On Thursday Angela continued the work she had been doing with the children on potions with an amazing new ingredient.  Dry Ice!!  Mr Hargreaves, one of our past parents, who is a university scientist very kindly brought us a thermos flask with dry ice pellets!  Angela showed the children how it looked- it was white and it had mist coming from it.  We were not allowed to touch it because it was so cold that it would have burned our skin.  Angela picked it up with a spoon and put some into a jug of water – immediately it began to bubble and the top of the jug filled with a foggy mist.  Angela explained we were seeing the ice melting and turning back into a gas called Carbon Dioxide.  We tried adding some food colouring to the water – it really looked like a magic potion now!

The gas stayed white and it looked quite creepy.  Next Angela put some washing up liquid into our potion.  The mixture frothed up with big bubbles, which, when you popped them were full of gas which all puffed out when the bubbles burst.  It looked really magical.  Angela told us that what we were seeing was a chemical reaction.  We think science is magic!!

We had a think about what we would like to do with potions next week.  Oliver said he wanted to make one which would make him invisible.  Many people wanted potions to make them into real princesses. Lots of the children wanted to re-do the experiment we did last week with bicarbonate of soda and vinegar which erupted like a volcano!   Angela is planning some very controlled explosions using shaving foam and popping candy- we can’t wait.

In the afternoon it was Kate’s turn to don the goggles and be the scientist- everything worked really well and the children loved the experience.  Thanks Angela, for planning really imaginative activities which really extended the children’s learning, captured their imaginations and  and introduced the magical nature of science.