One exciting concept to explore in elementary and middle school homeschool is the states of matter. You can keep it simple for younger students and expand on the knowledge for a deeper exploration in middle school including non-Newtonian fluids and plasma.
Need some ideas about how to teach the states of matter for homeschool science? Let’s go!
What are the States of Matter?
Matter can exist in three primary states: solid, liquid, and gas. How the atoms and particles are arranged in a substance determines its state.
- Solid: In solids, particles are closely packed and have a fixed position. Solids have a definite shape and volume.
- Liquid: Liquid particles are more loosely arranged and can move past each other. Liquids have a volume that depends on temperature but take the shape of their container.
- Gas: Gaseous particles have a lot of space between them and move freely. Gases have a volume that depends on pressure and temperature but take the shape of their container
- Plasma: The most common state of matter in the universe, this very state makes up the Sun and stars. It consists of positively-charged particles and free electrons. While it can be made in a lab, it does not exist naturally on earth.
- Non-Newtonian Fluids: Solid or liquid? Yes! Depending on how much stress they are under, these fluids, like ketchup and oobleck, can take on the properties of a solid.
Learning About The States Of Matter
Start With Observation
One of the easiest ways to introduce your child to the states of matter is by engaging their natural sense of curiosity. Point out various objects during the day that show examples of the different states of matter. Pick up a rock or a stick on your walk. Touch the milk in the glass. Smell perfume or blow bubbles.
Use simple, everyday examples to illustrate the differences between the states of matter. Show how water can exist as ice (solid), liquid water, and steam (gas) at different temperatures.
Conduct Hands-On Experiments
Hands-on experiments are a powerful way to make abstract concepts more tangible. You can find experiments online, in books, and in our courses. Here are some simple experiments you can try:
- Freezing and Melting: Place water in an ice cube tray and observe how it changes from a liquid to a solid when you freeze it. Conversely, watch it melt back into a liquid when it warms up.
- Evaporation: Leave a container of water outside and monitor how it disappears over time, evaporating into the air.
- Balloons and Air: Blow up a balloon to illustrate the properties of a gas.
- Good Morning Coffee: A great way to start the day with states of matter is to observe the solid mug, the liquid coffee, and the steam rising from the coffee.
- Sublimation: Set out some dry ice and watch it turn directly to vapor.
- Oobleck: Explore the properties of a non-Newtonian fluid right in your kitchen.
Use Visual Aids
Visual aids like diagrams, pictures, and videos can help reinforce the concepts of states of matter. Use diagrams to illustrate the arrangement of particles in solids, liquids, and gases. Videos can show real-world examples of matter transitioning between these states.
Put your student’s creativity to work in their notebooks as they document their understanding of the topic. Or have them create a collage of pictures representing the different states of matter.
Dive Deeper into Each State of Matter
Solids
Explore the properties of solids in more detail. Discuss how the particles in solids are tightly packed, leading to their fixed shape and volume. Here are some activities to reinforce this concept:
- Molecular Models: Use molecular modeling kits or household items like building blocks to create solid structures. This hands-on approach can help kids visualize the arrangement of particles in solids.
- Classification: Encourage your child to classify objects around the house as solids. Discuss their properties, such as rigidity and inability to flow.
Liquids
Investigate the properties of liquids and their transition from solid to liquid and vice versa. Some activities for this phase include:
- Mixing Liquids: Explore how different liquids mix and interact. For example, mix oil and water to show that they don’t readily blend.
- Water Cycle: Discuss the water cycle to explain how water can change from a liquid to a gas (evaporation) and back to a liquid (condensation).
Gases
Teach your child about the properties of gases and how they differ from solids and liquids. Activities to consider include:
- Invisible Gases: Discuss how gases are all around us, even though we can’t see them. Use simple examples like the air we breathe or the scent of a flower.
- Gas Expansion: Illustrate the concept of gas expansion by spraying some perfume in a room.
Plasma
Explain how the sun and stars are made up of plasma. Then bring the concept to life at home:
- Play with a plasma ball to observe how the gas inside interacts with the electric coil to make lightning-like arcs.
Relate States of Matter to the Real World
To make learning more relevant and interesting, connect the states of matter to real-life examples:
- Cooking: Explain how heat changes the state of matter in cooking, for instance, melting butter or boiling water.
- Weather: Discuss how temperature affects the state of water in the atmosphere, causing rain, snow, or clouds. If it’s winter, try to find a location where you can see snow, water, and clouds at the same time. Water in its three states of matter in one place!
- Phase Diagrams: Introduce phase diagrams to show how substances change states under varying temperature and pressure conditions.
- Gas Laws: For older students, you can explore gas laws like Boyle’s Law and Charles’s Law to explain how gases behave under different conditions.
- Tesla Coils: Investigate Tesla coils to learn more about the characteristics of plasma.
Understanding the states of matter is a basic concept for science students of all ages they can apply to higher knowledge throughout their lives.
States Of Matter With Berean Builders
If you are looking for an integrated and more in-depth curriculum to help your child learn about the states of matter, we recommend Science in the Beginning.
