them to place a piece of tape across the knot and hole to secure the plate. Next have them tie a knot about a foot above the first paper plate. The children will thread the string through a tiny hole in the second paper plate until it rests on the second knot. Secure it in place with a piece of tape. Repeat the process for the first paper plate; it should rest on a knot about a foot above the second plate.

4. Invite the children to tape the end of a short string to the center top of each of their snowflake, raindrop, or cloud pieces. Have them attach the other end to the bottom of one of the plates. They can arrange them in any order they choose; either with all the raindrops at one level and the clouds at another, or mixed. If they wish, they can vary the lengths of the strings from which the pieces are hanging.

5. When they are finished, have the children tie a loop in the end of the string above the top plate. They can hang their mobiles from these loops.

6. Hang the mobile and enjoy all you have learned!

In Conclusion

Invite the children to share what they have learned about water in its liquid, solid, and gas states. What was one of the most interesting things they learned?

Invite them to ponder if water, ice, or water vapor exist on other planets or moons in our solar system.

Last updated
September 30, 2009

 

Back to top